Abstract
D.Cur.
In South Africa, mood disorders, specifically depression, accounts for the most
psychiatric related hospital admissions. The total cost (overt and hidden) of mood
disorders that result from lost productivity, can be estimated at billions of rand per year.
In addition to economic costs, depression can carry great personal costs because of the
social stigma associated with the diagnosis and treatment of a 'mental illness'. This
stigma likely plays a big role in women' reluctance to seek, accept and adhere to
treatment. The potential savings to be derived from the appropriate treatment of women
suffering from depression are socially and economically significant.
The focus in this thesis has been on women suffering from depression as it is estimated
that at least twenty five percent of women will suffer from a major depressive episode in
their life. Based on the problem statement that was included in this thesis, the researcher
asked the following questions: 'What is the phenomena that constitutes the restoration
process of women suffering from depression? Which processes contribute to the
restoration process of women suffering from depression and facilitate these women's
quest for mental health as an integral part of wholeness? How can an approach to provide
quality care to women suffering from depression be described?" The primary purpose of
this thesis was thus to explore and describe the processes contributing to the restoration
process of women suffering from depression, in order to develop a mental health nursing
approach that will provide quality care to women suffering from depression in their
continuous quest for mental health. The psychiatric nurse specialist then developed and
described guidelines to operationalise the approach that contributes to quality care of
women suffering from depression in mental health nursing.
The paradigmatic basis of this study was based on the Nursing for the Whole Person
Theory (Oral Roberts University, Anna Vaughn School of Nursing, 1990:136-142) as
used by the Rand Afrikaans University. This theory is based on a Judea-Christian
philosophy.