Quantitative Data collection, Analysis and reporting



Quantitative Data collection, Analysis and reporting

Summary of research question

The emotional life is full of ups and downs. But when the "down" times are long lasting or interfere with your ability to function, you may be suffering from a common disease, but depression seriously. Clinical depression affects mood, mind, body, and behavior. Research has shown that in the United States about 19 ??million people-one in ten adults, experience depression each year, and nearly two thirds do not get the help they need treatment can relieve symptoms in more than 80 percent of cases. However, given that often unrecognized, depression continues to cause unnecessary suffering.

Depression is a persistent and debilitating disease that affects both women and men, but women experience depression at a rate almost doubles that of men. 1 Researchers continue to explore how special issues that are unique to women-biological, life cycle and psycho-social-may be associated with the high rate of depression in women.

Two depressed never exactly the same way. Many people have only some of the symptoms, and these vary in severity and duration. For some, symptoms in episodes for limited time, for others, the symptoms may be present for long periods if no treatment is sought. Having some depressive symptoms does not mean that the person is clinically depressed. For example, it is not uncommon for people who have lost a loved one feel sad, helpless, and lose interest in daily activities. Only when these symptoms persist for a longer time than usual is that there is reason to suspect that mourning has become a depressive illness. To some extent, such feelings are simply part of the human experience. But when those feelings increase in duration and intensity and the person is not capable of running as usual, what seemed a matter of temporary mood may have become clinical disease.

Summary of literature review

As with the other age groups, there are older women than older men with depression, but rates decrease among women after menopause. 13 Evidence suggests that depression in postmenopausal women (after menopause) usually occurs in women who have a history of depression. In any case, depression is not a normal part of aging.

The death of a spouse or a loved one, stop working and retire or dealing with a chronic illness can make both women and men feel sad or distressed. After a period of adjustment, many older women can regain their emotional balance, but others do not and may develop depression. When older women are depressed, others may not be aware of the situation because older adults may be less willing to talk about feelings of sadness or pain, or because they may have less obvious symptoms of depression. Therefore, there are fewer chances that doctors have suspected or detect that an older person has depression.

For older adults with depression for the first time during the last stages of their lives, other factors such as changes in the brain or body may be at ...