Research Proposal: Depression in Children & Adolescence - A Cause for Concern?

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

As we all know mother does know best, yet in some cases mother can do more harm than good. There is a big debate on how people are raising the newest generations and whether or not they are properly being introduced into the realities of our society. Are children being spoiled too much or not enough? This topic is thoroughly discussed by Alfie Kohn in his essay, “ The One-sided Culture War against Children” and by Nick Gillespie within his essay, “The Current State of Childhood: Is “Helicopter Parenting” or “Free-Range Childhood” Better for Kids?”. Although Kohn offers valid explanations, Gillespie does surpass Kohn’s explanations; parents need to be less overbearing and stop pampering their children.

This topic came from the thought that depression is something that all of us have experienced at some point in our lives. It focuses on adolescents because during this period we are young and vulnerable and may not know how to cope with situations or circumstances that may lead us into depression. Factors such as going through puberty and issues at home with parents can all cause depression. This paper will talk about what is depression, how families can affect depression in the child, and how depression can lead to long term effects.

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.

Depression: The Mysterious Illness “Let me be dead” says Jamie, the main character in S.E. Hinton’s novel Hawkes Harbor (117). Hinton portrays depression in a different light in this novel. This novel delves into the psyche of a man who is in a mental institution. In this we see flashbacks of this man life, and how content he is with it.

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

Today, 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, over 5% of the entire population on Earth (Healthline). While 5% may not seem like much, it is absolutely appalling to think that any one person deserves to feel depressed. Despite being apart of the human mind ever since creation, doctors and psychologists today are still struggling to understand what causes the mind to break down to a state of utter sadness and self loathing. Even more troubling is the fact that not many people, primarily parents, are exposed to the utter damage that the disorder may cause to their children. Unlike physical disorders, injuries, or other illnesses that attack the body, depression attacks the mind. Depression can take the brightest day and turn it

Depression is a common disorder throughout the world that affects all age groups. Although rare in young children, depression disrupts the lives of many teenagers. In the United States, 11.2% of 13 to 18 year olds are affected by depressive disorders annually (National Institute of Mental Health). Depression during youth is particularly destructive since it not only causes a loss of relationships and

Then when childhood depression was recognised as a separate illness in itself, clinicians were initially reluctant to prescribe medications to children and adolescents, and tended to use it only as a last resort for acute cases. However, since 1990, antidepressants – especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) – have increasingly been used as a first line of treatment (Jureidini, 2004). According to a National Center for Health Statistics’ report, the rate of antidepressant use amongst American teens increased 400% between 1988–1994 and 2005–2008. Nowadays, roughly one in ten Americans take antidepressants on the regular (Wehrwein,

Depression in children stem from a variety of factors relating to health, history, life events, genetic vulnerabilities, family history, and biochemical imbalances. Every individual shows different symptoms when suffering from depression; however, these symptoms interfere with the child’s daily living at school and home. Psychotherapy and medication are the most common treatments for children with depression (Depression in

The article puts an emphasis that rooting out depression in adolescence needs to be more proactive in primary healthcare settings. This is done by not only giving physicians the option to diagnose mental illnesses, but by already instilling it in common check-ups (Healy, 2016). Moreover, Healy (2016) points out that many primary healthcare physicians do not have the proper training to screen and treat their patients for depressive symptoms and other mental disorders. Research shows that when physicians are trained and provided with proper screening processes to diagnose and treat depressive symptoms, there were significant increases in the diagnosis of adolescent depression rates (Fallucco, Bejarano & Kozikowski, 2015). This research supports Healy’s notion that the practice of routinely screening adolescents for symptoms in primary healthcare settings are effective in identifying depression in

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

Until recently depression in children and adolescents had not received a great deal of attention. Increasing interest can probably be traced to a number of influences.

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).