Depression as a Disease of Modernity †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Depression as a Disease of Modernity. Answer: Introduction Depression imposes substantial health and economic burden in the Australian health care system. Besides, depression has detrimental implications for young adults. Depression is associated with adverse outcomes like impaired psychosocial functioning and substance abuse. This scholarly paper will examine the factors that contribute to depression, clinical manifestation, pathophysiology and preventive measures. Additionally, the study will develop a depression management plan. The target population for the management plan will be working individuals aged between 25 and 44 years. The factors that contribute to depression Depression is an intricate condition with multiple causes and risk factors. The major causes of depression are poor sleep habits, adverse social interactions and stressful adverse events (Pemberton Tyszkiewicz, 2016). Men have higher chances of experiencing depression because of divorce and work difficulties. On the other hand, women might experience depression due to death or serious illness (Hasler, 2010). Substance abuse also causes depression among the young adults. For instance, alcohol and drug abuse are always found in association with depression (Hidaka, 2012). There has been an escalation in substance abuse in Australia among the young adults. In 2004, the prevalence of non-drinkers dropped to 15.3 percent and increased to 20.4 percent in 2013. Likewise, the quantity of alcohol consumption increased significantly between 2004 and 2013. (Chan, et al., 2016). The increase in drug use can be used to explain why the incidences of depression are increasing in Australia. Studies have revealed that depression is linked to genetics. A certain family might have a history of depression. Nevertheless, the inheritance of genes that cause depression does not follow the standard Mendelian pattern. Depression is a complex trait, which insinuates that many different genes contribute to the expression of depression. Certain medicines can increase the incidence of depression. Some of the medicines that are associated with depressive symptoms are topiramate, flunarizine, mefloquine and efavirenz (Celano, Freudenreich, Fernandez-Robles, Stern, Caro, Huffman, 2011). The clinical manifestation The symptoms of depression can be classified into behavior, feelings, thoughts and physical. Some of the most common physical symptoms of depression are sleep disturbance and sexual dysfunction. Other common physical signs include substantial loss of weight loss, lack of reactivity and psychomotor retardation (Kennedy, 2008). People who are suffering from chronic depression tend to have abnormal behavior. They exhibit the loss of interest and pleasure in virtually all activates. At times, individuals who are suffering chronic depression tend to withdraw from close friends and family members. Even though substance abuse is a cause of depression, it might also be a manifestation of depression. Young adults who are suffering from depression tend to engage in substance abuse. Depression is associated with changes in feelings and perceptions. Patients who have chronic depression present with depressed mood (Kennedy, 2008). Also, they tend to feel guilty even when are innocent. Other feelings include frustration, irritation, and disappointment. People who are depressed further exhibit the lack of confidence. They present with thoughts of despair and worthlessness. Some young adults even think that they are failures due to depression. Pathophysiology The pathophysiology of depression has not been characterized fully. However, researchers have found an intricate connection between receptor regulation, neurotransmitter availability, and sensitivity. A key factor in the occurrence and progression of depression is the disruption of the central nervous system serotonin (5-HT). Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, neurocircuitry, and glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) have also been implicated in depression. Depressive pathophysiology tends to vary based on the cause of the depression. Due to this fact, antidepressant treatments comprise of both biological and psychological interventions. The treatment should be personalized for specific patients and conditions. Studies indicate that depression is linked to low metabolic activity in neocortical structures and high metabolic activity in limbic structures. Neuroimaging approaches have presented new avenues for the identification of abnormalities in pat ients with depression. Structural imaging as well as postmortem research offer credible evidence on the structure of the brain in depressed patients. This evidence indicates that depression is an etiologically and clinically heterogeneous condition (Hasler, 2010). Preventive measures Depression disorder can be reduced by approximately 25 percent to 50 percent through different approaches (Cuijpers, Beekman, Reynolds, 2012). The effectiveness of the evidence-based approaches can be improved by identifying and offering help to groups that are at high risk of experiencing depression. The most effective techniques use interpersonal and cognitive behavior. Family-based approaches have also proved effective in preventing the onset of depression (Gladstone, Beardslee, O'Connor, 2011). In interpersonal and cognitive behavior techniques, a health care provider addresses the needs of the people who are at high risk of experiencing depression. During the therapy, the patients are taught about managing their thoughts as well as symptoms of depression. A person can further prevent depression by adjusting their diet. Unhealthy diets specifically for people with obesity increases the chances of experiencing depression. Hence, healthy diet lowers the risk of depression in over weight individuals (Roca, et al., 2016). Reduction of substances like alcohol and drugs can also have a positive effect towards preventing depression. Management plan The depression management plan will involve four elements which are patient education, lifestyle modification, embracing a healthy diet and dealing with irritability. The short-term objective of this management plan will be to eliminate depressive symptoms. In the long-term, the management plan will aim at preventing the reoccurrence of depressive symptoms. Treatment plans for depression help the person to achieve remission and prevent subsequent episodes (Shelton, 2009). The target population for this depression management plan will be individuals aged between 24 and 44 years who are working. Patient education: Suitable patient education should comprise of possible side effects of antidepressants, the timeline for monitoring improvement, and medicine adherence (Dunlop, Scheinberg, Dunlop, 2013). Thus, patients will be trained on how to take medicines and monitor improvements. Lifestyle modification: The patients will be asked to provide a list of what activities they do on a daily basis. Then the patients will be advised of the best lifestyle activities that will improve their health status. Patients will be advised against drinking alcohol and smoking. Besides, they will be advised to exercise at least 30 minutes daily. Lifestyle change recommendations are effective for depressed persons (Ripoll, et al., 2015). Adoption of a healthy diet: Empirical evidence suggests that a healthy diet can help to manage the prevalence of depression (Quirk, et al., 2013). Specifically, the patients will be advised to reduce the intake of calories based on their current diet. However, each patient will be encouraged to develop diet goals depending on their condition. Dealing with irritation: Patients who are experiencing depression might become irritated from time to time. Hence, training them how to deal with irritation will help to manage their condition. The best ways of dealing with irritation are getting time to relax and sharing with friends and family members. Conclusion According to this paper, depression is caused by social factors, a persons lifestyle and physical factors. Social isolation, drug abuse, and medication are risk factors for depression. The clinical manifestation of depression may be behavioral or physical. This study has found that depression can be treated through various interventions such as inter-personals and cognitive behavior therapy. A four-element depression management plan has been proposed. References Celano, C. M., Freudenreich, O., Fernandez-Robles, C., Stern, T. A., Caro, M. A., Huffman, J. C. (2011). 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