Over-Diagnosis of Depression: History, Philosophy, and Impact

This report investigates the over-diagnosis of depression, a contemporary and controversial issue in healthcare. It begins by defining depression and highlighting the rise in diagnoses, attributing it to advanced medical facilities and evolving diagnostic criteria. The report explores the history and philosophical underpinnings of depression diagnosis, contrasting endogenous and reactive depression, and the evolution of diagnostic manuals. It examines the role of stakeholders, including patients and healthcare professionals, and the challenges of balancing under-diagnosis and over-diagnosis. The report also considers historical perspectives, such as the views of ancient Roman doctors, and the impact of societal changes on diagnosis and treatment. It evaluates the values of the debate, including increased access to life insurance and improved health outcomes, while also addressing potential downsides such as misuse of drugs. The report concludes by questioning whether increased treatment outweighs harm, considering the potential benefits of increased treatment rates, such as reduced suicide rates and improved productivity. The discussion highlights the importance of promoting safer antidepressants and challenging current diagnostic systems.

Running head: OVER-DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION
Over-diagnosis of Depression
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1OVER-DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION
Depression refers to a medical illness that affects in a negatively the manner of
thinking and feeling of an individual. The rate of diagnosis of the element of depression has
risen sharply in the recent years owing to the advanced medical facilities that are available in
the present age.
There are different kinds of criteria in the present age that is involved in medicalising
sadness (Fisher et al. 2016). There exists people in the present age who are missing out on the
lifesaving treatment. The low threshold pertaining to the diagnosing of clinical depression
challenges credibility and it faces the risk of inappropriate management. The stakeholders
that are involved comprise of the people suffering from depression and the health care
professionals who have to look after the mental well-being of the people. This article throws
light on the issue whether depression is over-diagnosed in the present age and the history and
philosophical characteristics pertaining to the issue (Reid, Cameron and MacGillivray 2014).
Clinical depression before fifty years was held to be either endogenous or reactive.
The endogenous depression was indicative of a categorical biological condition that had low
lifetime prevalence. On the other hand, reactive depression was created owing to the stressful
events and it was exogenous. American Psychiatric Association in the year 1980 brought out
the third revision of the statistical manual that acted as a reliable system based on criterion. It
was responsible for dividing the clinical depression into the major and minor disorder
segment (Mintzes et al. 2018). The gravitas that was associated with the term “major
depression” helped the patients in getting medical insurance cover. The determination of the
case ness will require a cut-off which leads to under diagnosis of the true cases or over-
diagnosis in the event of a non-case. Extended dimensional model can help in medicalising of
human distress that views depression like a mandating treatment.

2OVER-DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION
The ancient Roman doctors used to study treatment pertaining to melancholia. There
were doctors like Galen and Hippocrates who believed in the notion that humoral imbalance
led to the incidence of melancholia (Chukhraev et al. 2017). There are certain individuals
who are born with a kind of temperament that makes them prone to depression and medicine
cannot do much for helping these individuals. There were other philosophical theories that
competed against the biological approach in relation to depression. The increased rate in
relation to the diagnosis has resulted in reducing the stigma and it has removed the structural
impediment pertaining to health benefit (Segal, Williams and Teasdale 2018).
The values of the debate in relation to the over diagnosis of depression has increased
access to that of life insurance and it has improved the physical health outcome of the people.
The increase in the diagnosis rate can reduce the misuse of drugs along with alcohol and it
has paved the path for wider public understanding in relation to the risk (Cooney, Dwan and
Mead 2014). The value of the debate can be perceived in the fact that demeaning labels of
nervous breakdown and stress has been reduced in the present age. The doctors can in the
present age differentiate normal sadness from clinical condition that is more severe.
There exists a question regarding whether the increased treatment in relation to
depression has been able to outweigh harm. In the event of the increased treatment bringing
benefits it can be stated that over diagnosis of depression is not taking place. From the
perspective of health it can be laid out that more number of adults are alive in the present age
and it can help in treating more number of the people. Depression being treated at an
increasing rate can reduce the number of the suicides and it can increase the productivity of
the people. Provision of the right kind of medical care can prove to be cost-effective. The
over diagnosis of depression can pave the path for promoting safer anti-depressant that can
act as a catalyst of change. It can help in challenging the categorical along with specialist
diagnostic system.

3OVER-DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION
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