Childhood Depression
In recent years, we have heard of depression and the affects of the disorder, and what medications and theories help to prevent depression in adults. Many people are not aware that not only is depression diagnosed in adults, recently studies show that depression is diagnosed in adolescents. Not only adults become depressed. Children and teenagers also may have depression.
Depression is defined as an illness when it persists. Childhood depression is one of the most overlooked disorders. Depression probably exists in about 5 percent of children in the general population. Children under stress, who experience loss, or who have, learning or conduct disorders are at a higher risk of depression. Studies show that depression is more likely to show up in boys than in girls. Depression in men and meal adolescents most of the time is over looked are misdiagnosed. Men for instance, have higher rates of drug abuse and violent behavior that do women or young female adolescents do, and some researchers belie that this behavior masks depression or anxiety (Canetto, 1992; Kessler al., 1994).
Some Psychologists believe that the reason that young males are more likely to suffer from depression because of the stigmatism of being a male and being taught by adults that expressing there feelings are wrong. According to Carol Wade, Travis, Depression (Major Depression) is a disorder that is sever enough to disrupt a person’s ordinary functioning (Physiology filth edition, 586).
The diagnoses of depression might be the same for adults and adolescents, but the behavior of depressed children and teenagers differs from the behavior of depressed adults. Child and adolescent psychiatrists advise parents to be aware of signs in there youngsters such as persistent sadness, A major change in sleeping and eating patterns and increased activity or irritability.
Depression is accompanied by physical changes as well. Frequent complaints of physical illness such as headaches and stomachaches A child who used to play often with friends may now spend most of the time alone and without interest. Things that were once fun now bring little joy to the depressed child. Then symptoms could trigger antisocial personality, a disorder characterized by antisocial behavior such as sealing, lying and sometimes violence: a lack of social emotions and impulsively.
Children and adolescents and adolescents who are depressed may say they want to be dead or may talk about suicide. Depressed adolescents may abuse alcohol or other drugs as a way to feel better.
Mental health is an important part of the overall health well-being for children. Childhood mental health disorder can affect children and their families causing a long-term impact on the parents and other family members as well as the child themselves. Mental disorders are described as chronic health conditions. These are disorders that can go on for a long period of time, that may continue throughout the lifespan. Without early diagnosis and treatment, children with mental disorders can have problems at home and in school. These problems can continue into adulthood for the child and cause other healthy development and delays.
Have you ever felt “down in the dumps”? How about sad or unhappy for long periods of time? Has the thought of suicide ever crossed your mind? Between 35% and 50% of adolescents experience depression at some point in their teenage years. Brent Runyon, author of The Burn Journals, experienced a severe type of depression while in middle school.
Approximately 24% of 12-17 year olds have considered suicide and up to 10% have attempted suicide.” (Suicide Intervention Training PG 3). Teens today are very likely to commit suicide for various reasons. In today’s society there are a lot of judging and bullying cases around the world. No matter how much we promote a bully free zone there will always be a couple of cliques, or individuals, who want to bring others down and who do not know the seriousness of bullying. Although bullying is a big cause of suicide, the leading cause is a mental illness that many people are familiar with called depression. “Psychiatric disorders can affect diverse aspects of an individual’s life.”( Dispelling Myth Surrounding Teen Suicide, PG 1). If you or someone you know seems down most of the time, the best thing to do is to go see someone about your despair. If you are diagnosed with depression, prescribed depression medicine can help and can be one way to prevent suicidal thoughts or actions. “There is a lot of evidence that suicide is preventable.”(Cont. Principles of Suicide Prevention, PG
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), depression occurs in over 26% of adolescents and can lead to morbidity, mortality, and social problems that can last into adulthood (SCREENING FOR DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS -- RISKS AND BENEFITS, 2015). Signs of adolescent depression can sometimes be different than adults, and possibly harder to identify. It is most often identified as an increase in negative behaviors or somatic complaints such as an upset stomach (SCREENING FOR DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS -- RISKS AND BENEFITS, 2015). Behavioral changes that are associated with adolescent depression include an increase in irritability, tantrums, anger outbursts, decrease in school performance, and social isolation (SCREENING
This paper introduces a 35-year-old female who is exhibiting signs of sadness, lack of interest in daily activities and suicidal tendencies. She has no interest in hobbies, which have been very important to her in the past. Her lack of ambition and her suicidal tendencies are causing great concern for her family members. She is also exhibiting signs of hypersomnia, which will put her in dangerous situations if left untreated. The family has great concern about her leaving the hospital at this time, fearing that she may be a danger to herself. A treatment plan and ethical considerations will be discussed.
Depression is one of the most common conditions encountered in medical practice in fact 16% of the U.S population is diagnosed with a depression mood, at heist risks are adolescents with 20%. However it is less common in children, but when it happens it determines the long-terms psychological health of the child. Women have twice the risk as men for developing depression because puberty is a particular high-risk period for females. More then 70% of people with unipolar depression have another disorder such as: substance abuse, anxiety disorder or eating disorder.
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
Teenage Depression. Everywhere you look these two words appear together as one, in newspapers and magazines, as well as in scholarly reports. Teenage depression is one of today's "hot topics" this among other teenage mental health problems, has been brought to the forefront of public consciousness in recent years after several incidents involving school shootings (CQ 595). The environment that teens grow up in today is less supportive and more demanding than it was twenty years ago. Not only are the numbers of depressed teens rising, but children are also being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. Studies have found that, "There is an estimated 1.5-3 million American children and adolescents who suffer from depression, a condition unrecognized in children until about 20 years ago" (CQR 595). This increase in depression is due to social factors that teenagers have to deal with everyday. A recent study found that, "About five percent of teenagers have major depression at any one time. Depression can be very impairing, not only for the affected teen, but also for his or her family-and too often, if not addressed, depression can lead to substance abuse or more tragic events" (NAMI.org). Gender roles and other societal factors including the pressures on girls to look and act a certain way, the pressures on boys to suppress their emotions and put on a tough front and the pressures on both sexes to do well in school and succeed, all contribute to depression in teens today. Depression is a growing problem which crosses gender lines and one that needs to be dealt with with more than just medication.
Childhood depression has only been recognized as a real clinical problem for about twenty-two years. Before that time, children that exhibited signs that are now recognized as depression were thought to be behavioral problems that the child would grow out of. Psychiatrists believed that children were too emotionally and cognitively immature to suffer from true depression. Childhood was thought to be a carefree, happy time, void of worry and concerns and therefore it was thought that their problems were not serious enough to merit depression. Traumas such as divorce, incest and abuse were not clearly understood how they could effect children in the long range. Childhood depression differs in many aspects from adult depression and widely went unrecognized academic performance, withdrawal and rejection of friends and favorite activities. Some exhibit hyperactivity, while others complain of fatigue and illness often. Many times these symptoms are thought to ‘be just a phase’ in their children, and overlooked as signs of depression.
twenty-four, experience a serious level of depression. Women are generally the most commonly affected among young people. A depressed teen is more likely to get into various forms of trouble such as rebellion, truancy...
Some psychological disorders can appear during adolescence like depression and anxiety unless parents or family support them. Society can help adolescents during this turbulent time of growth by creating some programs in the schools for all teenagers who do not have support. Even those who have support like family or friends need to know they have someone else they can go talk to and be able express themselves. Adolescent years are very difficult and teenagers need lots of support.
What is depression? Who are the groups affected by depression? How do people know when they are having signs, and/or symptoms of depression? Depression has numerous signs and symptoms, which means it comes in different shapes and sizes. No one individual is identical when it comes to feeling depressed.
Depression is defined as an illness; the feelings of depression persist and interfere with a child or adolescent’s ability to function. Depression can be a very difficult and painful experience that affects not only the individual suffering from it, but also the people around them. There comes a point in some peoples’ lives where social isolation, low energy, sadness, low self-esteem, and the feeling of hopelessness, cannot be taken anymore. The feelings are so strong and persistent, that the victim becomes severely unhappy, which can then result in depression. Clinical depression has many related symptoms trouble sleeping, eating disorders, withdrawal and inactivity, self-punishment, and loss of pleasure. People that are depressed do not like to do things they may usually like to. However, there are many differences between feeling depressed and actually suffering from depression, the disease. Any person feels depressed at some time or another in their life. They feel worthless, tired and tend to want to be alone without human interaction, this is normal. Depression brings on poor concentration or inability to think and make decisions (Kist 26). Surveys that have been taken that show approximately 20 in 100 people suffer from depression at any one time. About one if four Americans will suffer from a depression over the course of their lifetime. Depression strikes men and women of all ages, in all races, but most studies indicate that women are more often afflicted. Depression comes in many different types: major, manic and dysthymia are a few. A chronic, physical illness, drug habit, death of a loved one; or a problem in a marriage cause major depression. Even though most people with major depression will recover, half will suffer another episode (Hales 38). People with severe cases of major depression can’t work, study, or interact and eventually can’t feed, clothe or clean themselves (Hales 38).Manic depression is a type of depression that goes from a person being extremely happy and then becoming severely depressed (Kist 107). Being in a depressed state can be life threatening. People suffering from manic depression show many symptoms. A few major ones are hyperactivity; talking fast, inability, fear of dying, and jumping from one topic to another during a conversation (Kist 39). Another type is Psychoanalysis. Psychoanaly...
Conclusively, teenage depression is a chronic problem in the life of teenagers, which should be properly handled. When signs of this are seen in teenagers, adequate steps should be taken, in order to ensure their safety and restore their mental strength.
Mental wellbeing is a key component of complete health and wellness that is usually overlooked by individuals of all ages. The WHO defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ From the definition, to achieve a state of perfect health, mental wellbeing has to be put into consideration.