Andrew shows the signs of a depressed person. Depression is determined by the sudden change of mood, as shown in the case of Andrew. The coworkers describe him as an individual who was quite upbeat and friendly, and he turned to be irritable and withdrawn. Andrew wishes that he was dead, an indication that he felt unworthy and it shows that he was having hard times with his life. It is caused by the pressure of performing at work, considering that he was a good performer with good grades when he graduated, yet he was having issues with performance due to the demanding job. Andrew started calling for sick days, something he never did, an indication that he was getting tired by his work life and wanted an excuse to get away from the stress. Lack of sleep is another sign, where Andrew would toss and turn for about two hours, even distracting his wife (Jokela, Virtanen, Batty, & Kivimäki, 2016). An angry outburst is another symptom of depression, where Andrew pushes his wife away when she wanted to help him with his issues. Andrew is seen isolated from other people as he takes sick days and spends it watching TV, sleeping or in bed the entire day. It shows that he is trying t get away from stressing factors or isolating himself not to talk about his problems.
The biopsychosocial model indicates that ill-health is as a result of interaction between social, biological, environmental and psychological factors. It can be seen in the case of Andrew, where a combination of the stated factors cause depression. Andrew graduated with good grades in both college and law school, and thus, he believed that he could solve any problem without issues. When Andrew is faced with problems he cannot handle, it is a big challenge, thus causing depression, showing an environmental cause. Andrew’s mother and grandmother suffered from depression as well, which shows that the problem could be biological. In his mind, Andrew knew that he was a good performer, seen with the high standards he had for himself, and it could get critical if he failed. When Andrew was unable to perform, it affected him psychologically, started feeling unworthy, and though he did not contemplate suicide, he wished that he was dead (Wade & Halligan, 2017). The psychological effect explains the reasons that Andrew started to call in for sick days and isolating himself due to fear of social stigmatization. His colleagues and wife recognized him as a good performer and witnessing him fail would be a problem. The mood change was also as a result of psychological factors.
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Individuals diagnosed with mental illness are faced with stigma in society. Dealing with such a situation in psychological counselling will start with educating the individual to accept their situation so that it can speed up the healing process. I would start with reassuring a patient such as Andrew that depression and mental illnesses can be cured, but it is determined by the patient accepting and willing to undergo counselling and take prescribed medication. When holding therapy sessions, it is necessary for a patient to receive support from the family members, since they have a role to play in the healing process. If possible, programs in society about mental illnesses should be held. Other programs can be aired on television, radio and evening, distributing pamphlets about the problem (Wu, 2018). The programs should be educative to show the society that mental illness can be healed as long as the patient receives the support they require. People should be engaged so that they can ask any questions concerning the problem and, in that way, stigmatization will be reduced. Patients can be confined in psychiatric institutions or be outpatients where they go for therapy and medicine, and it should depend on the seriousness of the problem.
Andrew requires an assessment before deciding the type of medication he will need. If Andrew does not receive help at this stage of depression, it may develop to mental illnesses, and he would start contemplating death. Psychotherapy and medication would be the best methods for Andrew. The medication would help regulate the mood so that he can be friendly and happy again. It would also be necessary for insomnia. Cognitive behavior therapy would be the best for Andrew. It will help Andrew in identifying and changing behavior and mental patterns that are harmful and replace them with more accurate and functional thoughts and actions. Andrew will learn that being a top performer does not mean that he has the ability to solve all problems at work (Wu, 2018). He can ask for help from his colleagues and accept that he is not superior because he graduated with top grades. Andrew will also learn that concealing things hurts other people who care about him. During therapy, he will learn to talk about his issues, and in that way, he can confide in his wife to ease the burden when stressed. Andrew will also learn to accept failure as he cannot be a solution to all the problems he faces in work and life. Through acceptance, Andrew will overcome depression and live a happier life with less expectations.
References
Jokela, M., Virtanen, M., Batty, G. D., & Kivimäki, M. (2016). Inflammation and specific symptoms of depression. JAMA Psychiatry , 73 (1), 87-88.
Wade, D. T., & Halligan, P. W. (2017). The biopsychosocial model of illness: a model whose time has come.
Wu, X. (2018). Efficacy and Safety of Paroxetine Combined with Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Comorbidity of Depression and Anxiety Disorder. Boletín de Malariología y Salud Ambiental , 58 (3).
