Depression and Its Symptoms
Depression is a mental illness characterized by low mood, inability to appreciate life (a sensation of yearning, despair, and hopelessness), impaired thinking, and slow movement. The biggest hazard for depressed individuals is that the worse they feel, the more likely they are to try suicide (Mahlomaholo et al., 2021). At this stage, the death rate from depression is only marginally lower than that of illnesses affecting multiple organs.
Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. Pathology can develop as a result of stressful events. If the condition is not there, positive moods return to the person when the situation is resolved. However, suppose the reason is removed and the individual continues to experience apathy, sadness, and lack of strength. In that case, it is vital to seek professional treatment, and performance may suffer as a result.
Postpartum depression is common among women as their lives change radically, and sleepless nights add tiredness, resulting in breakdowns and lethargy. When the disease is ignored, the person exhibits depressive symptoms such as bad moods and helplessness, as well as chronic neurological system abnormalities. Other signs are a severe decline in self-esteem, social disadaptation, despair, and loss of interest in any events. On a physiological level, hunger changes, intimate demands, and energy diminish; sleep and intestinal functions are affected (constipation, weakness, and weariness during physical and mental activity are noticed), and body discomfort (heart, muscle, stomach area) is observed.
The patient exhibits symptoms of depression, such as loss of interest in other people, frequent solitude, refusal of amusement, and use of alcohol and psychoactive medications. Depression shows as difficulties paying attention, focusing, making choices, slow thinking, a gloomy view of the near future, a shortage of context, and thoughts of the hollowness of his being alive, with attempts at self-harm due to his uselessness, powerlessness, and futility.
Diagnosis and Treatment Approaches
Depression can have serious repercussions if left untreated. The chance of recurrence increases with each bout of untreated depression. Furthermore, each consecutive episode will be more severe, with increased functional loss and a detrimental impact on physical health (Alcoforado et al., 2022). Episodes will become more frequent, and cases of chronic depression are also probable. If depression is not treated effectively or completely, it can lead to the development of a difficult-to-treat condition.
When determining the cause of depression, it is critical to eliminate other disorders that cause similar symptoms, such as viral infections. To do this, the patient must have a standard physical checkup as well as testing. A psychological assessment is undertaken after all other disorders have been ruled out. The patient is questioned (Maremmani et al., 2023).
Depression is diagnosed using particular tests that measure the amount of anxiety, suicidal inclinations, anhedonia, and other symptoms. Treatment of depression begins with psychological help. The patient is adjusted to an optimistic outlook on life and is helped to get out of a state of constant fixation on negative moments. The doctor also works with family members. They should establish a benevolent climate and support the patient in everything.
Research Methodology and Survey Design
I utilized the self-report approach since it is one of the ways of personality study that involves a person analyzing their own behavior. In this test, an evaluative approach was utilized, in which the researcher conducted all stimulus manipulations, and the examinee merely evaluated his or her sensations. For example, he or she may report that the new stimulus is twice as big (brighter, cooler) as the reference stimulus or one and a half times paler. However, unlike the ball-scoring approach, the respondent has the same response choices for all questions in this test.
I picked the most common symptoms of depression for this exam to measure the respondents’ existence of these symptoms. Since depressive symptoms are classified into four categories, I built the exam around them. The major symptoms of this condition include emotional signs, sad mood, poor activity, diminished interest in life, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or lethargy, and exhaustion. Following that are the physiological symptoms, which were also considered when developing the evaluation. These include increased weariness, reduced sex drive, loss of interest or pleasure in previously pleasurable activities, sleep difficulties, decreased or increased hunger, bodily pains, and constipation.
I also considered the patients’ behavioral problems. Restlessness, tension, uneasiness, irritability, wrath, mood swings, bouts of depression, tearfulness, worsening of interpersonal disputes, and apathy were among the symptoms. I also utilized mental symptoms such as the inability to concentrate, decision-making, sluggish thinking, and pessimism. This test will be administered to 200 persons at risk of developing the condition. Women are diagnosed with depression at a far higher rate than men. Furthermore, women are at a larger risk of developing depression before remission, which explains why 60% of respondents will be female.
Loneliness and poverty are two factors that impact the development of a first episode of depression. Studies have indicated that individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more susceptible to experiencing depressive symptoms. Economic instability, limited access to resources and healthcare, and higher levels of stress associated with financial hardships can contribute to the development of depression.
As a result, participants from low-income neighborhoods and lonely people will be included in this study. Childhood mental trauma has recently been identified as a substantial risk factor for the development of depression in adulthood. These variables alter neurogenesis and hippocampus development, increasing the risk of developing affective disorders, notably recurrent depression. This is the reason for attracting folks from broken households or orphans.
Another demographic factor that has been noted in relation to depression is age. While depression can affect individuals of all ages, there is evidence to suggest that older adults may be at a higher risk. Factors such as social isolation, loss of loved ones, and age-related health issues can contribute to the onset or exacerbation of depressive symptoms in older individuals.
It is also worth noting that cultural and societal factors also play a role in the experience and expression of depression. Cultural norms, beliefs, and stigma surrounding mental health can influence how individuals perceive and seek help for their symptoms. Therefore, considering cultural diversity and addressing potential biases will be important in conducting a comprehensive research study on depression. Thus, older individuals and people from different cultural backgrounds should participate in the study.
Psychodramatic circumstances, particularly bereavement, are significantly important in precipitating depression. Prospective studies have also established the importance of persistent mental trauma as a predictor of the disorder’s recurring course. As a result, responses will also be chosen based on these criteria.
The presence of social support is a significant protective factor. Furthermore, social support helps to improve the long-term prognosis of the therapeutic impact and the dynamics of a depressed episode. As a result, those without social support will be included in the research. Thus, the survey will be aimed at people who are at risk.
Research Reliability and Validity
Reliable experimental results are always distinguished by their dependability. Thus, it is established that the acquired results are real and fully reflect the correlation between the research’s results and the phenomena under examination. Several criteria influence the level of reliability and validity: “How objective is the research?”, “Is there uncontrolled variation in the scientific procedures utilized in a certain study?”, “What is the instrumentation’s minimal margin of error?”
Measures will be taken to address potential sources of bias and error to ensure the reliability and validity of the research. One crucial aspect is the objectivity of the research. Steps will be taken to minimize researcher bias and subjective interpretation of data. Standardized procedures and clear instructions will be provided to both the researchers and the participants to ensure consistency in data collection. Implementing strict experimental protocols will address the uncontrolled variation in scientific methods.
All participants will undergo the same assessment procedure using the self-report approach. The stimuli used in the evaluation will be carefully designed and manipulated by the researcher to elicit consistent responses from the participants. This will help minimize confounding variables and ensure that any observed differences in responses can be attributed to the variables under investigation.
The minimal margin of error for the instrumentation will be determined through pilot testing and calibration. Calibration procedures will be conducted to ensure that the measurement instruments used in the study are accurate and reliable. The reliability of the instruments will be assessed through measures such as test-retest reliability and internal consistency analysis.
The interplay between these indicators is based on three concepts expressed in three techniques. The first approach is subsampling, which is used to perform complicated research by dividing things into different samples. The second way is referred to as the alternate form. It suggests that a single experiment is applied to numerous sets of items or that several experiments are applied to a single object.
The third way is repeating experiments, in which the same tests are repeated numerous times under the same conditions to ensure the outcome. In my research, I will employ repeated studies to demonstrate dependability. Each participant’s results will be compared to their prior results in a retest in a week. The final result will be the average of the first and second tests.
Internal validity is also influenced by sampling factors such as incorrect selection (non-equivalence of groups by composition, resulting in a systematic error in results), statistical regression, and experimental dropout (unequal dropout of subjects from compared groups, resulting in non-equivalence of groups by composition). Respondents will be properly chosen, making an incorrect selection and statistical regression impossible. The experimental screening will be controlled, which will improve the study’s validity.
References
Alcoforado, D. G., Melo, F. V. S., & Alcoforado, R. G. (2022). Depression and consumption habits: a cross-cultural study. Journal of Consumer Marketing. Web.
Mahlomaholo, P. M., Wang, H., Xia, Y., Wang, Y., Yang, X., & Wang, Y. (2021). Depression and suicidal behaviors among HIV-infected inmates in Lesotho: prevalence, associated factors and a moderated mediation model. AIDS and Behavior, 25, 3255-3266. Web.
Maremmani, I., Pacini, M., & Maremmani, A. G. (2023). Mood Disorders in Dual Disorder Heroin Use Disorder Patients. In Dual Disorder Heroin Addicts: Clinical and Therapeutical Aspects (pp. 39-90). Springer Nature Switzerland.