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.
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
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.
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.
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.
There are several types of mood disorders that include depression, manic episodes as in bipolar disorder and severe depression. Children with mood disorders suffer significant distress or impairment in social, educational and other important areas of functioning. Children with depression can experience feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and emptiness. They often times lose interest in their usual day-to-day activities, experience a change in appetite, changes in their sleeping patterns as well as have decreased energy and desires.
Although teenage depression cannot always be prevented, it is up to the health care providers to take simple steps by making a difference. While it may be difficult to distinguish between clinical depression and normal adolescent development, a notable indicator is whether symptoms are all-encompassing or situational. Is there a change in the patient’s behavior and mannerisms? Is there a history of familial depression? Has the depressed episode lasted for weeks? The questions are endless, as is the important need for clinicians to ask them. Adolescent depression does not have to be a lifelong battle, and it certainly does not have to end in suicide.
The existence of depression in school-age children was nearly unrecognized until the 1990's. In the past, depression was thought of as a problem that only adults struggled with, and if children did experience it, they experienced depression entirely different than adults did.
The prevalence of depression in young children and adolescents today is astounding; one out of thirty three children suffer from depression. Shockingly, until fairly recently deprssion in small children was not established as a real disorder. Consequently, the scientific research needed to comprehend how children experience depression, the causes of their depression, and treatment options have emerged over the past twenty years. (the psychiatry depressed source book) &( Dubuque, S.(1998) . Depression is defined as a serious medical condition where a person is in a constant state of sadness, feels hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way (merriam- webster.com) children who suffer from depression have constant feelings of sadness while similtaneously experience problems concentrating, have very little motivation, are often irratible, suffer from seperation anxiety and can even experience relentless physical pain like headaches and stomach pain which does not improve with treatment. Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Depression is a very common mental illness and it can be defined as a mood disorder with severe feelings of sadness and emptiness. Though depression is classified as a psychological disorder, other factors such as behavior and physical actions can be affected as well. Within the Canadian population, depression is more common in women as opposed to men but it is not as hazardous for women because "[t]he rate of completed suicide in men is four times that in women" (CAMH). Such differences are as evident through since unlike women, most men tend to be more passive about their feelings therefore leading to an aggressive and abusive behavior (Help Guide). When a person has depression, they typically display symptoms for instance:
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.
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.
Depression in children has only started to be taken seriously in the past two decades. A child who is depressed may fake sickness, not want to go to school, or be overly attached to their parent. Older children may mope around, cause problems at school, have a negative attitude, and feel misunderstood in general. Because of the normal varying behaviors of childhood, it is often difficult for a parent to tell whether their child is just going through "phase" or is actually suffering from depression. Some mental health specialists say the number of childhood depression cases is increasing, and children younger and younger are being diagnosed. “I've even seen children as young as 3 years old with depression,” says Lois Flaherty, a child and adolescent
Depression affects everyone's life at sometime or another. Depression comes in a wide variety of forms, from mild unhappiness to a chemical imbalance in the mind. There are many different symptoms that reveal a person's problem with depression. If left untreated, depression may continue to develop into a serious illness or even death.
Depression is the most widespread mental illness in today’s society. Studies have found that, 1 out of 8 teens are affected with this disease. It also predominantly affects young ladies than it does males. (www.kidshealth.org). Teens are at a position in their lives when they must face significant transition and peer pressures. They are trying to identify with themselves and trying to figure out where there puzzle piece fits in society, all of which can show the way to behavioral and emotional changes. This is also a stage when families suffer from poor communication: teenagers often tend to keep their feelings and concerns to themselves away from their parents and other authority figures. Therefore, identifying depression in teenagers can be difficult for adults to notice. However, it is very essential that adolescents with depression get assistance on handling their problems. For this reason, the focus of this paper will be about how parents can identify if their child are depressed. If adults are able to identify and have an understanding about depression so many lives could be saved.
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.