Caring For a Patient with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Essay

SOCIAL HISTORY: Patient admits alcohol ingestion nightly and on weekends. Denies tobacco use and illicit drug us. He is married.

According to the Journal of Medicine, Major Depressive Disorder is related to normal emotions of sadness and temperament. When the external cause of these emotions scatter in different directions, the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder requires a change of mood, sadness and accompanied by at least several psychological changes. They do not sleep well, their appetite changes and lack sexual desire. Depression is a heterogeneous disorder with a highly variable course, an inconsistent response to treatment.

The patient was admitted to the hospital by her daughter after discovering that she had abandoned her medication and was significantly experiencing adverse effects from the withdrawal. The patients’ medical history included renal dysfunction, anemia, malnourishment, back pain, and a family history of mental health. The patient has a psychiatric history of being previously placed in the same clinical structure eight months ago due to related issues including the failure to take her medication and increased levels of mental health conditions that led

*Major Depression: persistent depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.

Millions of Americans suffer from clinical depression each year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2017), 322 million people are affected by depression around the world. Concerning industrialized Western world countries, it remains as the number one psychological disorder affecting its population (WHO, 2017). Most clinicians begin primarily with prescribing either pharmacologic or psychotherapy interventions. With billions of dollars spent in revue on treating depression (Chisholm, Sweeny, and Sheehan, 2016), exercise used as treatment in reaction to mental illness is often overlooked by mainstream health care professionals. However, it has been proved by recent research exercise acts as both a preventive and reactive

d. A nurse gives a PRN dose of an antipsychotic drug to a patient to prevent violent acting out because

History of Present Illness: The patient has been seen in this clinic since 2016. She is diagnosed to have ADHD, Bipolar II disorder, Generalized Anxiety disorder, Alcohol and Cannabis use dependence. The patient has struggled with separation from an abusive ex-husband, who is currently

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the clinical differences in the diagnosis of both Major Depressive Disorder (Unipolar depression) and Bipolar Depression can be made on the basis of characteristics of a Major Depressive Episode (MDE). That is, can an MDE in patients with Major Depressive Disorder be differentiated from a MDE in patients with Bipolar Disorder? Firstly, the extremes in mood, Major Depressive Episode and mania/hypomania will be defined and it will be explained how they contribute to a diagnosis of MDD or Bipolar Disorder based on the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Secondly, the importance of differentiating the two disorders based on MDE characteristics will be explained. Thirdly, the literature on the clinical characteristics of MDE in Bipolar and Unipolar Depression will be reviewed. Lastly, this essay will touch on what this means for clinicians in their decisions in diagnosing patients with Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar disorder.

296.32 (F33.1) Major Depressive Disorder, recurrent episode, moderate severity, with anxious distress. Ms. Client meets eight of the nine diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Specifically, during several periods of time she experienced depressed mood, diminished interest in things she enjoyed to do, hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, decreased concentration, and suicidal thoughts without intent. Additionally, as Ms. Client expressed, these symptoms are source of continuing distress and interfere with her academics and social functioning. Also, her symptoms started four years prior to the psychological assessment and persisted intermittently since then, lasting for several weeks to several months, with the most recent period of extended length (enduring two weeks) approximately one year ago. Since the last episode she has experienced these symptoms for two to three days at a time. Although the last episode that met the criterion of two weeks duration occurred approximately a year ago, the symptoms have not disappeared, but they occur periodically since then and when they do, they cause considerable distress and impairment in functioning. Thus, the disorder cannot be coded as ‘in partial or full remission’. The specifier ‘with anxious distress’ was given, because Ms. Client reports feelings of difficulty in concentration because of worry and restlessness.

Major Depressive Disorder or MDD is a very common clinical condition that affects millions of people every year. According to the Agency for Health Care Policy & Research, “ depression is under diagnosed & untreated by most medical doctors, despite the fact that it can almost always be treated successfully.

A major depressive episode is described as having a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure along with five (or more) of the following symptoms: (a) significant weight loss, (b) insomnia or hypersomnia, (c) psychomotor agitation or retardation, (d) fatigue or loss of energy, (e) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt, (f) diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, and (g) recurrent

People of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life have felt depressed and unhappy at some time in their lives. These periods of sadness usually pass after a short time, but for some people, this feeling can remain for weeks, months, and even years. (1) This prolonged state of unhappiness is called major (or clinical) depression and is characterized by a persistent sad or "empty" mood, loss of interest in favorite activities, difficulty concentrating, and many other symptoms. It is not simply a mental state but an illness that interferes with the way people feel, function, and think.(2)

are happy when they achieve something or saddened when they fail a test or lose

A clinician may use the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). This is useful, tool for looking at cognitive impairment. The test consists of a 30-point questionnaire. In addition, the SCL-8D questionnaire could be used. This screening tool is used for measuring psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. “Professional counselors use systems theory to assess the effects of family dynamics on a client’s issue. “Systems theory has helped us to understand that family communications, family problem solving, family roles, and family boundaries can each have a substantial impact on issues seemingly unrelated to the client’s home life” ” (Kaplan, 2003, p .19).

Major Depressive Disorder is marked by sadness and any four of the following seven criteria: weight loss or weight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, motor slowing or agitation, fatigue, worthlessness or guilt, impaired concentration, and thoughts of suicide or suicide attempt. Those with Major Depressive Disorder have never had mania or hypomania and may also have anxiety symptoms. When the Major Depressive Disorder is combined with melancholic features, then the person has a “loss of pleasure in all, or almost all, activities [and has a] lack of reactivity to usually pleasurable stimuli (does not feel better, even temporarily, when something good happens” (American Psychiatric Association, p. 185). Observations made by others, such as being tearful, is also a criterion of this disorder (American