Adolescents Should Be Screened For Depression Too

It is not uncommon to hear stories about a teenager experiencing mood swings and rebelling against those in authority. Nor is it uncommon to experience general sadness or anxiety in high school and college. However, it is often difficult to tell the difference between normal teenage angst and clinical depression. It is not commonly known that there has recently been a staggering rise of depression in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in twelve adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, which is 8.3 % of the teenage population. In order to combat the problem of adolescent depression, it is essential that parents take an active role in their adolescent’s life by both acknowledging and

The Mental Health Commission of Canada estimates ‘up to 70% of young adults living with mental health problems report that the symptoms started in childhood.’ (Bartram et al., 2012) In a study that investigated the incidence and prevalence of depression among adolescents, it was determined that ‘by age 21, the lifetime prevalence of at least one episode of depression was

Antidepressant drugs, which can be lifesaving, are being underused in young people. Their use fell significantly after the Food and Drug Administration issued its black-box warning in October of 2004, stating that all antidepressants were associated with a risk of increased suicidal feeling, thinking and behavior in adolescents; later on that warning was extended to young adults (Friedman 1). The Food and Drug Administration-FDA ordered drug companies to place a black-box warning on antidepressant drugs, this would then allow parents to see the side effects the drug might come with. As antidepressants can have its benefits, it is not the only way to treat a mental illness like depression. The majority of parents believe antidepressant is the only treatment and that psychotherapy is a waste of time and money. “About 80 percent of people with depression respond positively to professional medical treatment--usually talk therapy, medication or a combination of both--and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. Unfortunately, less than half of those with depression seek treatment(Clayton

Depression is a common mental health disorder, affecting more than two million adolescents in the United States each year (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015). The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends adolescents are screened for major depressive disorder (USPSTF, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to summarize a quality improvement project that implements universal adolescent depression screening in a pediatric primary clinic using Kotter’s change management theory and model for change as the framework for this process improvement.

In an attempt to better understand depression in today’s youth, I have chosen to explore the depths of Major Depressive Disorder and how it affects the young people in our society. Depression amongst school age children and adolescents are the primary focus. The prevalence, adversities, and treatment of the depression are discussed as well. After exploring these few facets of the disorder, I will talk briefly about the Ecological Model developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner and Morris in 1998 that is used by counselors to help evaluate and assess the children who are referred by teachers or medical

Mental illnesses are very common in the United States, with one in five of adolescents having a diagnosed mental illness and in the last year less than half of these adolescents have received proper treatment. The most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, can disrupt daily life and result in suicide, which is the third most frequent cause of death in teenagers (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Ten percent of adolescents did not have health insurance in 2013 and those who did, had a very limited amount of mental health care services provided to them (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). It has been proved that it is even less likely that adolescents who are poor, homeless, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender will receive the care that is necessary for their health and even life (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Mental disorders are not only an

The retrospective review conducted by Sun, Abraham, Slack, and Skrepnek (2014) was intended to calculate the national estimates of depression-related emergency department (ED) visits among adolescents that were 17 years or younger in the United States. Depression in adolescents are commonly either not diagnosed, under diagnosed, or unscreened during regular health care office checkups, therefore the ED ends up being their primary care resource in times of need. If depression is left untreated, it may damage the development of a young person’s emotional, cognitive, and social skills placing them at a higher risk for committing self-harm and even suicide (Sun et al., 2014). For the research design, the authors utilized a “retrospective cross-sectional

"Why Are So Many Teens Depressed?" World of Psychology. N.p., 03 June 2016. Web. 27 Mar.

In the United States health system, there is a lack of professional specialization in adolescent health. We have adult and pediatric doctors, but there are few that are trained specifically for the growing needs of the adolescents. In the places that address adolescence heath, emphasis is mostly on curative medicine. It is necessary to modify the structure and design of primary care so that adolescent’s health service and place greater emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention, and youth development. Adolescence is a key period for the adoption of behaviors necessary to shape one’s future health status, clinicians has a vital role in the early detection

Pre-adolescence is a crucial stage in a child’s life because it is during this stage that kids can learn the coping mechanism that can prevent complications later on in life (Britton et al., 2014). Some children and adolescents may not have the opportunity to seek proper mental health care during their childhood. This may be due to parents overworking or simply not being able to afford quality mental health care services (Bucci et al., 2016). However, schools can serve children and adolescents as a

Thus, providing a model for the delivery of health care to adolescents’ using primary and secondary interventions to promote optimal healthy psychological, social, and physical growth and development in adolescents’ ages 11-21 year old. The model includes screening questionnaires that are filled out independently by parent and youth. The questionnaires allow the adolescent patient to state the reason for their visit, health risk behaviors, and any health concerns they may have. The AMA provides questionnaires tailored for multiple age groups; young adolescent 11 to 14 years, middle-older adolescent 15 to 21 years, as well as one for the parent or guardian. This helps target the risk behavior must relevant to the adolescent’s own experience and streamlines screening during an annual adolescent health examination.

Many physicians tend to think of depression as an illness of adulthood. In fact, Brown (1996) stated that "it was only in the 1980 's that mood disorders in children were included in the category of diagnosed psychiatric illnesses." In actuality, 7-14% of children will experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15. An average of 20-30% of adult bipolar patients report having their first episode before the age of 20. In a sampling of 100,000 adolescents, two to three thousand will have mood disorders out of which 8-10 will commit suicide (Brown, 1996). Blackman (1995) remarked that the suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade.

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

Depression is a disorder that affects the lives of hundreds of thousands teenagers in the United States. Kuehn, B. (2009) states that the “US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening adolescents aged 12 through 18 years for depression, but only when systems are in place to ensure proper diagnosis and to provide psychotherapy and follow-up care” (p. 2085). Adolescents need to be heard and understood. A therapy group allows them to see and understand that they are not alone. Role-playing exercises and group activities are beneficial for this group. They are able to get positive support and encouragement from their peers which have a lot of

Depression a word we’re familiar with especially when it comes to adults, we know adults get depress and we understand the reasons, with the high demands in life it’s not uncommon to get lost in the shuffle. Depression in adult is something we have known for many years, but what has surprised many of us is that adolescents also get depressed. I myself still don’t fully understand the reasons why or how this happens. I see it very often adolescent coming in to the ER because they are depressed and want to hurt themselves, and each and every single time I’m shock. What could be so bad in their lives that would make them think they have no way out? This is the reason why I choice this topic, I want to learn more of how this disease affects so many children and teens and what we can do to stop it.