Employment-Related Depression and Analyses of Potential Treatment

Abstract

According to the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders, approximately 26% of Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder any given year. An association between mental illness and socioeconomic status has been found in several studies. This project has both scientific and ethical goals. The scientific goals review the various treatments available to socioeconomic- and employment- related depression disorder. This includes identifying and comparing the efficacy of each treatment and describing any limitations of the methods used and subsequent findings. Ethically, this research aims to shed light on the limitations in our mental healthcare system and political biases that hold us back from development in this area. To provide a tentative solution for the aforementioned challenges, this paper provides a comprehensive analysis of several depression treatments, that cater to the patients’ specific needs in terms of type of illness and social class, and explain the reality of treatment accessibility in today’s climate. Our results showed that, although only 50% of depression patients are properly treated, it is within our power to treat many more individuals suffering from this illness. However, finding the right treatment requires a lot of patience and persistence which are two traits that depression tends to debilitate. From a safety perspective, this study emphasizes the need to discuss any potential route of treatment with a mental healthcare provider that can assist in narrowing down the most suitable options.