Depression in Childhood and Adolescence

Depression in Childhood and Adolescence

Until recently depression in children and adolescents had not received a great deal of attention. Increasing interest can probably be traced to a number of influences.

Promising developments in the treatment of mood disorders in adults have played a role. In addition the application of diagnostic criteria in children has greatly improved.

In everyday usage the term depression refers to the experience of sadness, or dysphoria, is also a central feature of the clinical definition of depression. Loss of the experience of pleasure, social withdrawal, lowered self-esteem, inability to concentrate, poor schoolwork, alterations of biological functions (sleeping, eating, elimination), and somatic complaints are often noted.

Prevalence rates for major depression in youngsters varies between 2 and 5 percent within a community. In a clinical population estimates would sometimes fall between10 and 20 percent. No gender differences have been reported for children ages six to twelve. Yet among adolescents depression is far more common among girls. Factors in the variations in reported rates of depression are the different criteria that are employed to define depression. Conclusions regarding correlates of depression may be affected by the criterion and informant employed to designate youngsters as depressed. There have been many assessment instruments developed to help realize depression as the problem. Assessment is likely to involve a number of strategies and would sample a broad spectrum of attributes.

Influences on the Development of Depression

Genetic Influences

Genetic influences are generally thought to play a role in depression in children and adolescents. There ...

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...ould vary from patient to patient. Some could have a one on one therapy session while others could be in a group kind of therapy. The kind of therapy would depend on what issues the doctor thought were going to have to be addressed.

While finding information for this paper I have come up with one conclusion. That there has not been nearly enough studies done on this issue. Maybe the reason that there are so many depressed adults in this world is because they were depressed as children. If no0one new enough to recognize that a child was depressed, and then how to take care of the problem how could they ever be helped?

Bibliography:

Comer, Ronald J., Abnormal Psychology Third Edition

W.H.Freeman and Company, New York, 1998

Israel, Allen C. and Wicks-Nelson, Rita, Behavior Disorders of Childhood Third Edition

Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1997