More and more people suffer from depression every year; depression continues to be the dominant cause of suicide. The most depressed category of people is young people and middle-aged people. In this study, it is proposed to focus on people aged 18-40. At this stage of the development of medicine, there are effective means to significantly reduce suicidal risks and improve the standard of living of people with depression. However, many people with mental illnesses do not receive proper medical care (Camm-Crosbie et al., 2019). Treatment of depression is especially effective in the early stages of the disease (Park & Zarate, 2019). People suffering from depression lose their adequate working capacity. If cases of depression decrease, it will improve people’s well-being and increase economic indicators.
Purpose of the Intervention
The main goal of the proposed intervention is to increase the number of practical cases of treatment of depressive disorder among patients aged 18-40 years. Diagnosis of the disease during the provision of primary medical care will allow the necessary intervention to be carried out in time. In the long term, the effectiveness of the treatment of depression should increase, which will favorably affect the condition of patients.
It is proposed to achieve this goal by conducting a diagnostic survey for depression during primary care. The 9-question Patient Health Questionnaire was chosen as a suitable questionnaire because it allows the researcher to see the clinical picture. The Patientā9 Health Questionnaire was developed as an independent diagnostic screening tool. In addition, the screening should not take much time, both for the patient and the doctor. The points for the questions are summed up, allowing the doctor to identify the presence of the disease and its severity (Hong et al., 2018). If the patient scores ten points or higher, this is a reason for referral to a specialist (Hong et al., 2018). The degrees of depression, based on the questionnaire results, can vary from moderate to severe and significantly severe, requiring different medical care, respectively.
The duration of the proposed intervention is approximately eight weeks. It is assumed that it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed diagnostic method over time. The specified time interval will make it possible to understand how effective it was to identify depressive conditions in providing primary health care. After eight weeks, it is possible to assess how effective the patient is receiving treatment. Based on these data, it can be concluded whether universal screening for depression should become a part of primary care.
The study hypothesizes that screening for depression in patients aged 18-40 during primary care will positively impact the general well-being of the population. Studies prove that early diagnosis of depressive states positively affects treatment outcomes (Kraus et al., 2019). It is known that many depressed people do not seek medical help (Qiu et al., 2018). This behavior is associated with the stereotypical thinking inherent in modern society. Many people do not perceive depression as a severe illness and expect to cope independently. However, statistics show the opposite: people who have not sought medical help are much more likely to commit suicide (Nguyen et al., 2021). Thus, it is assumed that the diagnosis will positively affect the outcome of the treatment, reduce the number of suicides and contribute to the general well-being of the population.
Proposal Objectives
It is proposed to follow the research objectives to achieve the described goal of the intervention. First, it is necessary to determine the selected conditions in which the study will be conducted. Then, it is necessary to determine the control group that will consent to the intervention during the primary care provision. It is required to establish unobtrusive monitoring of the control group. After a predetermined period of eight weeks, the control group should be reinterviewed. Finally, it is necessary to analyze the results and draw a conclusion regarding the effectiveness of the intervention.
Definition of Research Conditions
A medical institution that agrees to conduct the test is needed to the study. In order to obtain approval from management and staff, stakeholders must be convinced of the effectiveness of the proposed intervention. It is proposed to indicate the need to reduce suicidal risks and the opportunity to improve the well-being of the population. An important argument in convincing the need for research will be the increased reputation of the clinic offering such an initiative.
Control Group Definition
The control group should include persons aged 18-40 seeking primary health care. Moreover, the greater the age variation of the subjects, the more accurate the experiment’s outcomes. To achieve the accuracy of the findings of the intervention, a group of at least ten people, preferably of different genders, is required. Participants in the study should be aware of its goals and objectives, the need for unobtrusive control, and the completion of the final questionnaire.
It is intended to select a few people more than the required control result to secure the study in case of refusal of participants at the final stage. In addition, it is assumed that some people do not accept the need to complete the survey. It is likely that treatment will be refused upon receipt of the results of preliminary diagnostics. However, participants in the experiment must be offered complete confidentiality and an assurance that the data obtained will be used solely for scientific purposes.
Unobtrusive Surveillance
Unobtrusive monitoring of the course of treatment will be required, which patients who agree to the studies will receive after the initial diagnosis. Observation is necessary to maintain the purity of the study. It is required to ensure that a specialist is treating patients according to a specific diagnosis. In addition, observation is necessary to understand the finite number of patients who will be able to complete the outcome questionnaire.
Evaluation of Results
The final task of the study involves collecting data and evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed intervention. To achieve this goal, at least ten people from the control group must pass the final survey. The study’s results will be derived based on the comparison of the data from the primary questionnaire and the questionnaire after undergoing treatment according to the established diagnosis. It is not expected that a person can ultimately cope with depression in eight weeks. However, the questionnaire is supposed to show a decrease in the depressive level on several items and a decrease in the severity of symptoms. It is proposed to evaluate the initiative’s effectiveness based on data on the person’s general well-being after the necessary treatment. In addition, a change in a person’s attitude to their moral state after the diagnosis is expected. People initially diagnosed with depression after eight weeks should know the basics of self-help and monitoring their condition.
Since the effectiveness of treating depression is challenging to evaluate for an entire group of patients, it is planned to derive an overall effectiveness value based on the improvement of some criteria. So, the effectiveness of treatment may be evidenced by a general improvement in well-being, a decrease in anxious and suicidal thoughts, and a return to working capacity. The effectiveness of early diagnosis can be compared with the data of previous studies regarding interventions at a severe stage of the disease. The proven effectiveness of early detection of depression will indicate the need for an initiative. It will be possible to assess the impact of diagnosis at the time of seeking primary care on the well-being of society as a whole in the long term.
Conclusion
The main goal of the proposed initiative is to improve the population’s well-being. Early diagnosis of depression is critical to the effectiveness of further treatment. It is expected that more successful and short-term treatment of depression will have a beneficial effect on the economic condition of society. Patients will be able to return to work faster, and treatment costs will decrease. An experiment is planned to prove the effectiveness of the proposed initiative. The control group will consist of people aged 18-40 who applied for primary care. At least ten people are required to be diagnosed with depression, agree to therapy, and complete the final questionnaire. A comparison of the results of the first and the last survey will show the effectiveness of the intervention. The study will take eight weeks, during which patients will be subjected to unobtrusive tracking. In the future, applying the proposed initiative can significantly reduce the number of suicides and severe depressive states.
References
Camm-Crosbie, L., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S., & Cassidy, S. (2019). āPeople like me donāt get supportā: Autistic adultsā experiences of support and treatment for mental health difficulties, self-injury and suicidality. Autism, 23(6), 1431-1441. Web.
Hong, C. L. C., Sung, S. C., Heng, A. T. K., Huak, C. Y., & Sheng, D. F. S. (2018). Use of patient health questionnaires (PHQ-9, PHQ-2 & PHQ-1) for depression screening in Singapore primary care. Singapore Family Physician, 44(2), 68-73. SFP_Cover_042018 (archive.org)
Kraus, C., Kadriu, B., Lanzenberger, R., Zarate Jr, C. A., & Kasper, S. (2019). Prognosis and improved outcomes in major depression: a review. Translational psychiatry, 9(1), 1-17. Web.
Nguyen, M. H., Le, T. T., Nguyen, H. K. T., Ho, M. T., Nguyen, H. T. T., & Vuong, Q. H. (2021). Alice in Suicideland: Exploring the suicidal ideation mechanism through the sense of connectedness and help-seeking behaviors. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(7), 3681-3705. Web.
Park, L. T., & Zarate Jr, C. A. (2019). Depression in the primary care setting. New EnglandĀ Journal of Medicine, 380(6), 559-568. Web.
Qiu, P., Caine, E. D., Hou, F., Cerulli, C., & Wittink, M. N. (2018). Depression as seen through the eyes of rural Chinese women: Implications for help-seeking and the future of mental health care in China. Journal of affective disorders, 227, 38-47. Web.