What biological, psychological, physical environmental, sociocultural, behavioral, and health system factors are influencing this situation?
The first problem stems from Mrs. Brown’s age (48-years-old). It is likely that she is already entering into her menopausal stage and, as such, the hormonal variances that she is experiencing are contributing towards her state of depression. It is also acknowledged that people her age are typically starting to think about retirement and have already amassed a significant amount of pension funds. Unfortunately, due to her economic situation, she was unable to do so and, as such, this would contribute towards an adverse psychological outlook which would result in depression (Mberu, Mumah, Kabiru & Brinton, 2014). This helps to explain her sudden desire to stop living since it has been shown that individuals suffering from depression often entertain such thoughts. Her physical environment is also unlikely to contribute towards the development of a positive outlook. Low-income neighbors are often dilapidated, have high rates of crime, and are often havens for disreputable individuals.
Opportunities for jobs in such areas are scarce and, as such, the combination of stress and a lack of possible jobs further hampers Ms. Brown’s capacity to have a positive outlook. Aside from this, there are also the issues associated with her sociocultural status as a single African American woman with kids. It is often the case that people under this category are considered as being “low-class” or that they engage in promiscuous sexual behavior (Ahmed, Lemkau, Nealeigh & Mann, 2001). As a result, this negative social outlook for people in her situation causes her to be more withdrawn and depressed. When taking into consideration her lack of stable work, the need to take care of her children as well as her 72-year-old mother, it is not that surprising that the sheer amount of responsibilities she has to deal with has resulted in an adverse behavioral outlook regarding her life. Lastly, since she has no insurance for herself or her family, this limits her ability to give them the necessary care they deserve resulting in even more depression due to her apparent inadequacy as a mother to provide for her children.
Is this a crisis situation? If so, what type of crisis would this be?
Technically it is not a crisis since people can enter states of depression from time to time. It is how the depression is dealt with that is at the heart of the problem. Mrs. Brown should be brought to a mental health professional for evaluation and maybe given some antidepressants. Failure to do so would cause the depression to fester and grow with time resulting in the very real possibility that Mrs. Brown would commit suicide. As such, it is recommended that she seek the assistance of a mental health professional immediately. This could be potentially provided for via pro-bono services that some psychiatrists do on occasion.
What nursing interventions will you employ with this family?
Checkups are obviously needed for the family due to the lack of health insurance. Some members may have underlying health issues that may not be apparent now but may get worse as they grow older. Aside from this, some vaccinations may be needed as well as flu shots for the children.
How might your interventions be different if you find that many families in the population are experiencing a similar problem?
If many families in the area are experiencing the same problem, then implementing a monthly “health drive” would be useful. Its purpose would be to bring volunteer doctors to these regions and have potential patients come to the area where the health drive has been set up. This would ensure people get the types of medical examinations they need and thus reducing the potential for underlying medical conditions to get worse with time (Singh, Zhou, Li & Tong, 2016).