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Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: a Quantitative and Qualitative Approach

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Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: a Quantitative and Qualitative Approach University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2010 Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach Akira Murata University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Murata, Akira, "Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 462. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/462 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. EXPLORATION OF THE MEANING OF DEPRESSION AMONG PSYCHOLOGISTS: A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACH __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Morgridge College of Education University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Akira Murata August 2010 Advisor: Cynthia McRae ©Copyright by Akira Murata 2010 All Rights Reserved Author: Akira Murata Title: EXPLORATION OF THE MEANING OF DEPRESSION AMONG PSYCHOLOGISTS: A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACH Advisor: Cynthia McRae Degree Date: August 2010 Abstract While depression is considered the most common mental illness regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, compared to research on the general population, depression among psychologists has received little attention. However, as they are one of the major mental health care professionals, psychologists’ mental health could greatly affect their clients’ mental health, which raises competency and ethical concerns regarding their work as clinicians. In order to learn more about depression in this group, questionnaires were mailed to 800 randomly selected psychologists in the state of Colorado to examine the prevalence of depression among psychologists, how they dealt with their own depression, their concerns regarding competency and ethics, and the existential meaning of their depression. Nine participants responded to an invitation to be individually interviewed regarding their personal experience of depression. The results indicated a higher prevalence of depression among psychologists than in the general population. However, no significant gender differences regarding the prevalence of depression were found. The majority of psychologists reported being aware of their own depression, however, regardless of their expertise, several reported that they were not aware of their own depression. The majority of psychologists accepted the ii diagnosis either positively or objectively. However, some accepted it negatively, expressing such feelings as shame. The majority of psychologists who experienced depression eventually sought treatment. However, one third of the psychologists did not seek treatment, but instead utilized their own coping skills. A few psychologists mentioned a confidentiality concern as a reason for not seeking treatment. Regarding competency, most psychologists did not think their own depression interfered with their professional competence. Regarding ethical concerns, nearly half of the psychologists answered it is ethical to practice as long as the psychologist is aware of his/her symptoms and limitations. One third of the psychologists answered the capacity to practice depends on the severity of the depression. Although most psychologists rated their experience of depression positively, stating that it enhanced their understanding of their clients, personal interviews revealed that a stigma about depression or mental illness in general still exists among psychologists. Most of the interviewed psychologists stated that they were very cautious about disclosing their experience of depression to their colleagues due to a concern for their reputation. iii Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 8 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 10 Terminology/Definition of Mental Disorder ............................................................ 10 Historical Aspects of Mental Disorders ..................................................................... 11 Meaning of Depression .............................................................................................. 15 Previous Studies on Mental Disorders among Psychologists .................................... 19 Psychologists’ Attitude toward Mental Illness .......................................................... 24 Professional Competence and Ethical Aspect............................................................ 28 Review of Memoirs.................................................................................................... 32 Summary .................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter Three: Method ..................................................................................................... 42 Research Design......................................................................................................... 42 Participants ................................................................................................................. 42 Materials .................................................................................................................... 44 Procedure ................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter Four: Results ....................................................................................................... 49 Demographic Questions ............................................................................................. 49 Survey Items Addressing Research Questions .......................................................... 53 Individual Interviews ................................................................................................. 69 Chapter Five: Discussion .................................................................................................. 77 Demographic Information .......................................................................................... 77 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 80 Gender Differences .................................................................................................... 96 Limitation of the Study .............................................................................................. 97 Suggestions for Future Research ............................................................................... 98 References ......................................................................................................................... 99 Appendix A. Questionnaire about Experiences of Depression among Psychologists .... 110 Appendix B. Interview Questions ................................................................................... 116 Appendix C. Cover Letter ............................................................................................... 117 Appendix D. Informed Consent Form ............................................................................ 119 Appendix E. Informed Consent for the Individual Interview ......................................... 121 iv Appendix F. Some Other Psychologists’ Responses according to Their Theoretical Orientation ...................................................................................................................... 123 Appendix G. Nine Psychologists’ Responses [partial transcript] to Five Interview Questions......................................................................................................................... 126 v List of Tables 1 Ethnicity .................................................................................................................... 50 2 Marital Status ............................................................................................................ 50 3 Academic Degree ...................................................................................................... 51 4 Number of Direct Client Contact Hours per Week .................................................. 51 5 Number of Years in Full or Part-Time Clinical Practice (Post-Degree) .................. 52 6 Employment Setting ................................................................................................. 53 7 First Reaction to Depressive Symptom(s) ............................................................... 55 8 Diagnosis Based on the DSM .................................................................................. 56 9 Reason for Not Seeking Treatment .......................................................................... 57 10 First Reaction to Mental Illness Diagnosis .............................................................
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