Children With Depression
Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSED STUDENTS Psychological Treatment for Depressed Students Depression in school-age children may be one of the most overlooked and undertreated psychological disorders of childhood, presenting a serious mental health problem. Depression in children has become an important issue in research due to its many emotional forms, and its relationship to self-destructive behaviors. Depressive disorders are of particular importance to school psychologists, who are often placed in the best position to identify, refer, and treat depressed children. Procedures need to be developed to identify depression in students to avoid allowing those children struggling with depression to go undetected. Depression is one of the most treatable forms of disorders, with an 80-90% chance of improvement if individuals receive treatment (Dubuque, 1998). On the other hand, if untreated, serious cases of depression in childhood can be severe, long, and interfere with all aspects of development, relationships, school progress, and family life (Janzen, & Saklofske, 1991). The existence of depression in school-age children was nearly unrecognized until the 1990's. In the past, d
Adults often need to be reminded to take the time to really listen to students by engaging in "active listening" techniques. According to Callahan and Panichelli-Mindel (1996), it may be difficult to provide a diagnosis when childrens' symptoms do not easily fit any categories. Active listening skills on behalf of the therapist is also beneficial when treating a withdrawn child. In order to gain a sense of how the child feels and thinks, Ramsey (1994) recommends engaging the child in play therapy, drawings, incomplete sentences, or fantasy games. Dubuque (1998) reports that school staff need to learn to identify signs of depression in children because parents and significant others tend to attribute symptoms of depression as "sensitive and shy", or at the other extreme, they may be mistakenly categorized as attention deficit disorder. In light of the unique challenges involved in engaging young children in therapy, Friedburg (1996) provides information regarding games and workbooks that can be utilized for this purpose. Depression in a crisis state usually reflects a lack of problem-solving skills, and can be accompanied by feelings of "sadness, and dispair" (Ramsey, 1994). A good relationship with the student appears to provide enough support in the beginning of treatment. It is also suggested, based on research, that people who are "extremely self-critical" require long-term therapy (Fitts & Landeu, 1998). In order to determine the possible causes of the child's feelings, autobiographies, drawings, puppets and play therapy can be used (Ramsey, 1994). More recently, Clarizio and Payette (1990) found that depressed school-age children and depressed adults share the same basic symptoms. Psychologists of the psychoanalytic orientation felt that children were unable to become depressed because their superegos were inadequately developed (Fuller, 1992). Dubuque (1998) suggests that school staff should be "alert" to the symptoms or signs of depression in children, for example: "persistent sadness or hopelessness, inability to enjoy previously favorite activities, increased irritability, frequent complaints of physical illness, such as headaches and stomachaches, which do not get better with treatment, frequent absences from school or poor performance in school, persistent boredom, continuing low energy or motivation, poor concentration, a major change in eating or sleeping patterns, poor self-esteem, a tendency to spend most of their time alone, suicidal thoughts or actions, abuse of alcohol or other drugs, or difficulty dealing with everyday activities and responsibilities". Depression is classified by severity, duration, and type according to the DSM-IV-TR, published by the American Psychological Association (2000).
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