Issues Related to the Classification and Diagnosis of Depression
Discuss issues related to the classification and/or diagnosis of depression
10% of the British population at any one time is believed to have depression. This mental illness is made up of several different classifications forming different types of depression, such as major depressive disorder (the most commonly known type) and post-natal depression, which occurs in women after giving birth. For each person suffering from depression the trigger may be different and the symptoms may be affecting their lives differently and therefore both the classification and diagnosis of depression is difficult.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM V) is currently in use in the UK for diagnosing people with clinical depression. The system requires the patient to have been suffering from five of the symptoms which are presented to them for a minimum of two weeks. Also, one of the five symptoms must either be a depressed mood or loss of interest. The additional symptoms may include insomnia nearly every day, fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day or significant weight loss or weight gain. In addition to fulfilling this, the patient must be a sufferer of these symptoms affecting their everyday life, be it social distress or other important areas of functioning. Finally, a diagnosis of depression according to the DSM cannot be carried out if any of the symptoms are caused by the effects of a substance, such as self medication or a more abusive drug.
There are several issues with the classification of depression. Firstly, as mentioned previously, the classification in use is the fifth version of the DSM. Although this shows we are constantly improving the classification of the illness, it also shows that our knowledge of depression is not at its full extent, and that some classifications may differ with different versions of the DSM. The main limitation of this measure of depression is that it is not scientific. Simply defining depression based
10% of the British population at any one time is believed to have depression. This mental illness is made up of several different classifications forming different types of depression, such as major depressive disorder (the most commonly known type) and post-natal depression, which occurs in women after giving birth. For each person suffering from depression the trigger may be different and the symptoms may be affecting their lives differently and therefore both the classification and diagnosis of depression is difficult.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM V) is currently in use in the UK for diagnosing people with clinical depression. The system requires the patient to have been suffering from five of the symptoms which are presented to them for a minimum of two weeks. Also, one of the five symptoms must either be a depressed mood or loss of interest. The additional symptoms may include insomnia nearly every day, fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day or significant weight loss or weight gain. In addition to fulfilling this, the patient must be a sufferer of these symptoms affecting their everyday life, be it social distress or other important areas of functioning. Finally, a diagnosis of depression according to the DSM cannot be carried out if any of the symptoms are caused by the effects of a substance, such as self medication or a more abusive drug.
There are several issues with the classification of depression. Firstly, as mentioned previously, the classification in use is the fifth version of the DSM. Although this shows we are constantly improving the classification of the illness, it also shows that our knowledge of depression is not at its full extent, and that some classifications may differ with different versions of the DSM. The main limitation of this measure of depression is that it is not scientific. Simply defining depression based