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Adolescent Depression - The Under Acknowledged Disease
Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way that the afflicted tends to act and react abnormally toward others and themselves. Therefore it comes to no surprise to discover that adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer (Blackman, 1995). Despite this increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly underdiagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment which may often continue into adulthood. How prevalent are mood disorders in children and when should an adolescent with changes in mood be considered clinically depressed? Brown (1996) has said the reason why depression is often over looked in children and adolescents is because ?children are not always able to express how they feel.? Sometimes the symptoms of mood disorders take on different forms in children than in adults. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood swings, gloomy thoughts, and heightened sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and experimentation. Blackman (1996) observed that the ?challenge is to identify depressive symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more transient, but expected, developmental storm.? Therefore, diagnosis should not lay only in the physician's hands but be associated with parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with the patient on a daily basis. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors (Oster & Montgomery, 1996). Mood disorders are often accompanied by other psychological problems such as anxiety (Oster & Montgomery, 1996), eating disorders (Lasko et al., 1996), hyperactivity (Blackman, 1995), substance abuse (Blackman, 1995; Brown, 1996; Lasko et al., 1996) and suicide (Blackman, 1995; Brown, 1996; Lasko et al., 1996; Oster & Montgomery, 1996) all of which can hide depressive symptoms. The signs of clinical depression include marked changes in mood and associated behaviors that range from sadness, withdrawal, and decreased energy to intense feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. Depression is often described as an exaggeration of the duration and intensity of ?normal? mood changes (Brown 1996). Key indicators of adolescent depression include a drastic change in eating and sleeping patterns, significant loss of interest in previous activity interests (Blackman, 1995; Oster & Montgomery, 1996), constant boredom (Blackman, 1995), disruptive behavior, peer problems, increased irritability and aggression (Brown, 1996). Blackman (1995) proposed that ?formal psychologic testing may be helpful in complicated presentations that do not lend themselves easily to diagnosis.? For many teens, symptoms of depression are directly related to low self esteem stemming from increased emphasis on peer popularity. For other teens, depression arises from poor family relations which could include decreased family support and perceived rejection by parents (Lasko et al., 1996). Oster & Montgomery (1996) stated that ?when parents are struggling over marital or career problems, or are ill themselves, teens may feel the tension and try to distract their parents.? This ?distraction? could include increased disruptive behavior, self-inflicted isolation and even verbal threats of suicide. So how can the physician determine when a patient should be diagnosed as depressed or suicidal? Brown (1996) suggested the best way to diagnose is to 'screen out the vulnerable groups of children and adolescents for the risk factors of suicide and then refer them for treatment.? Some of these ?risk factors? include verbal signs of suicide within the last three months, prior attempts at ...
in a Universal School-Based Randomized Trial Targeting Delinquent and Violent BehaviorMike Stoolmiller Oregon Social Learning Center Eugene, Oregon J. Mark Eddy Oregon Social Learning Center Eugene, Oregon John B. Reid Oregon Social Learning Center Eugene, Oregon INTRODUCTION I chose to summarize this article regarding the study...
. Concepts of pathology, as treated by the traditions of clinical psychology and psychiatry, define what is ?normal? and ?abnormal? in human behaviour. Various psychological paradigms exist today, each emphasising diverse ways of defining and treating psyopathology. Most commonly utilised is the medical model which is limited in man...
The Biological approach to abnormality regards a mental disorder as an ?illness? rather then a ?disease.? This is because mental disorders are thought to be related to the physical structure and functioning of the brain. According to this model of abnormality, mental disorders are thought to have an organic basis, such as a brain t...
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The nineteen-seventies was an incredible decade. It was a decade of change, one of freedom, a time for great music. It was also an incredible decade for shock, fear and serial killers. John Wayne Gacy, an amateur clown, was a pedophiliac homosexual. He tortured and killed thirty three little boys and stored their remains under his...
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Have you ever watched a movie and then watched it over again just for the music? If this is a common occurrence for you, then get your rewinder ready for The Commitments. It?s not often that a movie comes along with a soundtrack as good as this one?s. The music is an integral part of the movie, but it?s not all that makes this movi...
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Showgirls is a definite backlash to the typical woman?s role in society. It is very interesting to me that a movie with this message is set in a normally deviant setting, when it is trying to portray the strength of a woman. I feel this is the reason that many woman did not see the film. They are offended, disgusted, and may...
Stress is a part of life that everyone deals with at one time or another. Everyone has different levels of stress and different coping mechanisms. According to Trevor Powell in the book Free Yourself from Harmful Stress. Stress is a positive force that enables you to survive. A certain level of stress is beneficial and stimulates y...
It started by way of messengers and scribes, evolved through the presentation of newspapers and radio, brought us together with television, and now serves us world-wide via the ever-popular Internet. It is the mass media, and even from the earliest days of its existence, it has contributed greatly in ways that both enlighten and en...
is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a profound and long-lasting sadness or despair. It affects approximately 18 million people in the United States every year and not all of them are old enough to vote. Everyone experiences some unhappiness, often as a result of a change, either in the form of a setback or a loss. The pai...
An Analysis of Psychological Hypotheses in Fairy Tales and Their Affect on Childhood Development INDEX I. Personal Statement II. Introduction III. Piaget A. Childhood Development i. Sensory-Motor Stage ii. Preoperational Stage ii. Stage Of Concrete Operations iii. Stage Of Formal Operations IV. Erikson A. Autonomy And Social De...
Abstract In response to the need for research that incorporates multiple aspects of theory into a testable framework, this study attempted to replicate and extend the results of Cooper, Russell, Skinner, Frone, and Mudar (1992). A modified stressor vulnerability model of stress-related drinking was tested in a...
