Understanding Depression from Different Paradigms: Toward an Eclectic Social Work Approach

Depression is a significant mental health issue that many social workers encounter in their practice. There is great deal of theoretical and empirical knowledge concerning depression that stems from different paradigms. In this paper, we argue for the importance of understanding depression from four paradigms, post-positivism, social constructivism, critical theory and Eastern paradigm, and we illuminate how depression would be known and dealt with by these paradigmatic approaches. Given multiple paradigms available in understanding depression, we argue that social workers need to have the ability to appreciate and discern these different paradigms. Such ability can help strengthen social work practice. We further illustrate an eclectic approach that not only allows social workers to recognise the utilities and limitations of different paradigms, but also enables them to be dynamic, effectively addressing a range of issues when working with a service user who has depression.