Activity patterns and life changes in people with depression.

The Activity Pattern Indicator (API) (Diller, Fordyce, Jacobs, & Brown, 1978) and the Schedule of Recent Experience (SRE) (Holmes, 1981) were used to determine activity patterns and life changes for 15 depressed patients admitted to an acute care mental health unit. Eight categories on the API were correlated with six categories on the SRE to determine the relationship between activity patterns 1 week and 1 month before hospitalization and life changes for the past year. Two correlations indicated that as the total number of life changes and home and family life changes increase, activity related to personal care decreases. Other correlations showed that as life changes related to health, work, and finance increase, such activities as passive recreation, homemaking, socializing, and personal care also increase. Because activity is the cornerstone of occupational therapy, occupational therapists, in treating patients with depression, might include facilitating close inspection of the patients' activity patterns in relation to the changes that have occurred in their lives.