2. Depression Debates

Question 1

Professor Wakefield argues that the increase in diagnoses of depression reflects the

Answer 1

pathologising of normal sadness, conflating it with medical, clinical depression

Question 2

A 2014 systematic review by Baxter and colleagues examined whether

Answer 2

the prevalence of depression has increased over the past twenty years

Question 3

Baxter’s 2014 systematic review found

Answer 3

no evidence to support an increase in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Question 4

Jorm and colleagues (2017), reviewed data collected between 1990 and 2015 from four countries (Australia, Canada, England, and the US) and did not find

Answer 4

any evidence to suggest an increase in mood disorders. they also found that they had not decreased either, despite advances and increases in their treatment

Question 5

Another perspective in the depression epidemic debate suggests that the epidemic is linked to

Answer 5

executives in the pharmaceutical industry, who are said to benefit financially from increases in the number of people taking antidepressants

Question 6

executives in the pharmaceutical industry, who are said to benefit financially from increases in the number of people taking antidepressants is referred to

Answer 6

as “selling sickness” or “disease mongering

Question 7

Bell (2005) suggested there are three factors influencing a depression epidemic

Answer 7

multinational drug companies,

medical practitioners who write prescriptions,

the public, who turn to medicine for answers.

Question 8

In the midst of the depression epidemic discussion, a debate has emerged regarding whether

Answer 8

psychologists should have the legal right to prescribe relevant medications for clients.

Question 9

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has expressed concern that

Answer 9

the prescription of medications by other professionals is risky, because these professionals do not meet accreditation standards set out on the National Prescribing Service (NPS) Competencies Required to Prescribe Medicines

Question 10

while no-one in the scientific community disputes the fact that clinical depression is a true medical condition, the scientific evidence to support a marked increase in the prevalence of clinical depression (and anxiety for that matter) appears to be

Answer 10

mixed