Running Head: HEALTH ISSUE PAPER
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7-1 Submit Final Project Paper: Health Issue Paper
IHP-200
SNHU
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Section 1 – Health issue Analysis
Overview of health information
Adult depression is considered to be a common mental health issue in which the
affected individuals experience persistent feeling of sorrow, confusion and fatigue. The World
Health Organization (WHO) has also identified adult depression as a serious health issue that
could act as a major disrupt in the daily activities of affected adults. The implications of the
mental disorder could be varying as a person could be affected psychologically, emotionally,
and physically. This long-term mental health condition has the potential to restrict the ability
of an individual to lead a normal life (Marques et al., 2020).
Prevalence of adult depression
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 4.7 % of
adults in the U.S.A experience regular feelings of depression (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 2021). The prevalence of the disorder is considered to be extremely common
in the nation. Researcher Marques has stated in his study that approximately 300 million
people all across the globe suffer from depression (Marques et al., 2020). The prevalence of
the condition has been surging at a rapid pace, and it has been increasing its overall burden
on the healthcare system. Due to the high prevalence of depression, there is the need to
introduce urgent and effective measures to improve the mental health of adults.
Change in prevalence in adult depression
The prevalence of depression among adults has considerably increased over the past
few years. The existing research studies have shed light on the fact that due to the pandemic
the vulnerability of adults has increased relating to depression and other mental health
complexities. According to Panchal, the Covid 19 pandemic and resulting recession has
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negatively impacted the mental health of adults (Kamal & Panchal, 2021).Various factors
have contributed to the surge in the prevalence of depression like poor sleeping habits, high
consumption of alcohol, etc. (Kamal & Panchal, 2021).
Symptoms relating to adult depression
Some of the common symptoms that are associated with depression include the
feelings of sadness, disturbance in sleeping patterns, feeling associated with hopelessness and
emptiness, irritability, anxiety, lack of appetite, fatigue, delayed thinking process. Depression
affects the mood as well as the ability of individuals to function effectively and carry out
their daily functions. When people have depression, they also have thoughts about hurting
themselves (Depression: Types, symptoms, causes & treatment. Cleveland Clinic, 2021). The
severity of the signs and symptoms of depression might vary from one individual to another.
Causes of adult depression
Various factors might lead to depression in adults. Some of the common causes
include a high level of stress, abuse of addictive substances such as drugs or alcohol, lack of
exercising as well as generic actors. The mental disorder basically arises due to abnormalities
in the brain chemical levels of an individual (Depression: Types, symptoms, causes &
treatment. Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Other probable causes of depression include faulty
regulation of mood by the brain, use of certain kinds of medications, etc. As various elements
could lead to depression the complexity of the mental heh disorder gets further magnified.
Implications of depression on adults
The implications of depression could be severe for affected individuals as it could
hamper how individuals function and lead their day to day lives. It could impact the mental,
physical and emotional condition of a person. A depressed person might not have the
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physical energy that a normal person might have due to the lack of proper sleep or fatigue.
In extreme cases, depressed adults might even commit suicide. The American Psychological
Association (APA) has identified that depressed individuals are prone to commit suicide. In
fact, two-third adults suffering from depression commit suicide in the nation (American
Psychological Association, 2019).
The burden of depression has been identified to be extremely high as it can
compromise the quality of life of the affected individuals. The existing studies show that the
depression condition affects a person at different levels. The social, physical and work
functioning of depressed people gets affected due to their vulnerable state of mind. Some of
the impacts could be intangible in nature such as stress, pain, and suffering and thus it could
be challenging to measure their exact extent. However, the consequences of depression could
negatively affect the quality of life of adults (Trangle et al., 2016).
Typical preventive options
There exist a number of preventive measures in the healthcare setting to manage
depression in adults. At present, a number of therapeutic measures have been introduced such
as interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc to regulate the symptoms
relating to negative emotions and behaviour in adults. These methods are considered to be
quite useful to encourage positive behavior and adults and restrict negative emotions. Other
preventive measures include improving awareness of depression among adults so that they
can seek timely services and have a healthy mind. The existing measures that have been
introduced play a key role to curtail its complexity and severity among adults. e
Section 2 – Prevention
Best Practices of Prevention
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There are a number of preventive strategies in place in order to reduce the negative
impacts of depression among older adults. One of the best prevention practices for curtailing
depression among adults is the introduction of interactive programs and exercises. It helps in
promoting a healthy body and mind of the individuals and effectively reduces the level of
stress among depressed individuals (World Health Organization, 2021). Adopting the
universal prevention intervention strategies is also considered to be one of the best practices
for preventing depression. However, in order to introduce an appropriate preventive strategy,
it is important to identify the key symptoms of the adult individuals, such as fatigue and loss
of appetite. Another best practice for preventing depression is developing anti-stigma
campaigns in order to encourage individuals suffering from depression to seek medical
assistance in case they have the symptoms of depression (World Health Organization, 2021).
One of the prominent examples of such a campaign is ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’.
Potential Prevention Options
There are a number of effective options available to prevent depression among older
adults. One of the prevention options is introducing mental health literacy programs. The
severity of depression condition increases due to a lack of awareness about the mental
condition. The introduction of such programs will help in increasing the awareness of the
adults relating to the mental health condition (Mamun et al., 2020). e It will not only help in
addressing the existing stigma in the society but also prevent the spreading of depression.
Educating the adults about mental health conditions and providing them with all the vital
details will help in preventing depression effectively. Awareness about depression among
adults will also help in promoting a help-seeking behavior and prevent depression. Exercise
interventions like aerobic classes are another effective prevention option.
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Impact of Age on Prevention
The age factor has a significant impact on the prevention of depression among adults.
The age of an individual determines the appropriate preventive measures that can be used for
preventing depression. The preventive measure for children, adolescents, adults, and older
adults is strikingly different from each other. According to studies, school-based anxiety and
depression prevention approaches are an ideal option for preventing depression among
children as well as adolescents (Spanos et al., 2021). However, selective, universal, and
indicated interventions prove to be helpful in improving the mental health condition of the
older adults. Increasing social support and exercise interventions are the prominent universal
strategies used for managing the depression of elders. Depending on the age of the person,
the right prevention technique for treating depression can be selected.
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References
American Psychological Association. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of
depression across three age cohorts: American Psychological Association guideline
development panel for the treatment of depressive disorders.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 13). FastStats - depression.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/depression.htm.
Depression: Types, symptoms, causes & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Retrieved
October 13, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9290-
depression#symptoms-and-causes.
Kamal, R., & Panchal, N. (2021, July 20). The implications of COVID-19 for mental health
and substance use. KFF. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from
https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-
mental-health-and-substance-use/.
Marques, A., Peralta, M., Henriques-Neto, D., Frasquilho, D., Rubio Gouveira, É., & Gomez-
Baya, D. (2020). Active commuting and depression symptoms in adults: A systematic
review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(3), 1041
Mamun, M. A., Naher, S., Moonajilin, M. S., Jobayar, A. M., Rayhan, I., Kircaburun, K., &
Griffiths, M. D. (2020). Depression literacy and awareness programs among
Bangladeshi students: An online survey. Heliyon, 6(9), e04901.
Spanos, S., Calear, A. L., Perry, Y., Torok, M., O'Dea, B., Christensen, H., & Newby, J. M.
(2021). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs: An updated
systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 102079.
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Trangle, M., Gursky, J., Haight, R., Hardwig, J., Hinnenkamp, T., Kessler, D., ... &
Myszkowski, M. (2016). Adult depression in primary care. Bloomington, MN: Institute
for Clinical Systems Improvement.
World Health Organization. (2021). Depression. World Health Organization. Retrieved
October 13, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression.
