Hellen's Depression Case Analysis - Case Study Example

The effectiveness of any medical treatments depends on multiple factors. Some of these factors are provided by the health facility while others relate to the patients family involvement and lifestyle practices of the sick person. The health practitioners, the patient, and family have to cooperate in ensuring the effectiveness of treatments and adherence to prescribed medications. Ellen has diabetes which is a chronic condition diagnosed in her childhood hence needs prescribed insulin injections to regulate her sugar levels. As a teenager, Hellen requires proactive social support to help her adhere to medication and control her blood sugar levels within the right ranges. Nonetheless, she may find it difficult to continue with her medication without parental support. However, she seems to reject her mothers assistance, which undermines the role that her family ought to play in helping her cope with the devastation of diabetes.

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Apart from resisting family support, Hellen too seems to live in denial of her situation, as she does not want it to be disclosed to his immediate friends. The only few people whom she freely interacts in her condition is the school guidance and counselor. Her situation and deposition reduce the effectiveness of available social support networks including schoolmates, friends, teachers, and the school nursing fraternity.

Hellens reaction to her diabetic condition including the rejection of parental support, non-adherence to insulin medication and hiding her health status from her friends show that she suffers from depression. She does not want to involve her family and friends in her state, which implies her guilt of being a bother to them or possibility of societal rejection. Depression is a common condition among diabetic patients that inhibit their ability and motivation to cope with their conditions. Diagnosing the young Hellen with diagnosis implies that she must learn to live with her condition for the rest of her life. The feeling that she has to rely on artificial ways of maintaining her blood sugar imposes on her psychological stress leading to depression. Diabetes is a lifelong condition that requires active management hence the understanding of these requirements inflicts on her a sense of hopelessness.

Evidence and implications of depression in Hellen's Case

Hellen concentrates much on the ways she can use to escape from the realities of suffering from diabetes than she focuses on the necessary social support networks and medication (Lin et al., 2004). This inadequacy has the potential of exposing her not only to further health risks but also reduces the effectiveness of medicine administered to her. According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, people diagnosed with chronic health complications such as diabetes are at high risk of suffering from depression, which reduces their involvement in treatments, acceptance of their situations and embracing existing support networks for effective control (Anderson et al., 2001). This reality implies that apart from concentrating in alleviating Hellen's most apparent diabetic condition, any attention afforded to her should first restore her mental status concerning her perception of the situation as a primary way of ensuring that treatment works for a positive change in her health.

In medical practice, it is recommended that the family be involved not only in making critical medical decisions but also in providing home-grown support to ensure that the sick overcome the challenges that come especially with untreatable diseases such as diabetes from which Hellen is suffering. In most cases, people suffering from chronic illnesses experience increased sense of trauma and depression as their health conditions worsen (Katon, Maj, & Sartorius, 2010). The case of Hellen manifests the trend whereby, she avoids her mother's involvement in her sickness even after the health workers attending to her recommends that family care is necessary to help her situation (Anderson et al., 2001). She has developed poor physical and mental functioning hence the pressure on her to comply with the best health practices for diabetes patients. In light of these realities, it is important that medical practitioners provide a holistic approach for patients suffering from chronic diseases (Lin et al., 2004). For instance, Hellen should be assigned to a professional therapist to help change her mindset about the health situation she is undergoing. Consequently, the family members also need to be trained in the best ways they can use to intervene in Hellen's case without arousing her sense of guilt.

In most situations involving medications for diabetes, it is difficult for the person suffering from the condition, the family or close friends to distinguish the symptoms of depression (Baune & Tully, 2016). The risk of depression is associated with stress and the metabolic reaction of the brain to diabetes. Because Hellen has a history of depression, she is predisposed to more episodes, which reduces the progress in treating her diabetic condition (Lin et al., 2004). It is implicit that clinical procedures for diabetes require a comprehensive assessment of patient health history to determine any current risk factors that have a potential of undermining the success of treatments. Professional nurses should pay attention to the symptoms of any proximate condition associated with the most presenting one (Shaw & Cummings, 2012). After identification of the associated risk factors, the physicians should investigate their severity and suggest simultaneous interventions for them alongside the most evident condition.

Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, Ryan J., Kenneth E. Freedland, Ray E. Clouse, and Patrick J. Lustman (2001). "The prevalence of comorbid depression in adults with diabetes." Diabetes care 24(6): 1069-1078.

This article provides evidence that diabetes commonly occurs together with depression. Therefore, any medical interventions for patients who have diabetes should also assess their mental status as a means of establishing the most appropriate approach.

Lin, E. H., Katon, W., Von Korff, M., Rutter, C., Simon, G. E., Oliver, M. ... & Young, B. (2004). Relationship of depression and diabetes self-care, medication adherence, and preventive care. Diabetes care, 27(9), 2154-2160.

This article is relevant to the study of the relationship between diabetes and depression. It not only assesses how depression affects home-based practices for controlling diabetes such as healthy eating, exercise, and medication adherence but also shows how preventive measures can be instituted to avoid progression of debates.

Katon, W., Maj, M., & Sartorius, N. (2010). Depression and diabetes. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

This book gives a comprehensive discussion on the intricate relationship between comorbid depression, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. It points out that the success of any medical treatment is derived from its ability to normalize the interactions between the conditions that cause ill health. In essence, it points out the need for ensuring overall care as a means of sustaining proper wellbeing of patients suffering from different conditions.

Shaw, K., & Cummings, M. H. (2012). Diabetes: Chronic Complications. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Shaw and Cummings provide an updated and easy-to-read practical guide for trainee endocrinologists. It illustrates various complications that are associated with diabetes including depression. It also has topical questions in every chapter to improve the understanding of nurses in developing the right clinical skills and understanding of medical imperatives of the most presenting conditions.

Baune, B. T., & Tully, P. J. (2016). Cardiovascular diseases and depression: Treatment and prevention in psycho cardiology. Cham: Springer.

The authors of this book emphasize the fundamental role that medical attention for the people who have diabetes should entail. Some of these include emotional support, dietary, recreation and proper lifestyle. It also draws a relationship between diabetes cancers and sets depression assessment as a central need for the treatment of diabetes.