Predictors of Major Depressive Disorder among Pakistani Women

A Case Study

Abstract

Abstract Views: 606

Social and cultural pressures play a significant role in the development of depressive disorders. Women are at a greater risk of experiencing depressive disorders because they always become the subject of social and cultural pressure. This paper presents the case study of a 23-year-old female who developed symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) due to cultural constraints. Initial pre-testing and therapist observation of the client’s verbal and non-verbal attitude / behavior confirmed the diagnosis of MDD. Diagnosis was made according to DSM-5. After initial intake interview, psychological tests including House-tree-person (HTP), Thematic Apprehension Test (TAT), Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) and Clinical Structured Interview (CIS-R) were administered on the client. After exploring the causal factors of her problem and conducting diagnostic sessions, therapeutic sessions were also conducted. Some techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy were selected for the client based on the strong empirical evidence available that advocates for their use in effectively treating depressive disorders. After achieving the goals of psychotherapy set at the first session with the help of the client as well as gaining satisfactory results of post-testing and therapist observation of the client’s progress, psychotherapy was terminated. Follow up sessions were conducted to monitor the progress of the client. Our research study has clinical and community implications.