Based on essay below: To be specific, what medication, dose, route, etc. would you prescribe?

What further diagnostics (exams/labs/tests) would be helpful in the diagnosis of depression with a patient?  That is, what further diagnostics should be ordered in a patient that presents with depression?

Diagnosing Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Depression and anxiety are mental diseases that gradually consume a person’s existence. Since both are psychological illnesses, they easily go unnoticed and unacknowledged. Unfortunately, they can ultimately become fatal if mismanaged or not diagnosed in time. Luckily, there are screening tools that can help detect both depression and anxiety. The Beck Depression Inventory is a good measure of the severity of depression while the Generalized Anxiety Disorder measures the extent of anxiety. Both these measures prepare the patient for proper medication, therapy, and recovery. In addition, they give the therapist enough information to enable successful treatment.

KB is a 55-year-old woman whose husband died two years ago in their car as she was driving him to the hospital. This incident continues to affect her psychologically, physically and socially, to the point of trying to self-medicate herself by using coffee, meditation, and yoga to try to numb her mental pain. It is clear that she is suffering from depression and anxiety disorder, but is willing to seek professional help and treatment. For instance, the fact that she recently adopted a dog shows that she is ready to deal with feelings of loneliness and insecurity.

Screening Tools

The Beck Depression Inventory

The first screening tool I would use on her is the Beck Depression Inventory. According to Svanborg (2001), this tool is one of the most famous and is also used when a person wants to rate themselves. However, the best part is that the patient is either rated as mildly, moderately, or severely depressed. This tool contains 21 items and the questions that are used here for screening are variables that range in degree.

For instance, I would use this tool to calculate KB’s degree of sadness, how she views the future, self-esteem, life satisfaction, guilt, disappointment, and suicidal thoughts, among others. Mamat (2009) noted that depression could be diagnosed based on somatic factors, such as lack of energy, crying, and disoriented sleep patterns. I hope that KB should benefit from this tool because, based on her symptoms, she might be suffering from borderline or moderate depression based on her weight loss, lack of social interaction, restlessness, fatigue, and the fact that she is already on sleep medication.

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale

KB may also be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Sadly, however, Heinberg et al. (2004) found out that detecting anxiety might be a hard task especially when the patient is already suffering from another disorder. Since KB is already showing signs of depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale is the best screening tool to use. This 21-item rating scale classifies its scores in groups of 5, 10, and 15 based on whether the patient is suffering from anxiety mildly, moderately, or severely. After both tests, treatment is the next step.

Steps for Evaluation and Treatment

Treatment can vary based on the symptoms of the patient. For instance, I would prescribe Tres Orix for her appetite and this would help her restore weight. With antidepressants, there are different classes based on the present inhibitors. Consequently, I would prescribe drugs that contain Bupropion. A good example is Aplenzin because it has the least side effects. For anxiety, Eszopiclone would be a good option because it treats anxiety while also inducing sleep. Adequate rest, less coffee, and drinking more water would also increase KB’s recovery rate.

If KB takes her drugs as prescribed, she may notice changes within two weeks. However, she needs to seek counselling for the next two months to check on progress. Overall, depression and anxiety need to be dealt with upon diagnosis because the symptoms could deteriorate an individual’s health. KB should be commended because she asked for help when she realized that she should never suffer in silence