Depression

    I think when it comes to depression, there are challenges clinicians face because of the commonality and widespread knowledge. There is plenty of misinformation out there and it is easy to fall victim to it, for clinicians and clients. The book mentions being suspicious of the client's reports because of the nature of depression in general. Clients may be more inclined to see their symptoms worse than they are, but they can also come in with a wrong understanding of their symptoms. Is more information in the public doing more harm than good? I think you could ask this question about anything! The broad information may attract people who don't belong, but it can also supply people with resources and help they need but weren't aware of. 

     In addition to some psychoeducation and critical thinking, I also think assessing the client's strengths is essential before moving into treatment. In our CBT class, we talked about Behavioral Activation and how in depression cases BA may include moving your feet while you lay in bed as a first step to becoming more active. This is an area that I would find difficult as a clinician. I am not great at taking small steps to meet a goal. This is important for me to be aware of going into therapy.  I also liked that the book mentioned using a timeline when there are other disorders or big life events to consider. I hadn't thought of this activity before, but I can see the great clinical utility and would consider using it in the future. What other tips or tricks do clinicians use to distinguish between disorders and treatment order?

    I also found the self-report vs self-prediction interesting. I am currently working on a project that is looking at self-report vs. self-prediction measures for risk management in forensic populations. So far, we have found that self-prediction is doing a better job of assessing risk than self-report. However, I think it is not as useful when looking at feelings vs actions. Self-prediction measures are better at assessing for suicide and risk to offend, but not as great when dealing with personal feelings. As pointed out in the article, depression can look a bunch of different ways. So does the client's self-prediction provide more insight into how their depression is maintained because of the variability in symptomology? 

Grade: 19/20