How should Childhood Depression and Anxiety be Treated/Dealt with?

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.

As in adults, depression in children and adolescents is treatable. Certain antidepressant medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can be beneficial to children and adolescents with MDD. Certain psychotherapy modules also have been shown to be effective. However, our awareness of antidepressant treatments in children and adolescents, though growing substantially, is incomplete compared to our knowledge about treating depression in adults.

This paper discusses various published articles and literature that report on results from research conducted on the effectiveness of various approaches in treating childhood depression. The articles vary in their topics and strategies. This paper will examine each article and focus on treatments that have been proven to improve the symptoms of childhood depression.

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

Today schools are taking a much more effective role in detection of depression in the younger generations. Because school is like work for adults and is where children spend most of their days, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss a model developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner and Morris in 1979, which addresses the totality of the child’s life up to the present moment. This model gave school counselors a tool to work from while assessing the children. This model puts every aspect of the disorder on a continuum that professionals can use as a guide during questioning and diagnosis. Due to the fact that depression is hard to detect in young children, this process allows the counselor to see all symptoms present even if they don’t fit the DSM IV criteria to comprise a diagnosis. The Ecological Model takes a look at the child as a whole. This includes, home,

Depression can be cause if child feels rejected by peers or have problems with sexual identity.

But with every medication comes side effects, and the effects include sexual problems, weight gain, and insomnia (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2011). One such study found that adolescents who received a combination treatment, that is with cognitive behavioral therapy and drugs, was the most successful. Randomized patients were to receive sertraline, CBT, sertraline and CBT, or placebo for 12 weeks (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, 2009). It was concluded that 81% of the patients that underwent the combination therapy were able to greatly reduce their symptoms (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, 2009). It has been shown that CBT in schools can greatly reduce childhood anxiety attacks. Sixty-one children, aged 7 to 11 years, were randomized to receive group CBT for children, group CBT for children plus parent training, or no treatment for 9 weeks. After a 12-month follow-up period, those who received CBT had significantly less anxiety severity than those in the control group. The authors noted that treatment effects of CBT can be maintained for a 12-month period in children who have anxiety (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, 2009).

Most studies of bipolar disorder show that this illness tends to be familial with significantly higher risk in relatives of bipolar probands compared to the general population. Research suggest that imbalances of neurotransmitters norepinephriine and serotonin may cause depression and mania. The left frontal-lobe that is active during positive emotions is inactive during depressive episodes. There is a small area in the prefrontal cortex that triggers bother the sadness and the mania of bipolar depression (Huffman & Piggrem, 2003).

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.

Depression is the most common mental disorder, not only for adults, but for children and teenagers as well. The DSM-IV classifies depression as a mood disorder. It states that an individual has suffered a “major depressive episode” if certain symptoms persist for at least two weeks, including a loss of enjoyment in previously pleasurable activities, a sad or irritable mood, a significant change in weight or appetite, problems sleeping or concentrating, and feelings of worthlessness. These symptoms of depression fall into four categories: mood, cognitive, behavioral, and physical. Depression affects how individuals feel, think, behave, and how their bodies work. People with depression may experience symptoms in any or all of the

s the awareness of mental diseases such as depression increases throughout American society, the diagnosis of childhood depression has risen as well. Recent reports published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in addition to studies suggest that 11 to 20 percent of children will experience a depressive disorder by the time they are 18 years old (Duckworth, 2014; Vitiello).1, 8 In early childhood, depressive disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD) and dysthymic disorder, now called persistent depressive disorder per DSM-V, are more often seen in boys than in girls. However, at the start of puberty and by the age of 14, MDD and DD are more commonly seen in girls (Shashi Bhatia). 2 This apparent flip in occurrences has not been properly studied, but conjecture has been made proposing that hormonal imbalances may play a key role in the rise of depressive disorders in pubescent girls. Mental diseases, such as depression, can cause significant psychological and psychosocial harm to an adolescent or child (Pine).3 In addition, depression has been shown have a negative impact on growth, educational development, relationships, and self-image (Brent).4 Not only is there an immediate impact on this patient population, but it is believed that children who suffer from depression will be at an increased

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

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.

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).

To begin with, let us make clear what is depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is described as a serious mental disorder in which a person suffers long time of sadness, loneliness, and other negative feelings. Depression affects how you feel about yourself such as lack of energy and concentration, lose interest in work and hobbies, and have trouble of insomnia. Depression makes life more and more difficult and dispirited. More importantly, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), major depression is the leading cause of mental disorder for people in the United States aged 15 to 44. Recent estimates show that about 10 to 15% of children and teens experience depression at