Depression

 I really enjoyed reading the depression article because it encompassed how diverse depression is and how clinicians should approach diagnosis and treatment. During my time at a neuropsychology clinic, we used the BDI, GDI, and MMPI for all able patients. Our main populations were older individuals with memory problems- most still living independently but some who had supervised care of some sort. We saw a large increase in depression (according to the MMPI, GDI, and BDI scores) in this population after COVID. Specifically, we saw more patients with a lack of interest and feelings of being punished. Most patients attributed this to the social isolation factor of the pandemic. This was difficult for us to treat because there wasn't anything we could really do practically. As families came around more and there were more opportunities to do things, these symptoms decreased. 

I think this example goes beyond my small clinic. The pandemic exposed different symptoms of depression that might not have been as common before. A dynamic network model would be my way of assessing and treating depression because it is a better tool to understand depression as it relates to the client. It would also be interesting to track over treatment to see if the patterns change. When looking at examples, I found some very in-depth models that would be useful during a first assessment. After that, I would narrow it down and track the main symptoms. As the article points out, it is important to assess depression by using a multimethod approach. Using three different assesment tools with a network model might be a little much, but I think it would encompass the whole picture. I think that using a very broad network and then narrowing it down would be helpful. Here is one example I found: