Date of Award
Fall 2022
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Chair
Dr. LaWanda Baskin
Committee Chair School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Member 2
Dr. Carolyn Coleman
Committee Member 2 School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Abstract
Depression in a normally developed individual can be easy to identify. Sadness and other mood changes are easily noticed. Even in children, symptoms such as mood swings and crankiness, and the loss of interest in things they used to enjoy can be easily recognized by family, teachers, and other caregivers. What makes depression so hard to diagnose in individuals with conditions such as Autism or other intellectual disabilities is the patient’s inability to communicate. Providers must rely on their behavior for diagnostic purposes. This can be difficult for those diagnosed with Autism because the core symptoms of Autism may overlap with depression and anxiety. A key to identifying depression in these individuals lies in getting to know the patient. Identifying individual changes in the person rather than broad symptoms is imperative with this population.
The overall goal of this project was to increase the knowledge of mental health providers and nurses on the importance of identifying signs of depression in persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Pre-test and post-test surveys were given to approximately 30 healthcare workers over a two-week period. A quantitative analysis was conducted to determine if the healthcare workers gained any knowledge from the training and if additional information was needed to care for these individuals
Copyright
Charlie Crafton, 2022
Recommended Citation
Crafton, Charlie, "Implementing a Staff Education Module for Early Identification of Depression in Intellectually Disabled Individuals" (2022). Doctoral Projects. 206.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dnp_capstone/206