Psychiatric Disorder of Childhood Depression. The Information

¶ … psychiatric disorder of childhood depression. The information will discuss how the disorder is diagnosed, the prevalence rates, theories concerning the etiology of depression and various treatments that are available for childhood depression.

While many people may overlook this serious mental condition that occurs within some children, others are facing the reality of the disorder on a daily basis. More information is becoming readily available that offers research about depression in children and is very helpful to those seeking prognosis and treatment of their loved ones. Many times, depression in children and adolescents is overlooked or misdiagnosed. This paper will discuss symptoms and treatment of depression in children.

Depression

Depression is a mental problem that affects people of all ages, race, and economic levels. The diagnosis is becoming more acceptable and is commonly treated with antidepressant drug therapy. The patient is not only affected by treatment, but the drug and insurance companies also have financial concerns. The following articles are examined and discuss the treatment, use of medication, and therapy for children.

O'Conner (1997) explains that depression affects people of all ages and backgrounds. When treated properly, 70% of those who suffer with depression have a successful recovery.

Some symptoms of adolescent depression are similar to those in other age groups, but depressed adolescents may also "act out" by showing anger, becoming aggressive or delinquent, abusing drugs or alcohol, doing poorly in school, or running away. They may feel socially isolated, empty, and hopeless. During the past three decades, suicide among adolescents has increased 300%, so severe symptoms or symptoms lasting for weeks should lead to an evaluation by a doctor.

The article, "National Trends in the Outpatient Treatment of Depression" (Olfson, Marcus, Druss, Elinson, Tanielian, and Pincus 2002) discusses the 1990's increased treatment of depression on an outpatient basis. Drugs had been developed that had fewer side effects and became more widely used as doctor's diagnosed depression during regular office visits. Drugs began to replace psychotherapy and were drug treatment became more acceptable among the insurance companies. The objective was to compare trends in outpatient treatment of depressive disorders in the United States between the years 1987 and 1997.

The findings were based on the results of surveys from the National Institute of Mental Health survey and the National Comorbidity Survey. Findings showed that depressive disorders that might impair social or occupational functions where more prevalent in the United States. Controlled studies showed that the use of antidepressants reduced the symptoms of depression and are used for mild or moderate depression. However, most individuals with depression receive no treatment for their symptoms.

There are several theories concerning the etiology of depression in children. Research has shown that depression in children is influenced by both biological and environmental factors. Situational factors, if nothing else, can exacerbate a depressive disorder in significant ways. Examples of these factors would include lack of a support system, stress, illness in self or loved one, legal difficulties, financial struggles, and job problems. These factors can be cyclical in that they can worsen your symptomatology and act as symptoms themselves (AllPsych, 2003).

Another article, "Choosing a First-Line Antidepressant: Equal on Average Does Not Mean Equal for Everyone" (Simon, 2001), discusses the treatment of depression by prescribing antidepressant drugs. It is suggested that doctors treating patients with depression should first prescribe the cheapest antidepressant available. Simon states that it has been proven that all antidepressant drugs are basically equal, however, depending on the advertisement concerning the advantages of the medicine and the insurance company it is likely that the doctor may be influenced when prescribing medication.

Studies have shown that approximately 65% of patients being treated for depression recover within the first nine months. Medications are usually changed in 20% of patients one or more times. It has also been shown that specific prescriptions had no significant effect on the probability of continuing treatment, clinical outcomes, or functional outcomes. Last, the age and anxiety level of the patient did not predict better outcomes.

However the study also supports two other issues. Other issues are important for the choice among antidepressants. First, the fact that antidepressant drugs are equally effective on average does not mean that they are equally effective for individual patients. Second, antidepressants may differ in how they interact with other drugs the patient may be taking. This should be considered when prescribing antidepressant drugs to patients also using drugs, such as beta-blockers, antipsychotic agents, and some antiarrhythmics.

Research that is outlined in the article "Cognitive-Behavioral Group Treatments in Childhood Anxiety Disorders: The Role of Parental Involvement" (Mendlowitz, Manassis, Bradley, Scapillato, Miezitis, Shaw, 1999) explains the treatment of children and how important parental involvement is to the positive recovery of the child. The authors the use of group treatment and support the theory that groups have better potential of working with large numbers of anxious children.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Anxious Children (CBT) was designed to teach children about how to recognize physiological and psychological indicators evident in emotional distress. The children are then taught to process this information and modify it in order to bring about changes in behavior and affect. When experiencing catastrophic or fearful thoughts the child can then replace them with more realistic ones. This is extremely beneficial because the treatment teaches the individual, along with the parents, how to change coping style for the long-term prognosis of childhood anxiety disorders. If not corrected, symptoms continue to take control of the child and occur more frequently.

The authors feel that parenting styles may influence treatment maintenance. Different children showed various levels of outcomes concerning anxiety, symptoms of depression, and coping style. It is believed that group-based therapy for children suffering with anxiety disorders will show improvement. However, parental involvement will show greater improvement on these measures compared with child CBT alone. The article stated that all treatment groups experienced a decrease in anxiety symptoms and a decrease in symptoms of depression post treatment. This supported the fact that group CBT is effective in treating children with anxiety disorders.