Depression and its expression : art as problem solver

This workshop will focus on the ways in which ollr Journal Double Dialogues dealt with the question of the 'Anatomy of Pain'. In this workshop, by a process of demonstration and interaction, we will look at the theme of the representation of pain and engage with the ways in which different disciplines (psychological. visual, performative, philosophical. aesthetic and literary) explored this question. Emphasis will be given to the 'double dialogue' nature of the discourse in which practitioners of the arts have found a 'language' from aesthetics, history, theory, and philosophy that has succeeded in establishing a dialogue between the art-work and the discourse that might spring from the work itself or provide a relevant context. This session will draw on the e.xpertise of the audience for discussions and experiment within the Double Dialogue model.

中学生抑郁和素质、压力、环境因素的关系及其整合模型研究

As a kind of mood, depression is one of the emotions which people experienced usually. Depressive disorder is one of the common mental diseases. There are about 100 million people in the world be disturbed by depression every year. So it is long history that depression is investigated widely in medicine, psychology, and sociology. There are many theorial problems remain to be solved. Viewed from latest vocuments, the development of depression theory is tending to become more complicated. Most of the prior depression theory focused on relation between one factor and depression. Because depressed individuls have various characteristics and factors that cause depression are different, and each factor can explain only part of depression variance, these prior depression theories are defected. As the knowledge about depression accumulated, the view that depression be caused by multifactor is clearer. There is tendency to integrate these cooperational factor into a model while developing a depression theory. In the present study, depression status of 1625 middle school students from junior 1 to senior 3 are measured using Depression Scale of Middle-school Student which is developed by ourselves. From approach of depressive mood, the present study explored depressive diathesis including attributional style, personality, coping style, and self. The relation among depressive diathesis, stress and depression is analysed. The relation between depression and school life adaptation, depression and cohesion, adaptation in family are also analysed from environmental view. At last, relation among environment, stress, depressive diathesis is examined by using covariance structure modelling. Synthesizing the results from the present study, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) There is grade-characteristics in development of depression in middle school students. Depression degree increased with grade. The main reason may be that the stress middle-school students experience increase and self-acceptance decrease with grade; (2) High depressive diathesis is different from low depressive diathesis. the features of high depressive diathesis are that attributing failure to ability or background, low capacity for status, low sociability, low independence, low self-blame, more illusion. The features of low depressive diathesis are that not attributing failure to ability or background, high capacity for status, high sociability, high independence, high self-acceptance, while facing difficulties, using problem-resolving coping strategy, less self-blame, less illusion. Individuals who have high depressive diathesis showed serious depression, and individuals who have low depressive diathesis showed light depression; (3) Depressive diathesis had accumulative effect on depression. More low depressive diathesis, more light is depression. More high depressive diathesis, more serious is depression; (4) Depressive diathesis can predict present depression and future depression. Predicting present depression is more effective than predicting future depression; (5) Individual who has different depressive diathesis experiences different level of stress. Higher the depressive diathesis individual has, higher stress he will experience. Lower the depressive diathesis individual has, lower stress will he experience; (6) There is correlation between life event pressure and depression. Life event pressure can predict a part of variance of depression. Life event pressure has accumulative effect on depression. More life event and higher life event pressure, more serious depression individual will experience; (7) There exits high correlation between depression and school life adaptation which can predict depression; (8) There is high correlative relation between depression and cohesion, adaptation in family which can predict depression; and (9) Environment have more effect on diathesis than on stress. Diathesis has more effect on depression than stress does. The past depression can predict future depression. This study had enlarged the domain of depressive diathesis such as attributional style, personality, coping style, and self, which are analysed wholly. This study had also enriched the connotation of diathesis=stress theory. Above two aspects are theoretical significance of the study. This study provide a framework of mental health educational curriculum in high school and provide the guideline for prevention and cure of depression. It is the practical significance of this study.

Factors contributing to depressive mood states in everyday life: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Although accumulated evidence suggests that fluctuations in depressed mood are common among individuals with depression, and may be associated with onset, duration, and severity of illness, a systematic appraisal of putative predictors of depressed mood is lacking. METHODS: A systematic search for relevant studies in the literature was conducted using PsycInfo and PubMed databases via EbscoHost in February 2016. The search was limited to articles using the experience sampling method, an approach suitable for capturing in situ fluctuations in mood states. RESULTS: Forty-two studies met inclusion criteria for the review, from which three key risk factors (poor sleep, stress, and significant life events) and two protective factors (physical activity and quality of social interactions) were identified. The majority of papers supported concurrent and lagged associations between these putative protective/risk factors and depressed mood. LIMITATIONS: Despite support for each of the proposed protective/risk factors, few studies evaluated multiple factors in the same study. Moreover, the time course for the effects of these predictors on depressed mood remains largely unknown. CONCLUSIONS: The present review identified several putative risk and protective factors for depressed mood. A review of the literature suggests that poor sleep, negative social interactions, and stressful negative events may temporally precede spikes in depressed mood. In contrast, exercise and positive social interactions have been shown to predict subsequent declines in depressed mood. However, the lack of multivariate models in which the unique contributions of various predictors could be evaluated means that the current state of knowledge prevents firm conclusions about which factors are most predictive of depressed mood. More complex modeling of these effects is necessary in order to provide insights useful for clinical treatment in daily life of the depressed mood component of depressive disorders.

The stress experience dependent long-term depression disassociated with stress effect on spatial memory task

Behavioral stress can either block or facilitate memory and affect the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). However, the relevance of the stress experience-dependent long-term depression (SLTD) to spatial memory task is unknown. Here we have investigated the effects of acute and sub-acute elevated platform (EP) and foot shock (FS) stress on LTD induction in CA1 region of the hippocampus of anesthetized rats and spatial memory in Morris water maze. We found that LTD was facilitated by acute EP stress, but not by sub-acute EP stress that may be due to the fast adaptation of the animals to this naturalistic mild stress. However, FS stress, an inadaptable strong stress, facilitated LTD induction both in acute and sub-acute treatment. In addition, with the same stress protocols, acute EP stress impaired spatial memory but the sub-acute EP stressed animals performed the spatial memory task as well as the controls, may due to the same reason of adaptation. However, acute FS stress slightly impaired learning but sub-acute FS even enhanced memory retrieval. Our results showed that SLTD was disassociated with the effect of stress on memory task but might be related to stress experience-dependent form of aberrant memory. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Relationship satisfaction moderates the associations between male partner responses and depression in women with vulvodynia : a dyadic daily experience study.

This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the journal. It is not the copy of record. / Cet article ne constitue pas la version officielle, et peut différer de la version publiée dans la revue.

A qualitative examination of the experience of 'depression' in hospitalized medically ill patients

Background: Research into depression in the medically ill has progressed without sufficient attention being given to the validity, in this group, of the taxonomic categories. We aimed to describe, using qualitative interviews, the experience of 'being depressed', separating experiences that are unique to depression from experiences that are common to being ill and in hospital.
Method: Forty-nine patients hospitalized for medical illness underwent a 30-min interview in which they were asked to 'Describe how you have been unwell and, in particular, how that has made you feel.' From the transcripts, a 'folk' taxonomy was constructed using a phenomenological framework involving four steps: frame elicitation to identify the important themes, componential analysis to systematically cluster the attributes into domains, a comparison of the experiences of patients screening depressed and  not-depressed, and a theoretical analysis comparing the resulting taxonomy with currently used theoretical constructs.
Results: Experiences common to all patients were being in hospital, being ill or in pain, adjusting to not being able to do things, and having time to think. In addition, all participants described being depressed, down or sad. Patients who were identified by screening as being depressed described unique experiences of depression, which included 'having to think about things' (a forceful intrusive thinking), 'not being able to sleep', 'having to rely on others', 'being a burden' to others (with associated shame and guilt), feelings of 'not getting better' and 'feeling like giving up'. Theoretical analysis suggested that this experience of depression fitted well with the concept of demoralization described by Jerome Frank.
Conclusions: Demoralization, which involves feelings of being unable to cope, helplessness, hopelessness and diminished personal esteem, characterizes much of the depression seen in hospitalized medically ill patients

Mental depression : its cause and treatment : based on modern medical reform science and successful practical experience, lucidly explained for the purpose of self-treatment without medicine / y Richard J. Ebbard.

Mode of access: Internet.

A phenomenological study to explore individuals’ experience of depression

Numerous epidemiological findings suggest that we live in an era that can only be described as the “age of melancholy” in that more and more individuals are diagnosed with depression every year. The aim of this study was to gain a phenomenological understanding of how individuals who experienced depression understood and made sense of their experience of depression through a methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis. In-depth semi-structured interviews explored the lived experience of depression for eight individuals and identified how social discourses contributed to their understanding. Following rigorous analysis of twelve interview transcripts, data was broken down into four recurrent superordinate themes which related directly to how individuals made sense of their experience of depression; The Descent; The Worlds Conversations and Me - Engagement with Social Discourses; Broken Self - Transforming the Self; Embracing myself and my Mind - Transformation of the Self. Further interrogative analysis identified how some social discourses communicated by healthcare professionals, the media and academia, contributed to individuals experiencing an additional layer of distress, namely meta-distress which in essence is distress about distress.

Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS): a mixed methods RCT using an aqueous extract of Piper methysticum

Objectives: To report on the design, significance and potential impacts of the first documented human clinical trial assessing the anxiolytic and thymoleptic efficacy of an aqueous monoextract of Piper methysticum (kava). The significance of the qualitative element of our clinical trial is also explored. The Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS) is a 3-week placebocontrolled, double-blind, cross-over trial involving 60 adult participants (18—65) with elevated stable anxiety and varying levels of depressive symptoms. Aims: The aims of KADSS are: (1) to determine whether an aqueous standardised extract of kava is effective for the treatment of anxiety; (2) to assess the effects of kava on differing levels of depression; and (3) to explore participants’ experience of taking kava via qualitative research. The study also provides preliminary assessment of the safety of an aqueous extract of kava in humans. Conclusion: If results reveal that the aqueous kava preparation exerts significant anxiolytic effects and appears safe, potentially beneficial impacts may occur. Data supporting a safe and effective kava extract may encourage a re-introduction of kava to Europe, UK and Canada. This may provide a major socioeconomic benefit to Pacific Island nations, and to sufferers of anxiety disorders.

Diagnosing postpartum depression in mothers and fathers : Whatever happened to anxiety?

Although anxiety disorders are documented in the literature for new mothers (but less so for fathers), rates of postpartum caseness tend to include only those with depression when diagnostic interviews or self-report measures validated on such interviews are used. This methodology therefore underestimates the true percentage of women and men who experience significant psychological difficulties postpartum. This has implications for assessment, treatment and screening for postnatal mood disorders. Two studies were conducted on a total of 408 women and 356 men expecting their first child. They were recruited antenatally, and interviewed at 6 weeks postpartum using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. DSM-IV criteria were applied to determine the presence since birth of depression (major or minor), panic disorder, acute adjustment disorder with anxiety (meeting the criteria for generalised anxiety disorder except for the duration criterion), and phobia. The inclusion of diagnostic assessment for panic disorder and acute adjustment disorder with anxiety increased the rates of caseness by between 57 and 100% for mothers, and 31-130% for fathers, over the rates for major or minor depression. Inclusion of assessment for phobia further increased the rates of disorder in both samples.

An examination of the base rates of post-concussion symptoms : the influence of demographics and depression

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a controversial constellation of cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms that some patients experience following a mild traumatic brain injury or concussion. PCS-like symptoms are commonly found in individuals with depression, pain, and stress, as well as healthy individuals. This study investigated the base rate of PCS symptoms in a healthy sample of 96 participants and examined the relationship between these symptoms, depression, and sample demographics. PCS symptoms were assessed using the British-Columbia Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory. Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory II. Results demonstrated that: The base rate of PCS was very high; there was a strong positive relationship between depression and PCS; and demographic characteristics were not related to PCS in this sample. These findings are broadly consistent with literature suggesting a significant role for non-neurological factors in the expression of PCS symptomatology. This study adds to the growing body of literature that calls for caution in the clinical interpretation of results from PCS symptom inventories.

An explorative qualitative analysis of participants' experience of using kava versus placebo in an RCT. (Clinical report)

Many randomised controlled trials (RCT) have been conducted using Piper methysticum (kava), however no qualitative research exploring the experience of taking kava during a clinical trial has previously been reported. ---------- Patients and methods: A qualitative research component (in the form of semi structured and open ended written questions) was incorporated into an RCT to explore the experiences of those participating in a clinical trial of kava. The written questions were provided to participants at weeks 2 and 3 (after randomisation, after each controlled phase). The researcher and participants were blinded as to whether they were taking kava or placebo. Two open ended questions were posed to elucidate their experiences from taking either kava or placebo. Thematic analysis was undertaken and researcher triangulation employed to ensure analytical rigour. Key themes after the kava phases were a reduction in anxiety and stress, and calming or relaxing mental effects. Other themes related to improvement in sleep and in somatic anxiety symptoms. ---------- Results: Kava use did not cause any serious adverse reactions although a few respondents reported nausea or other gastrointestinal side effects. This represents the first documented qualitative investigation of the experience of taking kava during a clinical trial. The primary themes involved anxiolytic and calming effects, with only a minor theme reflecting side effects. Our exploratory qualitative data was consistent with the significant quantitative results revealed in the study and provides additional support to suggest the trial results did not exclude any important positive or negative effects (at least as experienced by the trial participants).

Governing depression in law students and the shaping of legal personae

Since a recent Australian study found that university law students experience higher rates of depression than medical students and legal professionals (Kelk et al. 2009), the mental health of law students has increasingly become a target of government. To date, however, there has been no attempt to analyse these practices as an activity of government in advanced liberal societies. This paper addresses this imbalance by providing an initial analytics of the government of depression in law schools. It demonstrates how students are responsibilised to manage the risks and uncertainties of legal education by constructing resilient forms of personal and professional personae. It highlights that, in order to avoid depression, students are encouraged to shape not just their minds and bodies according to psychological and biomedical discourses, but are also to govern their ethical dispositions and become virtuous persons. This paper also argues that these forms of government are tied to advanced liberal forms of rule, as they position the law student as the locus of responsibility for depression, imply that depression is caused by an individual failing, and entrench students within responsibilising and entrepreneurial forms of subjectivity.

Mental health of newly arrived Burmese refugees in Australia : contributions of pre-migration and post-migration experience

Objective: This study documents the mental health status of people from Burmese refugee backgrounds, recently arrived in Australia; then examines the contributions of gender, premigration and postmigration factors in predicting mental health. Method: Structured interviews, including a demographic questionnaire, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, Postmigration Living Difficulties Checklist and Hopkins Symptom Checklist assessed premigration trauma, postmigration living difficulties, depression, anxiety, somatisation and traumatisation symptoms in a sample of 70 adults across five Burmese ethnic groups. Results: Substantial proportions of participants reported psychological distress in symptomatic ranges including: posttraumatic stress disorder (9%); anxiety (20%), and; depression (36%), as well as significant symptoms of somatisation (37%). Participants reported multiple and severe premigration traumas. Postmigration living difficulties of greatest concern included communication problems and worry about family not in Australia. Gender did not predict mental health. Level of exposure to traumatic events and postmigration living difficulties each made unique and relatively equal contributions to traumatisation symptoms. Postmigration living difficulties made unique contributions to depression, anxiety and somatisation symptoms. Conclusions: While exposure to traumatic events impacted on participants’ mental wellbeing, postmigration living difficulties had greater salience in predicting mental health outcomes of people from Burmese refugee backgrounds. Reported rates of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were consistent with a large review of adults across seven western countries. High levels of somatisation pointed to a nuanced expression of distress. Findings have implications for service provision in terms of implementing appropriate interventions to effectively meet the needs of this newly arrived group in Australia.