Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach

About this course: Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the entire world! Every human being suffers from feeling depressed at some point or other, but only about one fifth of the population will experience an episode of depressive disorder over the course of their lives. This course illuminates the public health approach to disease, and the particular complexities of applying this approach to mental disorders, using depression as the exemplar.

Who is this class for: This course is aimed at mental health professionals, social workers, nurses, and researchers who want to understand the public health approach to major depression. It is NOT intended for people who are seeking help or treatment for their own symptoms of depression.

Created by:  Johns Hopkins University

• Taught by:  William Eaton, PhD, Professor, Mental Health

  Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Taught by:  Wietse A. Tol, PhD, Ali & Rose Kawi Assistant Professor, Mental Health

  Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Taught by:  Ramin Mojtabai, MD, Associate Professor, Mental Health

  Bloomberg School of Public Health

Level Beginner Commitment 6 weeks of study, 2 hours per week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.4 stars Average User Rating 4.4See what learners said Coursework

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Syllabus


WEEK 1


Overview
Welcome to Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach. Let's take a few moments to introduce the course before we dive into our first lessons.


1 video, 2 readings expand

1. Video: An Introduction to Major Depression
2. Reading: Syllabus
3. Reading: Public Mental Health by William Eaton

What is Major Depression and Why Is It Important? The Burden of Depressive Disorder in the Population
This week, we will be focusing on the definition of major depression and the methods that we use for measuring its effect on populations.


5 videos expand

1. Video: Lecture 1A: What is Depression?
2. Video: Lecture 1B: Prevalence and Incidence of Major Depressive Episode
3. Video: Lecture 1C: The Natural History of Major Depressive Disorder
4. Video: Lecture 1D: Major Depressive Disorder and Medical Conditions
5. Video: Lecture 1E: Estimating the Burden of Major Depressive Disorder and Medical Conditions
6. Discussion Prompt: Do DALYs Affect Your Thoughts About Depression?

Graded: Quiz 1: The Basics of Major Depression

WEEK 2


Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Closer Look at Maternal Depression
This week we will be covering depression from a global public health perspective.


4 videos expand

1. Video: Lecture 2A: Does Depression Look the Same Across the World?
2. Video: Lecture 2B: Is Depression Relevant in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?
3. Video: Lecture 2C: What Predicts Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?
4. Video: Lecture 2D: How Can We Treat & Prevent Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?
5. Discussion Prompt: Emic vs. Etic?

Graded: Quiz 2: Depression in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

WEEK 3


Basic Concepts of Epidemiology as Applied to Depression
This week we take advantage of what we know about major depressive disorder to examine major epidemiologic research designs, including the case control design, the cohort design, and the study of diseases in time and space.


5 videos expand

1. Video: Lecture 3A: What Is Epidemiology
2. Video: Lecture 3B: Time, Space, and Disease: The Ecological Approach
3. Video: Lecture 3C: Cohort Studies
4. Video: Lecture 3D: Case Control Studies
5. Video: Lecture 3E: The Web of Causation
6. Discussion Prompt: Why Do We Care?

Graded: Quiz 3: Epidemiology

WEEK 4


The Search for Etiologic Clues
This week the focus is on possible causes for depressive disorder, including inheritance, stress, social life, work life, and the evolution of modern living.


5 videos expand

1. Video: Lecture 4A: Inheritance
2. Video: Lecture 4B: Stress & Diathesis
3. Video: Lecture 4C: Social Supports
4. Video: Lecture 4D: Work, Family, and Life Stage
5. Video: Lecture 4E: Recency of Birth
6. Discussion Prompt: Are we in an age of melancholy?

Graded: Quiz 4
Graded: Refugee Health Assignment

WEEK 5


Unmet Need for Care, Barriers, and Programs to Improve Access
In this module, we discuss unmet need for treatment and treatment seeking and present a public health view of depression treatment.


4 videos expand

1. Video: Lecture 5A: Patterns of Service Use
2. Video: Lecture 5B: Barriers and Solutions
3. Discussion Prompt: Combatting stigma and improving treatment
4. Video: Lecture 6A: Historical Development and Recent Trends
5. Video: Lecture 6B: Quality of Diagnosis & Treatment
6. Discussion Prompt: Are we over-treating depression?

Graded: Quiz 5
Graded: Quiz 6

WEEK 6


Final Assignment

Graded: Final Assignment: DepressionCare