Nursing Interventions in Depression Management

Abstract

Depression is not just a persistent feeling of sadness and low mood, it is more than that. The primary health care team shares different roles in managing depression. Nurses, in all care facilities take care of patients holistically (physically, mentally, emotionally, psycholog-ically and spiritually). Nurses are on top of their profession tending the well and sick. Un-derstanding nurses’ key roles in the management of illnesses is vital in the care process. The research is a literature review, which aims to identify the nursing interventions used widely in managing depression in the general population. Jean Watson’s Nursing Care Theory was used as a guide theoretical foundation for the research paper and search process uncovered 20 peer reviewed articles published from 2000-2018. Keywords used were depression management AND nurse AND nurse’s role OR intervention. Databases included were Ebscohost, PubMed, CINAHL, Theseus and Sage. The research study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the nursing interventions in managing depression? (2) How do the nursing interventions in managing depression help the patient/client? (3) Where does the nurse focus in management of depression?. Results from the study indicated that the nursing interventions in pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral interventions such as behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, communication enhancement, coping assistance, patient education and collaborative care, as a part of conclusion, are among the most evidenced-based interventions and are recommended for practice in depression management.