No parent wants to admit that their child may be struggling with depression; often the thought of it is frightening. It’s difficult to be confronted by friends or family members who deem the behavior of your adolescent as strange or unusual. Many parents would brush it off or excuse the actions of the child as being lazy, seeking attention or going through a temporary phase. But in order to ensure their safety, it is critical that we minimize our affinity to stigmatize severe disorders and provide all the means necessary for the child’s road to recovery. It is important that we don’t allow feelings such as shame or embarrassment to stop us from seeking treatment for our loved ones. If the right precautions are not taken, serious consequences
The article “Chasing the Blues Away: Use of Antidepressants among Teens” by Meredith Jeffries exposes situations of parents who have children that are suffering from depression. One of the situations is about an all-rounded young student named Stephen who suffers from depression. Stephen’s mother believes there is another way to deal with this situation other than drugs. After years of trying all the steps such as: weekly meetings with a counselor, vitamins, exercise and therapy with special lights, she gave in and agreed to mood-altering drugs for her son. Another situation is about a girl in Stephen’s class named Jayne whose mother supported the doctor’s decision for her daughter to try the drugs. At first, the effects were immediately positive.
Because foster kids have often come from situations where there was little stability, a regular schedule for sibling visits and creating things they can rely on is paramount to creating a suitable environment for their growth. If you are a foster parent who is committed to making sure siblings get to see one another, even when they can't be placed in the same home, then creating a schedule of upcoming visits is a smart move.
The controversy over the use of antidepressants in the treatment of children has received a large amount of attention in the past years. Everyone has his or her own opinion of antidepressants and how they work, but no one takes time to research the claims of the treatments. Antidepressants are medications to treat depression in children, teens, and adults. The dosage given should vary on the level of depression and the age of the patient. The side effects also vary depending on the patient. One source states that, “teenagers on antidepressants should be monitored for any sign that the depression is getting worse” (HelpGuide.Org). Many teens are depressed from causes of neglect. Some may feel that their parents are not around as much as they should be. Depressed teens should be watched closely and if the parent or parents are not available to keep a close look the outcome of the teen may be in danger. If a parent pays more attention to their child, then they could intervene before the depression worsens. There is a possibility of prevention of the
As stated earlier in this section, depression in elementary aged students can be difficult to pick up on. Since this is the case, advocacy for these students becomes paramount. Along the same lines as treatment, the best plan for advocating for these students is to take a preventative approach. Another way to advocate is to get the parents involved. In a section talking about anxiety Huberty (2012) stated that including a family intervention was more effective for children 7-10. Now, it is important to state that this finding was concerning anxiety and not depression. However, the family intervention was part of a CBT intervention, which, Huberty (2012) argues is a well-supported method for treating both anxiety and depression.
foster children (Connell-Carrick, 2007). Teens aging out of foster care have difficulties transitioning into independent living and self-sufficiency. Foster children tend to fall behind educationally compared to their peers. In comparison, to the general youth population, fewer foster adolescence are employed, end up having public aid, behavioral and/or emotional problems, and poor mental health (Connell-Carrick, 2007). Children are more likely to develop issues when they do not have a stable home. Allowing gay couples the same rights as anyone else could save more children from living with health issues ad poverty (Connell-Carrick, 2007).
Children should not have to grow up feeling unwanted, unloved, and alone. Children are meant to be loved, cherished, and cared for. It is truly heartbreaking when I see children who are suffering emotionally and physically. A lot of children are victims of abuse, neglect, and some are victims of circumstances. I was able to see children in this situations the first time I visited the Child Crisis Center. It was a mid-September evening, when I first walked into the local Child Crisis Center. I was greeted by a lady at the front door. I signed in then she led me to a back room. When I entered the room I saw approximately fifteen children. The ages ranged from infants to six years old. Some children were playing, others were eating, and some were
PER REPORTER: The mother and children live with the grandmother. The reporter reaches the mother on the grandmother's phone. There are concerns about Jenson not being enrolled in school. The left TN on November 10th and came to MS. The child has been in MS since then and hasn't been enrolled in school. TN gives 10 dayus to enroll in school and it's past that mark. TN Children Services has had an open case on the family since August. There were concerns alleging drug use. Mom admitted to taking Adipex that's not prescribed to her. It's a diet pill that can make you test positive for amphetamine. Mom was accused of using methamphetamine. Mom hasn't been able to submit to a drug screen. Mom would say that she's not able to urinate. She would be
Child abuse and trauma can affect a person’s mental health and can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other severe mental disorders. Mental health practitioners should practice psychotherapy, and help clients set goals when in therapy sessions and work together with doctors to use medication because the combination of therapy and medication are proven to be more effective than either alone.
In the United States Child Welfare includes many services from child protection, placement, interventions, and treatment. Stated by the National Association of Social workers, all social workers in the Child Welfare system must meet certain standers, be committed to the code of ethics, have education requirements, show professional development, seek to advocate, work to collaborate, follow confidentiality requirements, show cultural competence, follow assessments on cases, engage with both youth and families, work with as well administration, planning, and supervision. The Child Welfare Policy assists groups to improve their protection of children and to improve family life.
Often, when a child is ill or needs behavioral health treatment, education is the last thing on a guardian’s mind. They’re focused on the day-to-day management of their child’s care: communicating with doctors and nurses and easing their child’s fears during his or her hospital stay.
Depression is a severe mood disorder and it is the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorder amongst adolescents. Depression is a state that adolescents can fall easily into. Teenagers spend more time with their friends than they do with their families which can result is possible rejection of peers. Individuals feel the need to have approval of self-worth by their peers. If they get disapproval, this can lead to brutal symptoms. (Platts, Kadosh, Lau 6). The symptoms can vary from self-worthlessness, anxiety, or a
Imagine looking at your child’s face without a clue of what is bothering them and you continuously ask them are they okay and they answer you with a simple “yeah”. You know something is wrong, but you cannot quite seem to figure out what the problem is. You notice, however that your child has connected with their phone all day. They have been communicating with someone else about something significant. Now you’re wondering why your child won’t talk to you about their concerns. Are they scared? What could be bothering them so much they aren’t comfortable telling you? But your child decides to go outside for air and leaves their phone on their bed, and you decide to pick it up and what you read makes your heart stop “he won’t stop raping me.
Nearly 700,000 children are abused annually in the US. Of those alleged to have abused children, nearly a quarter were themselves children. Of those kids who have been investigated almost 90% were a parent or caregiver of the child victim. Fully 90% of alleged abusers were related in some way to the child victim. Yes this is a lot of abuse but does it really affect the child victim. John E. Bates, a psychology professor at Indiana University, completed a study on 300+ students from 4 years of age into kindergarten. The study were children from rural and urban areas, from different social and economic levels and from areas of two states. He said “the study showed that youngsters who had been abused were more apt to respond to all provocative
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
As it was said earlier that teen depression is becoming so popular and most of them who are looking for a way out will look for the easiest, quickest and least painful way, the last place any parent would want to see there child is lying on the ground in the bathroom in front of their medicine cabinet.