Adolescent Depression
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 youth's aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer" (Blackman, 1995). Despite this increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly under diagnosed 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? It's has been said that the reason why depression is often over looked in children and adolescents is because "children are not always able to express how they feel" Brown (1996). 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. Also, adolescence is a time of rebellion and experiment
, 52-53; Oster & Montgomery, 1996) all of which can hide depressive symptoms. Brown (1996) added that an estimated 2,000 teenagers per year commit suicide in the United States, making it the leading cause of death after accidents and homicide. Moody or depressed: The masks of teenage depression. Blackman (1995) remarked that the suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade. Bantam Press, Bew York Publishing, 1998 Oster, G. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often masked. So how can the physician determine when a patient should be diagnosed as depressed or suicidal? A suggestion is that "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. Regardless of the type of treatment chosen, "it is important for children suffering from mood disorders to receive prompt treatment because early onset places children !at a greater risk for multiple episodes of depression throughout their life span" (Brown 1996). Until recently, health professionals have largely ignored adolescent depression but now several means of diagnosis and treatment exist.
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