Question

when a clinician is assessing a person for depression do you think that they should rely on self-report alone or include additional information such as parent report teacher report projective testing Etc ? explain

does being on antidepressants for a long period of time can affect a person physical and mental abilities?

Answer 1

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in daily life activities. Its symptoms include a feeling of hopelessness, apathy, disrupted sleep patterns, loss of appetite, suicidal thoughts, a significant change in weight in a short period and anxious behavior among others.

No, while assessing a person a clinician should not alone depend upon the self - report. Depression is a serious medical issue and requires a medical diagnose, a person may get confused with mood swings or temporary sadness, he may think that it's just a bad phase or simply become hostile to answer or may miss important information. While the self - report may give a clue to the clinician, additional information like the projective testing which verifies depression, parent report which gives insights on behavior and physical change in person or teacher inputs which gives insight into cognitive changes of person, etc. is very important. They help the clinician to understand the level, type, and severity of depression which is vital for better treatment of depression.

Like any other medication being on anti-depressants for a long time affects a person's mental and physical abilities. For example, recent studies have suggested a relationship between long term use of anti-depressant and physical and mental changes like SSRI ( Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors ) affect the action of serotonin causing negative health effects on digestion and immune system, while the use of Paxil for a long term increases the risk of dementia. Among these some of the side effects are very common like decreased alertness, person face difficulty in concentration, have suicidal thoughts, mania and neuroleptic malignant syndrome can also be caused by long term use. They may gain significant weight during the course of long term use.

That's why clinicians prefer therapy and other methods along with anti-depressant to prevent their long term affect.