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Essay on the different categories of depression
Principles of family systems theory
Principles of family systems theory
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Recommended: Essay on the different categories of depression
Depression is classified as a mood disorder by the DSM-IV (1994) and is defined as a mental illness characterized by sadness, general apathy, a loss of self-esteem, feelings of guilt, and, at times, suicidal tendencies (Lexicon, n.d). Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses that individuals receive treatment for today. In any six-month period, 9.4 million Americans, and 340 million people in the world, suffer from this disease. One in four women and one in 10 men will develop depression during their lifetime (An Overview of Depression, n.d). Although the DSM-IV has defined depression, its etiology, contributing factors, and interventions differ among the schools of thought in psychology. One such example is the different stances taken by those following the family systems theoretical perspective and those siding with cognitive-behavioral theory. Description and Definition of Depression The underlying theme of the article by Crethar, Snow and Carlson (2004) stems from the assumptions of family systems theory (FST). There are several points regarding etiology and interventions for the treatment of childhood and adolescent depression made, which are delineated by its concepts. Based on the perspective of FST, family communications and their distortions are speculated to play an etiological role in severe psychiatric disorders, especially depression (Slesnick & Waldron, 1997). It is seen as symptomatic of the dysfunctions of a family’s interactions which commonly affect their children (Crethar et al., 2004). The idea, that the occurrences within a familial context affect children within that system, stems from the idea of interdependence in FST, in which each member is being affected by and is affecting... ... middle of paper ... ... Sanders, M. R., Cash, R., Dadds, M. R., & Johnson, B.M. (1992). Childhood Depression and Conduct Disorder: I. Behavioral, Affective, and Cognitive Aspects of Family Problem-Solving Interactions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101(3), 495-504. Slesnick, N. & Waldron, H. B. (1997). Interpersonal Problem-Solving Interactions of Depressed Adolescents and Their Parents. Journal of Family Psychology, 11(2), 234-245. Westbrook, D., Kirk, J. (2004). The Clinical Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Outcome for Large Sample of Adults Treated in Routine Practice. Behavior Research and Therapy, 43, 1243-1261. Zastrow, C. & Kirst-Ashman, K.K. (2001). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. In L. Gebo (Ed.), Theoretical Perspectives on Human Behavior and the Social Environment (p. 1-48). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2007). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Australia; U.S.A.: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Johnson, M. M. & Rhodes, R. (2010). Human behavior and the larger social environment: A new synthesis (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (1997). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment. (4th ed.) Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, Inc.
Zastrow, C. H., & Krist-Ashman, K. K. (2013). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (9 ed.). Belmont:
The humanistic theory had much influence after the time of World War II toward the late 1950’s (Hansell & Damour, 2008). According to Dombeck, (2006), the humanistic approach was defined to be consciously reflective, allowing one to have the ability to experience self-determination. The humanistic approach combines philosophy, existentialism, and the hierarchy of needs that motivates every individual person on a unique level of growth potential; it worked to find the importance of life’s true meaning’s in an individual’s life for human characteristic (Dombeck, 2006). For obsessional-compulsion disorder, the goal of humanistic therapy is to create a suitable environment for the patient that will allow him or her to develop, mature, and evolve
Kirst-Ashman, K. (2011). Human behavior in the macro social environment. (3rd ed., pp. 68-77). Belmont, CA: Brookes/Cole.
According to Richard Charles (2001) “the effectiveness of family systems theory rests not much on empirical research but on clinical reports of positive treatment outcomes, the personal benefits experienced by the families that underwent this kind of treatment, and the elegance of Bowen’s theory” (p. 279). Bowen’s family systems theory views the family as an emotional unit and is a theory of human behavior. Systems thinking is used to describe the complex interactions in the unit. However, the client’s ability to differentiate himself/herself from the family of origin is the basis for Bowen’s family systems theory. In addition, the primary focus for growth within the emotional system is differentiation of self.
Cognitive behavior therapy has been proven to work in many different areas and presenting problems. One area that was not mention above that would significantly improve the outcome of any given therapy is the willingness of the client to accept treatment. The goal of cognitive behavior therapy is to focus on the present and to help the client identify their own strengths, learn new tools or techniques that they can use on their everyday life, and to be able to identify the different thought, emotional, and behavioral patterns that lead to undesirable
The. Zastrow, Charles, and Karen Kay Ashman. Understanding human behavior and the social environment. 2nd ed. of the book.
Kirst-Ashman, K. (2011). Human behavior in the macro social environment. (3rd ed., pp. 303-355). Belmont, CA: Brookes/Cole.
This article provides information collected from several young adults that grew up with a depressed parent. The purpose of the study was to examine how young people make sense of their world while growing up with a parent that suffers from depression. “The term “parentification” was introduced by Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy to refer to family processes in which children take on roles or responsibilities in their families that are age inappropriate (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Spark, 1973) … In other words, parentification refers to (a) an interactional process within the family and (b) an intrapsychic dynamic that is situated on an imaginary or symbolic level and often remains unspoken (523).” As a result, the young person is often forced to deal with the vulnerabilities and unmet needs of the family that they would not otherwise have been exposed.
The natural transition from childhood to adolescence can also bring conflict between parents and teens who start to assert their independence. In all this change, it is not easy to differentiate between depression and mood swings of a typical teenager. Marked by attitudes of indifference and denial, depression is often confused with a specific stage of adolescence crisis. Moreover, the unique characteristics of adolescence make this period of life is particularly at risk of psychiatric disorders, suffering, and emotional turmoil. All these aspects of adolescence cause a high incidence of suicide attempts, some of which, unfortunately, fatal, without even the possibility of identifying plausible reasons. However, the adolescents’ intentions can be traced to their individual psychological factors and family context, which sometimes support predisposing and precipitating moments. Adolescence is a period when extreme changes occur on social, family, physical, and emotional plan. These changes can make adolescents susceptible to depression and suicidal behaviors. In adolescence, the maiden identity must be abandoned and replaced with a more mature one. It is important that not only adults but also adolescents, know these symptoms related to suicidal behaviors. Often, friends and peers are in the best position to notice these symptoms and save the life of a loved
Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2013). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Australia: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
In today’s society, a dysfunctional family is a concept that is taken lightly, because our society has been desensitized to it, and we have become so numbed by the idea. There are children who suffer greatly because of the families (or parents) who raised them. A dysfunctional family is defined as a family that encounters “problems that tend to be chronic and children [who] do not consistently get their needs met” (Benton). This includes negative, abusive, addicted, and neglectful parents. Individuals who are raised in a dysfunctional family can be impacted psychologically in many ways, such as participating in crimes, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse.
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.