Evidence-Based Treatments for Childhood Depression

Cognitive behavioural therapy has been proven to be effective in the treatment of child and adolescent depression (Lewinsohn & Clarke, 1999; Harrington et al, 1998, March et al, 2004). There is general agreement in the clinical literature that the techniques of cognitive behavioural approaches to therapy are likely to be effective in treating depression (Brewin, 1996; Beech, 2000).

To fully understand the effects of antidepressants on children and adolescents, proper experimentation must be conducted, which could prove challenging as to the span of years and test subjects involved in these cases. Meanwhile, some mental health professionals assert that the use of antidepressants in children may well avert the brain from developing patterns of depression as an adult, and points to studies presenting the advantages which can offset the hazards in implementing such drugs. Depression is ominous and foreboding for those who suffer with this malady; professionals contend that the vast “impact of depression is greater than the impact of the

Depression is defined as a mental illness in which a person is experiencing deep sadness and loneliness. It is known as one of the most common mental illnesses and it affects all kinds of people, regardless of sex, age and religion. Many people are not aware that depression is not only diagnosed in adults, but in children and adolescents as well. Therefore, there is a debate about whether children suffering from depression should be allowed to take antidepressants. Antidepressant drugs should be prescribed for children suffering from depression under the conditions of doctors limiting the medication, including therapy and having the parents informed/educated.

My first assumption of family therapy was to involve the parents and the individual that had the problem. This book explored further what it

Even if children are a little depressed, should they be prescribed these drugs? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? Psychiatric drugs have never been tested on children, and most of them are not even approved by the FDA for use in childhood. Almost nothing is known regarding the influence of antidepressants on children's growing brains. While some researchers claim that they have found nothing to show that the pills cause any harm. The families of Paxil victims have another story to

The assigned article for this week was ‘Can Preschoolers Be Depressed?’ by Pamela Paulaug. As the title told, the article was about young children, such as preschoolers’ depression. The article can be mainly broken into three big chunks: there was a boy named Kiran and his case was introduced as an example; controversy over preschoolers’ depression among psychologists, psychiatrists, and researchers; its best treatment for young children so far known.

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

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

A series analyses of covariance appears to have indicated that children assigned to TF-CBT, compared to those participants who were assigned to child-centered therapy, demonstrated significantly more improvement with regard to PTSD, depression, behavior problems, shame, guilt, and other abuse-related attributions. (Cohen, Deblinger, Mannarino, & Steer, 2004, p.400). Similarly, parents or guardians who were assigned to TF-CBT showed greater improvement with respect to their own self-reported levels of depression, abuse-specific distress, support of the child, and effective parenting practices allowing them to parent more effectively. (Cohen, Deblinger, Mannarino, & Steer, 2004, p. 401). TF-CBT assists both the primary caregivers along with the child to ensure everyone in the situation who experiences negative symptoms are addressed and helped therapeutically, to create an outcome where children and their families can live successfully together. This can also include communities as whole TF-CBT helps bring empowerment to its participants and allows them to face their issues head on.

One of the most effective components of MFT is Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy (CBFT). CBFT incorporates cognitive processes that affect behavior and applies it to the therapeutic process of clients. The foundational principles of CBFT stem from behavioral concepts that were impacted by issues that affected clients such as phobias, anxiety and parenting deficiencies; studying how clients fortify or maintain certain behavioral symptoms and patterns (Gehart, 2014). CBFT was founded in 2005 when Frank Dattilio (adopting concepts from traditional cognitive therapy) introduced a cognitive-based approach to assist in the therapeutic process when dealing with couples and families (Dattilio, 2005; Epstein & Baucom, 2005).

Becvar, D. & Becvar R. (2009). Family therapy: a systemic integration. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Today review evidence-based treatment fashion in Children and adolescents. We will also review new Suicide Prevention guidelines

The criteria that participants had to meet were described as “a score 10 or higher on the Child Depression Inventory” as well as “a score 10 or higher on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression”. The sample participants also had to have a guardian at home who was willing to participate in the assessment phases of the study. Exclusionary criteria for the study included reading level below 6th grade equivalence, psychotic or suicidal symptoms or participation in psychotherapy. None of the participants were receiving antidepressants. The article stated that only 22 participants completed the study. 3 participants discontinued during active treatment and 5 participants dropped out before commencing treatment. Further explanation of the reasoning behind the participants dropping out would be helpful to the article. The mean age of participants was 15 years and 11 months. The articles sample consisted of 8 boys and 14 girls. The article did not state weather participants identified with these genders. 15 of the participants were Caucasian, 6 were African American, and 2 were mixed raced. The article’s purpose was not to look at gender or ethnic differences, but to explore effects of cognitive biblotherapy on adolescents with mild-moderate depression. But it is important to be aware of these variables

Miller, R. B., & Johnson, L. N. (Eds.). (2014). Advanced methods in family therapy research:

People used to believe that children had no reason to be depressed it wasn’t till a few years ago: “No one thought that children could suffer from real depression; there wasn’t even an official diagnosis for childhood depression until 1980” (Fassler 4). But really who would have thought that such a thing could be possible. Sadly today we know that it’s a real disease and it affects more adolescents than we think: “ The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that as many as 2.5 percent of all American youngsters under the age of eighteen or over 1.5 million children and adolescents are seriously depressed” (Fassler 2).