1. Introduction
The Public Health challenge regarding depression is becoming a common mental health problem in the United Kingdom where it is established that one in six adults are impacted. The growing prevalence of depression in the UK is happening at a moderate to severe level and the symptoms are more prominent among the adults of the UK. During 2019-2020 after the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic, it has been reported that 10% of the adult population mostly male and female of the UK has established depressive symptoms and in 2020 it has increased by 19% (Baker and Kirk-Wade, 2024).
However, the most impacted age group in the UK related to depression indicates 16-29. On the other hand, women are more likely to experience mental health challenges than men and this essentially happens due to being economically inactive. The urgency to address this public mental health issue is becoming essential because millions of people are experiencing mental health dilemmas for being economically inactive, disability, and ineffective socio-economic status and also due to living in the deprived areas of the region (Gov. uk, 2023).
The cities which have the highest rate of depression in the UK indicate Greater Manchester, Stockport and Brinnington. The rate of depression in each of these regions of the UK represents 23.6%, 61% and also 20.0% respectively (Pidd, 2019). Moreover, data also shows that due to living under depression, 5583 people in England and Wales have died by suicide and the estimated death rate due to depression has become 10.7% death per 100,000 population in 2022 (Ons.gov.uk, 2023). The occurrences of economic impact from the development and prevalence of Depression in the UK indicate a growing cost of $117.9 Billion annually which is almost 5% of the overall UK’s GDP (Collins et al. 2023). This essentially has caused a challenge for the population of the UK in facing impacts with direct service cost, loss of productivity and also reduced life quality.
The definition of health represents that health is a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being and not the absence of disease or illness. On the other hand, the definition of Public health practice indicates that it is one type of action which is performed individually or collectively to improve the health and well-being of the population through intervention, infrastructure and program support (Who. int, 2024).
Thus, with the growing prevalence of depression in the UK, this essentially asks for the adaptation of public health practices towards ensuring its effective mitigation. Hence, this essay has been established to address the way the adaptation of three public health domains: health protection, individual change and community development can help in tackling this public health issue.
1.1 Analytical Framework
The approach of critically evaluating the public health challenge regarding Depression as a prominent mental health challenge in the UK can be conducted with the application of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion Framework. The application of this framework is effective towards using five action areas towards identifying fundamental mental health challenges regarding depression as well as the effective mitigation of it with the application of action area and strategy (Fry and Zask, 2017).
The five action areas of the framework indicate the development of personal skills, the development of a supportive environment, the strengthening of community action, the reorienting of health service, and also establishment of healthy public policy (Thompson et al. 2018). The application of the framework is known to make sense in the practice domain regarding health protection against depression with the approach of helping the UK population develop personal skills.
On the other hand, making individual change is also prominent under the framework of the strengthening of community action and also by developing a supportive environment (Nutbeamet al. 2021). Lastly, community development under the framework will be prominent by reorienting health services, adapting public health policy and also by developing different community practices for individuals suffering from depression (Thompson et al. 2018).
2. Health Protection
2.1 Definition and Broader Principle
The definition of Health Protection essentially indicates the protection of individual groups and populations by considering the effective collaboration of community workers, exports, doctors and nurses towards identifying, preventing and mitigating health challenges (Rubin, 2017). The protection of the population and individuals through this factor occurs with expert active and effective collaboration (Rubin, 2017). The broader principle under which health protection is established indicates planning and preparedness, prevention and early detection along with investigation and control in a collaborative manner.
2.2 Alignment of Health Protection with Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion Framework
The analytical framework considered here known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion is aligned with health protection factors to a great extent. The framework itself is established to lay the foundation of health promotion and also broadened beyond the absence of disease (Wilberg et al. 2021). On the other hand, it is arguable here that the principles of health protection are also established with the purpose of planning, preparing, preventing, early detecting and controlling the epidemic of a public health challenge (Latifi et al. 2023). Thus, with the necessity of managing mental health challenges regarding depression in the UK, both attributes are connected and justified here to establish intervention and mitigation.
2.3 Ethical Dilemma in Health Protection Practice
Though the following health protection principles and practices are effective in contributing towards the betterment and prevention of public health challenges, public health practitioners need to perform the activity ethically (Rogers and Schill, 2021). This is because the following ethical principles will be more effective towards finding balance while delivering patient care and also the management of better care offerings without harming the population. The primary ethical dilemma that PH practitioners must be aware of indicates patients’ rights, confidentiality, informed consent and also their decisions (Rogers and Schill, 2021). It also justifies the necessity of protecting the rights of individuals suffering from mental or physical health challenges and the necessity of ensuring that their rights, values, beliefs and decisions are considered with honesty and respect.
2.4 Case Study of Health Protection Intervention
One of the primary examples of a case study regarding health protection intervention for Depression in the UK indicates the approach of the Department of Education in England towards performing mixed research (Survey and school case study) to identify the way the mental health challenges faced by students in school and university can be managed (Marshall et al. 2017). The outcome of the research occurred in different schools and universities in England states that it is essential for schools to establish a nurturing and supporting environment as well as the development of emotional literacy to help individuals overcome any mental health challenge and also the effective management of their emotional state from establishing depression or anxiety (Marshall et al. 2017).
2.5 Suitability of Health Protection in Solving Depression
An argument on health protection practices towards solving depression essentially indicates the approach of the principles of health protection in establishing interventions regarding the public health challenge. First, effective planning and preparedness will be essential for the establishment of depression management interventions as well as the consideration of therapeutic measures (Xu et al. 2021). The approach of prevention and early detection will also be prominent with the establishment of a specialised support system, lifestyle changes and the adaptation of natural treatment that will be developed by the community healthcare centres and public health practitioners (Xu et al. 2021).
3. Individual Change
3.1 Outline of individual change and its broad principles
The concept of individual change speaks about the management process through which the people who are suffering from any severe issue, are supported and enabled to adopt the transition and adopt the changes that can make them able to come out of the problems they are facing. This means that through the help of this, the significant issues can be mitigated. One of the crucial things is that when any issue becomes highly serious, then through the help of the practices of individual change, those can be mitigated (Budd and Ison, 2020).
3.2 Relate individual change to the Ottawa model
Here, it is seen that in this current world, depression is considered one of the most prevalent mental health disorders among 1 in 6 adults in the UK. Women are more depressed compared to men in the UK as currently, 15% of women across the UK receive treatment for depression, while the rate for men is 9% (Pindar, 2024). This means the Ottawa model is relevant here to utilise for mitigating this. This model talks about developing the five key action areas and those are building strong public policy, creating supportive environments for health, strengthening the community action for health, developing the personal skills of the affected persons and lastly, reorienting health services. This means, through the help of this model, people suffering from depression can develop personal skills that can protect them from getting depressed. The administration should plan depression-reducing programmes, and orient the required health services for them. In this way, it can be said that through individual change, depression can be reduced.
3.3 Relate individual change to the underpinning psychological theories
Theory of Planned Behaviour
If the overall concept of individual change is analysed, then it can be seen that it speaks about adopting transition and transformation in the life of human beings for the sake of being adjusted in a changed situation (Servaes, 2022). Here the theory of planned behaviour is relevant. This theory has three components which are attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (Sok et al. 2021). Attitude speaks about the beliefs of human beings regarding whether their behaviour has a positive or negative impact on their lives. Secondly, subjective norms speak about the perception of human beings regarding the importance of the beliefs of others in relation to their lives and whether they should follow the beliefs of others or not (Sok et al. 2021). Thirdly, the last component, the perceived behavioural control speaks about the belief of the individuals about their ability to manage the difficulty or not.
This means, through the help of the attitude component, the people in the UK suffering from depression need to have an attitude that can help them to understand how their depression-driven behaviours harm them (Sok et al. 2021). This realisation can help them to overcome their issues. Through subjective norms, they can understand whether they should listen to the guidance of others in their path of combating depression or not. These can increase their ability to maintain perceived behavioural control through which they can develop the capability of managing all sorts of difficulties in a proper way. Following these can help them to overcome their depression.
COM-B Theory
The understanding of the COM-B Theory of Behaviour obtained from literature-based evidence represents that an individual will show a particular behaviour when the concerned person will obtain the opportunity and capability to engage in the behaviour (West and Michie, 2020). The individual change behaviour of a person is thus influenced with capability, opportunity and motivation. Similarly, the aspect of understanding the way individual change practice domain can be achieved to effectively change depressing behaviours among individuals living in the UK, the intervention asks for the improvement of both capability and opportunity for an individual which triggers the feeling of depression (West and Michie, 2020). Then, with the adaptation of motivating attributes to stay engaged with positive activity and behaviours, the theory justifies mental improvement from depression with the adaptation of individual change and effective behaviour.
3.4 Reflect on ethical dilemmas in the practice of individual change
As the adaptation of individual change measures is effective towards enhancing the behavioural attributes of people living with depression and promotes the adaptation of personal practices, it is still essential for public health practitioners to consider ethical principles to avoid challenges with victimisation, autonomy, stigma, racism, discrimination and inequality (Rushton et al. 2021). Thus, at times ensures to generate individual change while allowing a patient under depression to make their own choices and the right to decide on healthcare support and service, PH practitioners need to ensure that the rights and dignity of the patients are managed and they are not being stigmatised for being different from others (Rushton et al. 2021).
3.5 Discussion of a case study of individual change intervention
The example of a case study regarding individual change intervention indicates the case study of Jen with a history of clinical depression (Ali et al. 2021). Here, the approach of applying individual change intervention to Jen has been applied by her PH practitioner Susan who has applied the befriending intervention with the purpose of mitigating the clinical depression of the individual. The outcome of the intervention for Jen represents an improvement score regarding self-esteem improvement along with an improved score of loneliness, and social dissatisfaction (Ali et al. 2021). This essentially has occurred with the adaptation of individual change intervention that justifies its usefulness in terms of managing depression by making personal changes.
3.6 Analyse the suitability of individual change in solving the issue
The approach of considering individual change in solving the issue of depression, is essentially prominent with the approach of making daily changes in life with the adaptation of self-care practice and also with the adaptation of support from others to learn about self-care and self-improvement (Kang and Jang, 2021). The necessity of overcoming depression is prominent with the following mindfulness meditation, performing regular exercise and also by eating healthy. The more an individual will be focused towards overcoming the negative impacts of depression, the adaptation of individual change principles will entail solving the issue with an improved mindset, self-esteem and purpose in this regard (Kang and Jang, 2021).
4. Community Development
4.1 Outline of community development
The concept of community development speaks about a system where all the community members work together for the sake of successfully addressing all the issues that are harming society and resolving those is very important for them. This is highly effective as with the help of this, the majority of the community members get empowered to fight against any issue (Shyu et al., 2020).
4.2 Relate community development to Ottawa theory
Here, the thing is that community development is an effective tool to help people come out of depression and for this, this needs to be performed with the utmost level of efficiency. Here, the Ottawa health promotion model is highly effective and relevant. The key action areas are developing public health policy, creating supportive environments for health, strengthening community action for health, developing personal skills and lastly, reorientation of health services (Tarkang and Pencille, 2020). All these action areas are to be utilised to have better community development. In the course of this, the government of the United Kingdom needs to implement a specific policy of community development as a part of public health policy where under the monitoring of the government, various community development programmes will be conducted for helping the patients of depression.
4.3 Reflection on ethical dilemmas in the practice of community development
In this course, it is seen that sometimes the doctors need to share the details of the patients suffering from depression with others. As an example, it can be said that this can break the confidentiality of data of the patients. Maintaining confidentiality is important as it helps to reduce social stigma and discrimination (Samrah et al. 2020). Therefore, the doctors are required to keep the data confidential about what the patients say, what medications they use and many more.
4.4 Discuss a case study of community development intervention
Here, in this case, it is seen that Evelyn Kohler a 32-year-old working woman had an appointment with Dr Weber, the psychiatrist. She complained to Dr Weber that she is facing issues of depressive symptoms as she has been moved to a new city and she is struggling to adjust to this new place. As part of the psychology assignment, it was observed she cannot find any time to talk to her boyfriend which is a long-distance relationship and for this, she always feels guilty and feel depressed and stressed. In the meantime, she found a Facebook post of her close friend, Betsy who underwent ECT in the recent past. For this reason, she visited Dr. Weber. However, Dr Weber found that instead of ECT, she requires psychotherapy and referred her to his colleague who is a psychotherapist. Psychotherapy is a form of treatment where the therapy is given to the patients in a group setting with other patients in a form of community development (Rogol, 2020). This can help Evelyn to remove her depressive symptoms.
4.5 Analyse the suitability of community development for your issue
In this context, it is seen that getting enrolled on psychotherapy can help Evelyn get to know about other people like her. She can gain some ideas from them
also. Apart from this, the activities there can motivate her to participate in the activities along with others. In this way, she can be able to deal with her issues and come out of them effectively.
5. Synthesis
5.1 Interpret your arguments about the three practice domains
If the overall strengths and weaknesses of health protection (HP), individual change (IC), and community development (CD) are analysed, then it can be seen that HP is highly effective in conducting planning and preparedness for treating patients of depression. At the same time, it also helps the patients by detecting the symptoms earlier through proper investigation and collaborative manner (Rubin, 2017). This means it is seen that through HP, the planning for treating patients with depression is necessary. However, its limitation is that it does not provide any provision for impacting the perspectives and beliefs of the patients that are highly necessary for treating depression (Budd and Ison, 2020). While, this is the limitation of HP, at the same time, it is the strength of IC. The reason is that the individual change process is the system where the fear of the patients is mitigated through the help of their own beliefs (Tarkang and Pencille, 2020).
5.2 State which practice domain is most suitable for your issue
If I get the chance to solve a healthcare assignment, I can say that I will utilise all these mentioned practices. The reason is that if I apply all these, then, the patients can have the benefits of all the practices. However, I can have some challenges in the path of delivering holistic interventionism as some patients with depression can be introverted and because of their severity, they cannot be placed in community development programmes. In this kind of case, the holistic approaches will be hampered. Therefore, I can say that for the patients whose symptoms are not so severe, all the mentioned three PH practices can be effective.
Top Assignment Samples
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