Understanding Depression: FAQs & Nursing Issues
“Depression is melancholy minus its charms.”
—Susan Sontag
This year’s World Health Day, April 7, is calling attention to depression in order to remove stigmas and help people understand this common, yet often hidden, condition. The ultimate goal is that those who need it will seek treatment, and those around them will know how to provide appropriate support.
Nurses can help foster understanding as they work with patients, and recognize warning signs of depression as a critical nursing issue.
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What is depression?
Understanding depression can be difficult for those who have never experienced it. It often involves feelings of hopelessness and the inability to see the light at the end of tunnel.
The World Health Organization (WHO) site defines it this way:
“Depression is an illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks.”
What are the symptoms of depression?
People with depression normally have several of the following symptoms:
1. Loss of energy
2. A change in appetite
3. Sleeping more or less
4. Anxiety
5. Reduced concentration
6. Indecisiveness
7. Restlessness
8. Feelings of worthlessness, guilt or hopelessness
9. Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
Who is affected by depression?
Anyone can be, according to the WHO site: “Depression affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries. It causes mental anguish and impacts on people’s ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, with sometimes devastating consequences for relationships with family and friends and the ability to earn a living.”
At its worst, depression can lead to suicide, which is now the second leading cause of death among young people, ages 15 to 29.
The good news is that depression can be prevented and treated.
Is depression a common nursing issue?
Yes. In fact, hospital nurses report depressive symptoms at twice the rate of the general population, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded study published in Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2012.
“I am very concerned about these nurses, with the environment getting tougher and the health care system not looking at this concern,” said Susan Letvak, PhD, RN, associate professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Nursing who co-authored the study.
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Letvak and colleagues found 18 percent of 1,171 hospital nurses surveyed reported depressive symptoms, twice as high as the 9 percent of U.S. adults who are affected by depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although the reasons for the nurses’ depression were not determined, Letvak noted that the working environment for nurses is getting more stressful, and previous research has shown an association between depression and nurse burnout. The study also found increased body weight, pain and poor job satisfaction were associated with higher depression scores.
Nurses who are depressed often have difficulty concentrating and are accident prone, Letvak said. They may struggle with interpersonal tasks and time management and be less productive than colleagues who are not depressed.
“If depression is impacting care and more medical errors are occurring, and it’s impacting relations, its troubling for the profession,” Letvak said.
How can nurses address depression?
“The most significant issue is understanding and recognition,” said Letvak, who noted that the stigma about depression and other mental health issues may be stronger among health care professionals than other people. But depression is a nursing issue that can’t be ignored.
Nurses who might be depressed should be encouraged to seek help and make use of mental health benefits.
The 2016-2017 WHO campaign on depression awareness began on World Mental Health Day in October 2016. The year-long campaign aims to help the general public be better informed about depression, including its causes and possible consequences, and remove the stigma so that more people will seek help. Open discussion is where it starts.
“Depression: Let’s Talk” is the WHO campaign’s motto.
The World Health Day site makes it easy to download campaign posters, handouts, fact sheets and other materials to help patients with understanding depression or for nurses’ self-care.
Nurses can also find free online screening tools from sites like Mental Health America and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America to help self-identify depression and decide if they should seek the help of a mental health professional.
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