Assignment 1A - Problem Tree

My greatest interests lies in health and economic development in developing countries. However, one of the greatest issue that my community faces is mental health. I decided to choose a problem that I have never really explore in dept before. I was originally going to choose the underlying stigma associated with mental health but then I decided to go more in dept and chose a specific mental illness that has a strong negative connotation on those who have it but may be overlooked by others as a mental health illness-depression yet it affects many people in the community.

To view Assignment 1A - Problem Tree, please visit: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47467551?secret_password=23vmbrklhavl9u6oennl

I tried to make the problem tree as visible and readable as possible. If there are some words that it not easily readable, please see below:

Leaves: Impact of the Problem

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
• Loss of appetite
• Weight changes
• Sleep changes
• Unexplained increase in physical pain and aches
• Undesirably affects the lives of families and friends (e.g. family and friends may be worry)
• Loss of interest in favourite activities
• Difficulty interacting with others
• Irritability or restlessness
• Work productivity decreases while absenteeism increases
• Loss of energy
• Strong emotional pain of self-loathing (e. g. strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt)
• Problem focusing or concentrating on certain tasks
• Negative impact on the economy-Approximately $44 billion is spent on depression a year

Trunk: Main Problem
According to Bayridge Family Center, the most rapidly increasing diagnosis illness in Canada is depression and anxiety where approximately 8% of adult Canadians will experience a major depression at one point in life, which is not unexpected due to our increasingly stressful society (Bayridge Family Centre, 2007). Moreover, the World Health Organization believes that depression yields the greatest effect on worsening the well-being and health of an individual (The Medical News, 2007).

Roots: Causes of the Problem
Genetic Factors
• Family history of depression

Biological Factors
• Imbalances of neurotransmitters
• Deficiency in serotonin and norepinephrine
• Altered body chemicals (e.g. cortisol)
• Chronic medical conditions (e.g. epilepsy, arthritis, cancer, AIDS)

Environmental Factors
• Traumatic life events
• Marital or relationship problems
• Financial strain
• Early childhood trauma or abuse
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Employment stress
• Poor quality of life
• Lack of social support

Psychological factors
• Negative or pessimistic perspective of life
• Loneliness

References
“Causes of Depression”. 2009. Healthy Place-America’s Mental Health Centre.

“Depression”. 2011. Canadian Mental Health Association.

Franklin, Donald J. “Depression-Information and Treatment”. 2003. Psychology Information Online.

“Statistics- Depression/Anxiety... Get the Facts”. 2007. Bayridge Family Center.

“What is Depression?”. 2009. Public Health Agency of Canada.

“WHO warns about the impact of depression”. 2007. The Medical News.

Works Cited
“Statistics- Depression/Anxiety... Get the Facts”. 2007. Bayridge Family Center.

“WHO warns about the impact of depression”. 2007. The Medical News.

Thanks,

-Liz