1. How do wellness and emotional well-being impact the body, mind, and spirit of an individual?
All human beings have emotions. In fact, emotions serve us the common ground to express ourselves, relate to others and to converse. Therefore, emotional well-being influences the physical wellbeing. Moreover, negative emotions can weaken the body’s immune system and hence generate the onset of diseases and illnesses. Emotional wellbeing affects how we think, behave, and feel because emotional wellbeing is closely linked to the physical and spiritual wellbeing. Therefore, any imbalance between the body, mind, and spirit is linked to the emotional wellbeing and the body can lead to illnesses such as digestion problems. For instance, given that one’s body is unable to accept or digest some emotions, it may result in an unsettled stomach.
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2. What are the basic features of each assessment tool you are analyzing?
Even with the high prevalence of substance use and mental health problems, too many people still go untreated, partly because they go undiagnosed. In the healthcare setting, regular screenings allow the early detection of mental health problems such as depression, which translates into earlier care. The best validated and widely used assessment tools in depression are the PHQ-9 and its two-item version, the PHQ-2. Basically, some of the features of PHQ-9 include a self-explanatory questionnaire created to identify depression symptoms. This questionnaire contains nine items, which are designed based on the diagnostic criteria for the major depressive disorder (MDD). Mental health professionals have widely used this tool due to its good validity and reliability in depression patients. PHQ-2 is an abridged edition of the PHQ-9. It comprises the first two items of the PHQ-9.
3. What are the similarities and differences between these assessments? In other words, what are their benefits and limitations?
The PHQ-2 assessment tool comprises the first two items from the PHQ-9. Besides, it has a different period lasting two weeks while the period for PHQ-9 is past one month. The response format is also different; PHQ-2 is in multiple-choice formats while PHQ-9 is about yes/no responses. This is the reason why the yes/no questions in PHQ-9 are easier to administer, simpler to score and more sensitive than the multiple choice in PHQ-2. Nevertheless, these two assessment tools have numerous similarities. These two are both subsets of the bigger PHQ assessment tool. Both of them combine DSM-IV depression criteria as well as major depression symptoms into a summarized self-report tool which can be used to screen, diagnose and treat. Another important similarity arises from their poor specificity (numerous false positives). In essence, a positive diagnosis on either PHQ-9 or PHQ-2 must be accompanied by a clinical interview to detect depression.
4. How is information from these assessments used to inform the treatment process?
Within the healthcare context, information from these assessments is used to determine those characteristics of the patient and the patient’s life situation which might influence treatment decisions and success of the treatment. In addition, the information is critical to the treatment planning process. This process entails integrating assessment information about the patient’s lifestyle and other domains of social and psychological functioning to help mental health professionals to develop and priorities treatment goals and choose the most appropriate intervention.
5. What might cause a mental health professional to select one over the other in different contexts?
There is no single recommended assessment tool which mental health professionals may prefer because both the PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 are the most commonly used tools in depression assessment. Though the most preferred tool has not been listed, for one to meet the depression criteria, mental health professionals must use validated and normalized depression assessment tool developed for the specific patient population. Many health professionals are opting for a two-step assessment process using the PHQ-9 and PHQ-2.
