Premium Essay

Child Depression

In:

Submitted By jennawill
Words 18951
Pages 76
Risk and Protective Factors for Depression: Implications for Prevention

Depression in Children and Adolescents
Linking Risk Research and Prevention
Judy Garber, PhD Abstract: The National Institute of Mental Health has called for translational research linking basic knowledge about vulnerabilities that underlie mood disorders to the development of effective preventive interventions. This paper highlights research about risk factors for depression in children and adolescents and links it to current knowledge about interventions aimed at preventing depression in youth. Basic epidemiologic and clinical research indicates that increased risk for depression is associated with being female; a family history of depression, particularly in a parent; subclinical depressive symptoms; anxiety; stressful life events; neurobiological dysregulation; temperament/personality (e.g., neuroticism); negative cognitions; problems in self-regulation and coping; and interpersonal dysfunction. These vulnerabilities both increase individuals’ chances of encountering stress and decrease their ability to deal with the stress once it occurs. Although several existing depression-prevention studies have targeted one or more of these risk factors, the efficacy of these various prevention programs for youth with different combinations of these risk factors needs to be investigated further. Most existing depression-prevention programs in youth have used cognitive– behavioral techniques, with some success. Other depressionprevention strategies have included training in coping, social problem solving, social skills, communication skills, and parenting. A comprehensive prevention program is recommended that includes multiple intervention components, each of which addresses risk and protective factors across different domains and levels of analysis.
(Am J Prev Med 2006;31(6S1):S104 –S125) © 2006

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Child Depression Term Paper

...Introduction Depression is defined by the DSM-5 as depressed mood or loss of interest for more than two weeks, change in mood from the person’s baseline, and impairment in social, work, or educational life. There are many other symptoms that go along with depression including weight change and thought of hurting one's self. Depression can affect one's daily life any many ways. As one of the most common psychiatric disorder, along with anxiety, depression is a serious, sometimes life threatening, disorder that has been stigmatized in today's society. Depression has been estimated to effect 2.5% of all children in the United States. For many of these children, their first episode is brought on by a major traumatic event such as the death...

Words: 1217 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Depression

...Depression in Children This paper describes the primary issues that encompass childhood depression as it investigates the illness itself, the methods of treating it, and the current scientific thoughts that frame its modern debate. The result shows three main targets that are associated with childhood depression: 1. Childhood depression is difficult to diagnose; 2. There is not a consensus from among experts as to the efficacy of child self-reporting; and, 3. Treatments of this mental illness vary in intensity and in mode. Depression is a terrible mental state that robs people of relationships and experiences that contribute to contented lives. Every person feels down or sad for short intervals. This is a part of life; however, clinical depression can linger for days, weeks, or months at a time, causing the sufferer to lose interest in family, work, and recreation. We are accustomed to adults who have bouts with depression, but when this illness comes down on the life of a child, it causes us to step back and react with disbelief. We question whether a child can be persistently sad or apathetic, or disengaged. After all, we reason, childhood is a happy time. Maybe it is because of some chemical imbalance in the brain. Maybe it is inherited. Maybe it is the result of a chaotic domestic life. For whatever reason, childhood depression is real and is recognized as a powerful detriment to a child’s wellbeing. The literature reflects are growing...

Words: 274 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Argument of Definition

...March 2014 Sadness/Depression Sadness and depression may seem similar in a lot of people’s eyes, however they both have a very different meaning. Sadness is the feeling of sorrow or grief. Being sad is more of a mood while depression is a clinical problem. Depression has a deeper meaning than sadness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, categorizes depression as someone who is in a depressed mood and has a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities for more than two weeks. People who are depressed often feel like there is no way out and that is why depression can often lead to suicide. Some people may mistake sadness and depression for the same thing because they do have similarities. Sadness is often how depression starts out. Sadness can also be associated with grief. Grief is the response to a loss of someone and is associated with sadness. More people should look at sadness and grief as the same instead of sadness and depression. To know if you have depression, a diagnostic needs to be made by pointing out symptoms. Dr. Kramer believes that there are nine symptoms; if you have five out of those nine then you are depressed. The symptoms include: depressed mood, hard time having fun, no energy, can’t sleep, eating a lot, no desire for physical activity, feeling worthless, can’t concentrate, suicidal thoughts (Valiunas). All of those may seem like signs of just being sad, but as symptoms of depression, they are prolonged...

Words: 1685 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Analysis Acquainted with the Night

...the speaker feels ashamed of. Others may view the poem as being full of optimistic, life proclaiming symbolism that reflects the speaker's pride in choosing the road less traveled. His use of symbolic ideas allows for his work to be interpreted in various ways, and every reader can find their own meaning to his words. Robert Frost experienced many losses in his life including his father in 1885, his mother in 1900, his sister in 1929, and four of his six children, two of which died at very early ages. Of course everyone experiences losses in their lives, but one can imagine the profound effect the death of a child would have on one's disposition. The often gloomy and even depressing tones of many of his poems can be seen as a projection of his own depression and feelings of loss. Most people read "Acquainted with the Night" as dealing with the ideas of loneliness, depression, sufferings, and even contemplation of suicide. Everyone can relate to the feelings of isolation as most go through a period of such feelings themselves, if to varying degrees. The first line of the poem tells the reader that night is a metaphor with profound symbolic meaning. Everyone is familiar with what night is, so there must be a deeper meaning behind the words. In most poems night is a symbol for death, which it very well could symbolize in this poem, but another...

Words: 924 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Adolescents, Depression, and Self-Esteem

...Depression in adolescence has been recognized as a clinical problem for twenty-two years. Many believed that signs of depression were simple behavioral problems that the child would grow out of. Psychiatrists believed that children were both emotionally and cgnitively immature to endure depression. Childhood was considered to be worry free, no true concerns, happy time. Therefore, their problems were not serious enough to be labeled depression. There was never a clear understanding as to how abuse, divorce, and incest could have a long term effect on children. Childhood depression differs in many aspects from adult depression. Decrease in academic performance, withdrawal and rejection of friends and favorite activities are some of the main unrecognized signs. Some may also exhibit hyperactivity, while others complain of exhaustion and illness. Many times these symptoms are thought to be just a phase in their children, and observed as signs of depression. Children of all ages from infancy through adolescence can suffer from a disorder mood. The symptoms tend to change based on the child's level of development. Depression in infants is often determined based on the child’s failure to grow physically, act unresponsively, and inability to thrive. Although it is rarely seen in babies, it is often due to lack of nurturing relationship between the infant and the caregiver. Postpartum depression has the ability to affect the mood of the infant. It affects approximately...

Words: 2074 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Depression

...strong and outgoing individual, I just lost it and shut down to the point where I could no longer be the mother I had always strives to be to both of my sons. I shut down to the point I let my sons go live with their fathers. I had always put my children first in my life. I would be at their schools either helping out in their classes or just volunteering at the school. Every day we did family time and every night I read to them. But after my mother’s passing something came over me that I did not understand, and I did not care to understand depression. At each passing day I could see and feel less and less of me until it got to the point I did not leave my house I stayed in bed day in and day out. I was in so much pain after my mother passing. The pain and hurt I was feeling at the time, and the feeling that I did not understand depression grew stronger each passing day until it had total control of me and my life for ten years. Depression itself does not show single handedly, but comes in many different faces. For example: 1. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) normally occurs during the winter months. Symptoms may surface as anxiety, irritability, and day time fatigue and weight gain. 2. Bipolar Disorder which is characterized by extreme lows and are followed by periods of extreme highs. “Surveys from around the world indicate that between 1 and 2.6 percent of all adults suffer from a bipolar disorder at any given time (Merikangas et al.,2007; Kessler et al.,2005)...

Words: 528 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Postpartum Depression Research Paper

...Mental illness is a range of mental health condition disorders that affect your mood and behaviour. Depression is a sign of weakness and change in mood that requires medical condition in emotional, physical, and behavioural symptoms you can and should be treated. Types of Depression is Major Depressive Disorder which is most common if people feel sad, hopeless, and lacks focus in their life. Seasonal Depression also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD that is common between the seasons of fall and spring. Postpartum Depression is only in women and is common during the women’s hormone level, after the birth of her child. Bereavement Depression is common after grieving of a loss and often takes weeks, months, or years to recover but,...

Words: 535 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Journey

...without children, they finally became blessed with a son called David. Or did they really become blessed? The story takes place in the narrator’s car, which is on her way back home with her clinically depressed son. The plot has several flashbacks from Marry’s life, especially memories about her son David, her husband Seamus and her father. One of the first flashbacks that appear is a flashback about her son David, “They were used to being free. Yet David did not really make the great change in their lives that she expected” (page 1, lines 13-14), this indicates that Mary and Seamus was not bonded with their son from the start, they were not ready having a child, although they have been trying the past twenty years. The first years of a child’s childhood, are very important for the child later in life, because the child has to feel trust to the parents, so it can start trusting the world. It also has to feel loved and safe, but another important thing is attention. Although David, has not felt so with his parent, and it clearly has got its consequences....

Words: 615 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Causes of Depression

...2. What are the causes of teenage depression? How can teenage depression be treated? According to Focus Adolescent Services, depressive ailment in children and teenagers is defined as an illness when the feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and despair persist and interfere with a child or an adolescent’s ability to function. Depression can describe a normal human emotion; it also is referred to as a mental illness. There are many factors that contribute to depression in teens such as having and making friends, separation or divorce of parents, and breakup of a loved one. Peer relationships contribute significantly to social and cognitive development. In reality, the single best childhood is not receiving good grades, and not classroom behavior, but rather, the ability to get along with another child. Children that are mainly disliked, who are aggressive and disruptive, who are unable to maintain close relationships with other children, and who cannot establish a place for themselves in the peer culture are more susceptible to depression. Teens without friends tend to be more lonely and unhappy. They have lower levels of academic achievement and develop low self-esteem. As the teens get older, they are more apt to drop out and become involved in delinquent activities such as drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and rebelling against authority. Another factor, which contributes to depression, is the divorce of parents. Divorce is a difficult adjustment for...

Words: 518 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Depression

...Depression Teresa Collick HCA/250 April 24, 2016 Depression has always been a major health issue going back for many years. Initially being called “melancholia” it appeared in the texts of the Mesopotamians in the second millennium. It was then thought of a demonic presence that required a priest to be in attendance. The understanding was that depression wasn’t considered a physical issue but a spiritual or mental illness. The Babylonian, Chinese and Egyptian civilizations also believed this. Their treatment for depression was to beat, restrain and starve the sufferer in hopes the demon would leave their body. On the other hand Romans and Greek physicians saw depression as a biological and psychological condition. Their treatment suggested massaging, music and special dieting. Baths and a drinking blend of donkeys’ milk and poppy extract were thought to be a relieving agent for depression. Staats, Nemade, and Dombeck (2007) Today millions suffer and struggle from major depressive disorder to seasonal effective disorder, dysthymia and bipolar disorder. For one to fully understand what a person deals with when they have depression, they need to know exactly what this illness is. Depression is a mood disorder that causes one to feel sad constantly and have feelings of disconnect with normal life. It affects the way one feels, thinks and behave. It tends to disrupts lives emotionally and physically. (Psychology...

Words: 1024 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Restorative Practice Approach To Resolving Conflicts

...Depression is a mental health condition characterised by feeling intensely sad, low and moody for prolonged periods of time. Depression is one of the most common mental disorders experienced. If depression is not treated or dealt with correctly, it can keep people from functioning normally and affect every aspect of their life, often leading to social isolation, and in the worst case scenario, can result in suicide. According to the Australia Institute of Health and Welfare (2007), a mental disorder affects one in four young people. Of all age groups, 18-24 year olds have the highest prevalence of mental disorders and the leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds is youth suicide (ABS, 2012). In Australia in 2010, mental and behavioural disorders accounted for 12.9% of the total...

Words: 997 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Diagnosis and Treatment

...(Morris & Maisto, 2010). Depression is a mood disorder in which a person is stuck in the emotional state of sadness regardless of any positive events in his life. Clinical depression last much longer than “normal” depression. Everyone, at some point in their lives, will experience “normal” depression which is usually a reaction to a stressful event or experience; when that depression continues long after the event it is considered a mood disorder. Depression is brought on by social, biological, and psychological factors and can be treated by therapies and medication. “Major depressive disorder is an episode of intense sadness that may last for several months…” (Understanding Psychology, Chapter 12, pg. 398). Besides the overwhelming feeling of sadness there are usually other symptoms. Concentration may be impaired making reading, working, or making decisions difficult. Problems with concentration and changes in short-term memory can be the first signs of depression. A person can lose interest in food, sex, or other activities he used to take pleasure in. Lack of sleep, Insomnia, or too much sleep is common. In some cases people may develop suicidal thoughts or tendencies; teenagers and young adults are more likely to act on these thoughts than the older, depressed population but all are at risk. Overall a depressed person may feel like a failure or worthless. Adults are not the only people who suffer from depression; children can develop depression but their symptoms are slightly...

Words: 917 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Depression in College Students

...pression Affects College Students How Depression Affects College Students Nikki M. Broadnax Elementary Education Major Abstract The age group of depressed college students is 18 – 32 many students find the adjustment from high school to college difficult. Even the student that seems most at ease with their new lifestyle will often confess to moments of missing their familiar high school friends, family and other comforts of home. A study by UCLA reports that more than 25-30 percent of college freshmen say they feel overwhelmed most of the time in the beginning stages of college. Some students, however, find themselves feeling much more than simply overwhelmed. 2006 college seniors surveyed, the numbers has increased 50% since the 1970s. Unthinking depression has its peak in females between the ages of 18-40, and for males between 21-40, emphasize that depression occurs at all ages. The difference between adult and childhood pictures of depression have been attributed to an inability of the child to verbalized his or her affective state incomplete superego development, and absence of consistent self-representation. How Depression Affects In College Students More than 18 million adults, almost a tenth of the United States population above the age of 17-23, have been found to demonstrate symptoms of a depressive disorder each year (Rosack, July 8, 2010) Depression is defined as a state of intense sadness or despair that has progressed to a level that...

Words: 2357 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Bipolar Disorder Research Paper

...themselves. That they are very insecure about themselves Bipolar Disorder is a disease from kids to ages 3-19. Adults from the ages to 40-60. Bipolar Disorder is a disease that many people suffer from depression and manic phases disease. It cause them to change their moods that last for weeks or months. Many people get this disease when they’re a young born, such as a child at age of 3 or 5. The symptoms for Bipolar Disorder are depressive and manic phase. Manic Phase and Depressive Phase includes periods of many mood swings of elevated mood or irritability....

Words: 741 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Integrative Project

...Integrative Final Project Evon Stevenson CCMH 535 June 9, 2015 Dr. Robin Switzer Integrative Final Project Depression is the fourth leading cause of the worldwide disease burden, and approximately one in four elderly persons may suffer from depression or depressive symptoms (Glasser, Vogels, & Gravdal, 2009). It is a common and disabling disorder that goes undetected, causing unnecessary suffering (Almeida, & Almeida, 1999). This final project will evaluate a new instrument designed to assess depression in adults, ages 65 and older. Research will also be done on different assessment procedures to determine if Emily is clinically depressed or suicidal. Finally, ethical considerations and practice guidelines will be discussed in how to work with Emily and her family. The new instrument is called the Depression Inventory for the Elderly (DIE), it is a self-administered inventory, there are 90 items relating to such depressive symptoms as withdrawal, depressed mood, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, difficultly making decisions, vegetative functions, self-evaluation and interpersonal behaviors. The test takes 35 minutes to administer. The scoring uses a five-point scale of distress ranging (0-4), from “not at all” (0) to “extremely” (4). DIE yields raw and T scores for the Total Score and Primary Dimension Scores. The results are hand scored; T scores above 65 on the Total Score and the Primary Dimensions are considered in the “clinical range.” The normative...

Words: 1397 - Pages: 6