Essay on Mental Health: Overdiagnosis of Depression in Healthcare

This essay, written for a NURSING 11 course, critically examines the overdiagnosis of depression in mental health. It begins by establishing the context of depression, including its historical and philosophical debates, scientific background, and contemporary challenges. The essay explores the evolution of diagnostic criteria, the use of antidepressants, and the potential for overdiagnosis, referencing relevant studies and debates within the field. It presents the author's position on the matter, advocating for a more nuanced approach to diagnosis and treatment. The essay further analyzes the impact of overdiagnosis on nursing practice, discussing the importance of accurate assessment and the implications for patient care and public health. The author emphasizes the need for a balanced approach that considers both the benefits and potential harms of increased diagnosis and treatment, concluding with a call for a more comprehensive and evidence-based approach to mental health care.

Running head: NURSING 1
Mental Health
Name
Institution

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Introduction
It is quite normal to get depressed. In a given study of over two hundred and
forty teachers, the questionnaires in place supported the fact that depression is a broad
lowering of someone’s mood. In some instances, it is accompanied by guilt,
despondency and a feeling of helplessness. A depressed person is one who has little or
no self-esteem or regard for oneself whatsoever. This is the exact ubiquitous
occurrence of this depressed mood (Kato, Sakai, Watanabe & Nomura, 2017). A
reduced threshold for the diagnosis of clinical depressions results in the treatment of
the usual emotional states to be like an illness. This has always challenged the
credibility and the risk of any inappropriate kind of management. In the recent years,
the first antidepressants were developed, but the manufacturer was very reluctant to
advertise the product. The reason given by the manufacturer was that very insufficient
numbers of people suffered from depression. The antidepressant drug at that time had
the bigger share in the drug market (Zimmerman, 2017). Over diagnosis though is
seen through the absence of reliable diagnostic models and the treating of markets
above the possible expectations.
Debate identification and my position
In about five decades ago, the element of clinical depression was taken to be
very endogenous or reactive. This was either melancholic or neurotic. The
endogenous kind of depression meant that it resulted out of a biological condition that
had a lower lifetime prevalence. On the other hand, the reactive depression was
regarded to be exogenous. These are those who were induced by the various stressful
kind of events that affected those susceptible personalities as per Rogers & Mintzker,
2016.

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The psychiatric association had developed a revision of the diagnosis and
statistics for about three times now which later turned out to be a reliable system. The
organization split the types of clinical depression differently into major and minor
kind of disorders. The major depression term provided it with its gravitas that meant
as per the clinicians the depression caused many unreliable allocations. This assisted
the patients in getting covered through insurance policies. The profile is quite
descriptive, but it assisted in prioritizing the sad features like the disturbance of the
psychomotor and other operational kinds of criteria that resulted in weak inference
order.
Current kind of looseness does not matter whether different types of
diagnostics have met the threshold to destigmatize depression or to motivate people to
seek out for help and allow for clinical assessing. The programs on breast screening
caused the detection of malignant kind of lumps. But the wrong results gathered from
breast screening were then filtered out through a refined analysis that showed the
process was harmless(Mojtabai, 2013). False positive detection meant that the
depression of psychiatrists was mandated for treatment that said several less severe
conditions. This raised hope for the results sequentially, ineffectively and
inappropriately during their treatment.
The ease of labeling a clinical depression diagnosis has been categorized as a
major depression matter that rebounds on psychiatry and blunt clarification of the
cause and treatment specified. Several people have argued that there has been an
overdiagnosis that is defined by major depression. This demonstrates that there has
several coherent patterns of the biological alterations and particular patterns.
In my analysis, the meta-analyses depict a striking resemblance that favors the
antidepressant drugs for melancholic depression. These trials for major depression

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illustrate little distinctions between the antidepressant kinds of drugs. They further
show the kind of evidence that relies on psychotherapy and placebo. I believe that the
importance of treating minor sub-syndromic depressions is quite not clear
(Stephenson, Karanges & McGregor, 2013). Additionally, I believe that the
extrapolation of the management had tougher implications biologically than the minor
symptoms. This is stated by the fact that reflects the prowess of marketing but not the
evidence. Smaller scale events behave differently from the bigger size ones. In my
view, depression deserves a mere diagnosis that remains to be unspecified until sense
creates the present confusion to some order. In reality, nobody who is straight and not
confused can fully comprehend the situation at hand.
Historical, scientific and philosophical debate
This section shows the relevant historical and philosophical and scientific
background of the debate. Caveats and concerns show that the people benefitted from
psychological treatment as evident by the adult population. The community benefitted
from getting concerned and focusing on the importance of psychological approaches
applied in first-time treatment(Lorenzo-Luaces, 2015).The adult population is the
ones who suffer the most from these severe disorder which is an overall response to
this motivating element of treating motivation. Upon examining the prescriptions
carefully, the health patterns were promoted by the antidepressant prescribed that
grew profoundly in the 1990s.
Currently, antidepressant drugs have decreased in their prescriptions of lesser
desired sedatives. There has been an adoption of dangerous tricyclic antidepressants
and inhibitors. The primary cause of this is the huge concerns from the regulations
that have promoted the rise in prescriptions of newer drugs that have lesser evidence
that may not harm a big number of the people. The major injury has been evident

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from the suicidal statistics that arise from getting a diagnosis through a life-
threatening condition which includes depression.
However, it is a practice of some nations like UK, New Zealand, and Australia
not to support the depression notion (Morgan & Zimmerman, 2015). Overdiagnosis
and exclusive treatment of depression have considerably been on the rise. The wider
community is at large to inquire the importance of increased diagnosis of treatment
over the past decades that has raised above the potential harm. In the event of
improved treatment causing demonstrable reliance and becomes cost-effective, then
the aspect of depression would not get over-diagnosed (Trimmer, Higginson, Fawcett,
McNamara & Houston, 2015).
As seen in a health and economic angle, clear answers may be given.
Apparently more adults tend to be alive and very well. This allows for their full and
timely treatment. A rise in the treating of depression causes a reduction in suicides
and improved productivity. The ability to access the right healthcare both medically
and psychologically is important. A rise in the diagnosis rate has led to the rise of
other benefits and improved life assurance access. Stigma has also subsided meaning
the health impediments have been reduced to raise the health benefits. The increase in
physical health results lowered alcohol consumption, and misuse of drugs has made
the public comprehension to be way below unlike before (Lawrence, Rasinski, Yoon
& Curlin, 2015).
In the past, we did not carry forth the virtue of demeaning labels about stress
and nervous breakdown. Many doctors may simply differentiate the usual melancholy
and distress from austere clinical matters. There has been a newer wave that talks
about neurobiology, genetics and psych sociology (Copeland, Wolke, Shanahan &
Costello, 2015). Through intervening in people, the internet has created a wider

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appeal to the people all over. Social psychiatrists have renewed their focus on the
determinants of the society and their preventive tests. The many reforms in the health
system emphasized the utilization of collaborative kind of teams that delivered
improved quality interventions.
Contemporary challenges
The critical discussion section relates to the modern day difficulties linked to
the aspect of diagnosing depression. The determination of the case relies on
dimensional constructs that need to be imposed as a cut-off to risk off underdiagnosis
of the real cases. Many participants in the cohort attained the criteria for a major,
minor and even a sub syndrome kinds of depression. It has been found to be very
necessary lately to redress the element of psychiatric weights of sadness and
dimensional model risks (Reid, Cameron & MacGillivray, 2014). Human distress and
the view of different expressions of this depression results in a mandated treatment.
Most people have been substantive enough in this clinical depression factor that has
no proper condition of the diagnosis that implies if the depression has been
underdiagnosed or otherwise. In the event of this boundary matters, the diagnosis
needs the attention of a hyperactivity disorder that has missed the false diagnosis in
kids of disruptive behaviors.
Substantive personal, demographic, professional and geographical system led
to barriers remaining in place. The result of this diagnosis is a reduction of major
depressions which cause severe disorders to the people present at most times. These
are those people who seek to avoid harming themselves. Critics have since reassured
the findings of reduced recognition that must be ensured that is concerning enough.
Many mental disorders begin before one attains twenty-five years of age and result in

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lifetime reduction in productivity and the quality of our lives (Partridge, Lucke &
Hall, 2014).
The best chances for altering the depression diagnosis course emanate both
early and before secondary medication. The healthcare, educational and social
comorbidities would develop after that. A continued depression may have particular
and enduring impacts on the structure of the brain. This results in cognitive functions
that must be responded to modern trends. Contemporary psychiatry creates a need for
the combination of early interventions and perspectives for staging the clinics. This
helps in improving the care for cancer. A rise in the rates of diagnosis yield a
balanced move to better overtly dimensional kind of models that brings about little or
no reliance on these therapies(Copeland, Wolke, Shanahan & Costello, 2015).Such
therapies are those having less or not critical forms at the initial stage of the illness.
There must clear evidence that there has been no care that was offered to a person
during his/her childhood years in line with the present state of psychological disorder
to warrant primary kind of attention. This supports the public promotions by
analyzing the benefits of increased dimensional models.
Topic connection and nursing practice impacts
This section analyzes the linkage between the problem and the impact of these
nursing practices. The aspect of overdiagnosis apparently matters. The contemporary
looseness relies on how little the diagnostic level can get destigmatized through
depression. This is possible through the encouragement of the other people asking for
help. The program of breast screening can cause the detection of unique malignant
lumps. False positives outcomes that are generated from such screening may be
filtered through the refinement of assessment and harmful nature that tend to occur

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rarely. These are the people who would term it to be quite ineffective and
inappropriate.
People have always argued against overdiagnosis in the sense that depression
does not show any coherence in its patterns of the biological changes and other
specific treatment modalities (D’Avanzato & Zimmerman, 2017). From the element
of meta-analyses, the gradient appears very similar to the antidepressant kind of drugs
that allows for placebo sad depression. These trials as seen by major depressions
depict very inferior variances between antidepressants and the evidence that
psychotherapy requires. The importance of treating this minor depression is entirely
unclear. The extrapolation by management brings about severe biological elements
that have minor symptoms reflecting the prowess of marketing more than the
evidence generated. In the daily lives that we live, it is quite normal to get depressed.
Conclusion
In summary, it is very normal to feel depressed. However, minimal levels of
clinical depressions result in normal and human emotional states. These countries can
lead to illnesses that challenge the credibility of models and their incorrect kind of
management. Depression has since remained to be a non-specific diagnosis that can
catch just about anyone not unless common sense starts prevailing. The manner in
which this diagnosis can be clinically depressed and rebounded rely on psychiatric
and blunt clarification of the factors causing it and their particular treatment.
Additionally, there is a need to facilitate the access of information and psychology
kind of treatments that is entirely concurrent in monitoring potential harm. Any
person who has not been confused would fail to understand this situation. These
reforms led to the achievement of desired health, social and educational results. The

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newer generation of health practitioners has embraced the element of clinical anxiety
and depressions that exist outside.

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