How Is Depression Diagnosed?

How is depression diagnosed? If you imagine yourself to be a Clinical Psychologist, how would you approach treatment of a depressed client and why?

Depression can be defined as both a syndrome and a disorder. It involves episodes of sadness, loss of interest, pessimism, negative beliefs about the self, decreased motivation, behavioral passivity, and changes in sleep, appetite and sexual interest, and suicidal thoughts and impulses. Substantial impairment in social and occupational functioning is also frequently observed in depressed individuals. Not surprisingly, the economic burden of depression is enormous like workplace-related costs (Murray & Lopez, 1997). Depression is considered to be the condition that is most responsible for health decrements worldwide. It is therefore a global health priority to understand, prevent and treat depression (Moussavi et al., 2007).

Both environmental and physiological factors can cause depression. Most mental health experts now agree that brain chemistry plays a major role. Life experiences affects brain chemistry, and some people become depressed after experiencing a trauma or stressful life change such as a separation or divorce, the death of a spouse, being laid off from a job, financial instability, relocation, or a decline in health.

Depression’s symptoms can vary greatly from person to person and may even change throughout the course of the illness. Symptoms may also vary depending on an individual's gender, culture, or age. Common symptoms of depression include: Frequent crying and overwhelming feelings of sadness, feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, changes in sleep such as excessive sleeping or the inability to sleep, Anxiety, Anger, Difficulty enjoying previously-enjoyed activities, Unexplained physical ailments such as headaches or muscle pain, Difficulty concentrating, Changes in weight or eating habits, Thoughts of suicide (Harold et al., 2011).

A person experiencing depression is likely to encounter difficulty coping with daily stressors and may feel helpless and alone. In fact, sometimes the most mundane of activities—getting out of bed, bathing, and dressing—can feel like an impossible feat. These challenges can influence one's susceptibility to a decline even when in a positive mood, resulting in a negativity bias that informs all experiences.

There are a number of therapeutic approaches that have demonstrated effectiveness in treating depression, including mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, Antidepressant medication etc.

Antidepressant medication

Antidepressants are medicines that treat the symptoms of depression. There are almost 30 different types available. The efficacy of ADM has been established in literally thousands of placebo-controlled clinical trials. Approximately one-half of all patients will respond to any given ADM irrespective of its class, and many of the other half will respond to another ADM or to a combination of ADMs (Thase and Rush, 1997).