Both Anita Richards and Alice Jackson are diagnosed with major depressive disorders. One significant characteristic that these two individuals depicted in their disorder is hopelessness and despair. Despite having the same disease, they show varying degrees of manifestation as a result of the impact of the illness. It is apparent that people with this disorder might want to commit suicide or self-harm as shown by the two patients presented to their respective social workers. Whereas Anita wished to commit suicide, Alice, on the other hand, was not happy with her children and wanted to harm herself alongside her kids. Whereas in Anita's case it remains difficult to substantiate whether her depression syndromes arose from her various transgressions including losing jobs, staying away from her children, and breaking up with her boyfriend among others, Alice's case is more apparent. Alice's depression is reported to have begun once she gave birth to her latest child. It is also imperative to note that with regards to Anita's case, despite her interpersonal difficulties, she has shown great strength in dealing with her recurrent problems. On the other hand, Alice has demonstrated immense weakness in dealing with her situation despite the fact that she has a husband who is her high school sweetheart.
Symptom Picture
As stated earlier, both Anita and Alice have a major depressive disorder that has been proven with a diagnosis. Anita on her part has a recurrent episode of the syndromes. The manifestation of her problems has caused her both medical and social issues. Some of the medical issues are partly due to the use of the antidepressant drugs such as constipation and gaining weight. She has poor social relationships and interpersonal difficulties that have seen her break up with her boyfriend, lost many jobs, arrested on several occasions, and the lack of support from her family. On the other hand, Alice's syndromes are single episode meaning that they occur rarely. It is also important to note that both of them have manifestations of the disorder that can range from moderate to severe. Important to note is that the cases which brought them to their respective social workers were a typical representation of a severe syndrome of the disease. The symptom picture of these two patients can also be painted using their denials. Anita denied having any medical problem while Alice denies using any drugs. However, Alice reports problems in breastfeeding.
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Psychosocial Factors
It is critical to note that both Anita and Alice have various psychosocial problems that differentiate their experience with the disorder. Anita hates herself and in most cases sobs tearfully. Alice, on the other hand, depicts her hate for herself by trying to harm the children and herself and also cries a lot. Both Anita and Alice have suicide thoughts, and both have reported cases of attempted suicide and self-harm respectively. Also, the two ladies have a history of abusing drugs despite the denial. They also have poor adherence to medication a factor that partly plays in their disease manifestation. Anita faces various social problems that include incarceration, losing her job, breaking her relationship, and separation from her children. On the other hand, Alice, despite having a family history of depression, does not manifest many social problems other than the fact that her husband, Mr. Jackson does not understand why she would want to harm their children. Both Alice and Anita have issues with their personalities. Anita on her part hates herself while Alice, on the other hand, feels that she is worthless. However, whereas Anita has shown resilience in dealing with her issues, Alice confesses that she is tired.
