Feedback for Randy White on Final Paper
Title: You need to be consistent throughout the paper. The title says Depression and Alcohol Addiction, every page header says bipolar and alcohol, most of the paper addresses depression. Stick with depression and alcohol addiction and don’t bring bipolar into the paper. It gets too confusing. I think it is already difficult to try to cover both depression and alcohol dependence.
Introduction
You say you are going to explain depression and alcohol dependence from object relations theory and Erikson’s theory. Then you go on to include a section entitled: cognitive behavioral therapy. First I want you to be clear that there is a difference between theory and therapy. Theory is the idea about how a problem develops in a human being. Therapy is taking that knowledge and applying it to how we treat people with the problem. I think this section should be taken out of the paper but you need to decide which 2 theories you are going to use to explain the problems you have chosen. Will you use Erikson’s ego psychology and object relations theories? Or will you use cognitive behavioral theory and object relations?
(Erikson was an ego psychologist so you might want to state that the theoretical perspective is Erikson’s ego psychology and you can discuss his theory about human development using his stages.)
Diversity section: Here you are supposed to discuss if gender, race, culture, or socioeconomic status contributes to if a person will develop depression and alcohol dependence. Do these problems occur more in men than women? Do these problems occur more in Caucasian people or African American people? And why? You do not have to cover every diversity issue but address at least two.
Section entitled: Approach for Mental Health Promotion
You mention Erikson again but then talk about object relations. I am confused about this section and unsure it needs to stay in the paper.
Treatment section: If use object relations and ego psychology as your way of understanding depression and alcohol dependence then your treatment section needs to use a psychodynamic therapy as treatment such as ego therapy. You cannot use CBT as a form of treatment if that is not the way you understand these problems.
In summary, you need to decide which 2 theories best help you understand the problem of depression and alcohol dependence. Will you use cognitive behavioral and object relations or will you use ego psychology and object relations? I think if you are using object relations you should concentrate on one object relations theorist such as Winnicott. You can explain that object relations theorists understanding problems in development as problems in relationships with primary caregivers but then focus only on Winnicott’s theory.
For simplicity sake try these headings because I think they have to organize one’s thoughts.
Introduction
Erikson’s Ego Psychology
Object Relations: Winnicott
Diversity
Neurobiology
Treatment
Conclusion
OR
Introduction
Cognitive Behavioral Theory
Object Relations: Winnicott
Diversity
Neurobiology
Treatment
Conclusion
