Depression is one of the most common psychological and emotional problems American adults encounter. A study reports that about 13 to 20 percent of American adults have some form of depressive symptoms. Unfortunately, many severe cases of depression can ultimately lead to suicide.
Are there any solutions and treatments available to stem this unfortunate tide? Fortunately, the answer to this is yes. Unfortunately again, many of these treatments involves a soup of medicines that may have some form or side effect. As we discussed previously psychotherapy is another solution that is gaining popularity due to the favorable results they have exhibited.
For some people, the question that remains is if there are any “natural” depression treatments available that do not involve some cocktail of hard-to-spell medications that can be taken as a preventive and beneficial alternative to mainstream treatments. The answer is yes. Although it is recommended that any form of depression should be consulted with a doctor let’s take a look at a list of natural supplements that may help alleviate symptoms of depression.
It Starts with the Diet
Depression can be treated with better nutrition. Studies have shown that such treatment not only has a beneficial effect on the person’s physical health, but also a favorable effect on the person’s mental and emotional health. This nutritional treatment includes modification of diet, vitamins and minerals, and the addition of some amino acid supplements.
The amino acid supplements are essential elements that are precursors to neurotransmitters. The amino acids D, L-pheylalanine and L-tyrosine are a viable alternative to antidepressant drugs.
A deficiency in vitamins and minerals in the body can also cause depression. If this condition is corrected, depression owing to this cause can be alleviated. Even if you are not sure if you lack vitamins and minerals, supplementing your diet with them will often improve symptoms related to depression and will contribute to better overall health.
Some Very Useful Herbs
The herb St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) in an extracted standardized form is being used in Germany and other European countries to treat depression in its mild and moderate forms. It is also known to alleviate anxiety and sleep disorders.
This herb claims many benefits – among them are its anti-depressive and antiviral properties.
The Ginkgo (Ginkgo Biloba) extract, while not a primary treatment for major cases of depression, is an excellent supplement to any depression-related syndrome. Studies are beginning to show that Ginkgo can be used to treat some forms of depression that are not responsive to antidepressant agents. In cases of resistant depression, Ginkgo Biloba is beginning to appear attractive to the medical world.
Cut Back on Those Soft Drinks
Many practitioners advocate a nutrition oriented approach to treating depression. They believe that the answer to the depression question can be found in the diet of a person. Studies show that a decrease in the intake of sugars and refined carbohydrates can produce relief from symptoms of depression.
This diet will entail cutting out sugary drinks, pasta, white bread, and other processed foods. For your carbohydrate needs, it would be better to stick to grains, whole wheat, and other natural plant based carbohydrates. Also, cutting down on these kinds of food can do wonders for one’s overall health.
This treatment is recommended for those who feel depressed and languid during the late hours of the morning and the afternoon. For these people, eating sugary foods will induce a temporary feeling of alleviation from depression. However, this is only for a few minutes, and the body automatically reverts to languid depression.
Depression is one serious disorder that should not be taken for granted. Some people will equate depression with other natural feelings such as anger, happiness, and sadness. However, depression is much more complicated than that. It is a disorder and an ailment that can be treated by natural or medical means. It would do well to consult your doctor for more information on dealing with depression.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Friday, October 13, 2006
Dealing with Depression
Dealing with Depression
People often speak of feeling “depressed.” Indeed, it is normal to feel occasional sadness due to life’s disappointments. Clinical depression, on the other hand, is very different from those occasions when we experience sadness or despair. Clinical depression is a serious illness caused by a brain disorder and its effects on the individual’s ability to function in everyday situations is profound. The condition could affect moods, thoughts, behaviors, and physical well-being.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression strikes about 17 million American adults every year. This is even more than the number of cases related to cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease. What makes it even worse is that an estimated 15 percent of people suffering from depression end in suicide.
Dealing with depression may seem like a daunting task. Some people don’t even understand the real nature of the illness.
“A lot of people still believe that depression is a character flaw or caused by bad parenting,” says Mary Rappaport, a spokeswoman for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
It should be noted that dealing with depression does not merely involve willpower. It requires proper medical attention.
The good news is that depression is treatable. In fact, one of the first steps of dealing with depression consists of using either of the two major treatment options available – medication or therapy.
But first, an accurate diagnosis must be obtained before one can go ahead with dealing with depression. When diagnosing and dealing with depression, it is important to note that that there are three main categories of the condition. These are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar depression (otherwise known as manic depression).
The symptoms for each category of depression can vary, depending on the individual. And there are several factors that serve to increase the risk of depression. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the following are the common symptoms of depression as listed in the DSM-IV:
* Depressed mood
* Loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
* Changes in appetite or weight
* Disturbed sleeping patterns
* Slowed or restless movements
* Fatigue, loss of energy
* Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
* Trouble in thinking, concentrating or making decisions
* Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Antidepressant drugs are often prescribed as a step in dealing with depression. These drugs, such as tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, work by altering certain chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. This results in improved symptoms of depression and can help in dealing with depression.
Alternatively, persons suffering from severe depressive episodes may not be responsive to medications alone. In order to provide long term relief, psychotherapy is needed.
People often speak of feeling “depressed.” Indeed, it is normal to feel occasional sadness due to life’s disappointments. Clinical depression, on the other hand, is very different from those occasions when we experience sadness or despair. Clinical depression is a serious illness caused by a brain disorder and its effects on the individual’s ability to function in everyday situations is profound. The condition could affect moods, thoughts, behaviors, and physical well-being.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression strikes about 17 million American adults every year. This is even more than the number of cases related to cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease. What makes it even worse is that an estimated 15 percent of people suffering from depression end in suicide.
Dealing with depression may seem like a daunting task. Some people don’t even understand the real nature of the illness.
“A lot of people still believe that depression is a character flaw or caused by bad parenting,” says Mary Rappaport, a spokeswoman for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
It should be noted that dealing with depression does not merely involve willpower. It requires proper medical attention.
The good news is that depression is treatable. In fact, one of the first steps of dealing with depression consists of using either of the two major treatment options available – medication or therapy.
But first, an accurate diagnosis must be obtained before one can go ahead with dealing with depression. When diagnosing and dealing with depression, it is important to note that that there are three main categories of the condition. These are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar depression (otherwise known as manic depression).
The symptoms for each category of depression can vary, depending on the individual. And there are several factors that serve to increase the risk of depression. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the following are the common symptoms of depression as listed in the DSM-IV:
* Depressed mood
* Loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
* Changes in appetite or weight
* Disturbed sleeping patterns
* Slowed or restless movements
* Fatigue, loss of energy
* Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
* Trouble in thinking, concentrating or making decisions
* Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Antidepressant drugs are often prescribed as a step in dealing with depression. These drugs, such as tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, work by altering certain chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. This results in improved symptoms of depression and can help in dealing with depression.
Alternatively, persons suffering from severe depressive episodes may not be responsive to medications alone. In order to provide long term relief, psychotherapy is needed.
Depression During Pregnancy
Depression During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is an exciting period in most women’s life where many obvious changes occur everyday throughout the entire pregnancy, like the bulging of tummy and those that only pregnant women feel, depression included. The overwhelming feeling of an infant growing in pregnancy is a huge source of happiness and anticipation to most women. But for a few, that particular feeling could be a source of certain type of depression.
Depression during pregnancy is a subject that is not commonly discussed. Although pregnancy depression can be triggered by pregnancy itself, it can be a previous condition of other forms of depression. This is why depression during pregnancy should be given immediate attention.
It has been known that hormones of pregnant women are raging throughout pregnancy causing mood swings and the tendency to cry easily. Serious feelings of being down should never be taken lightly. It is important that pregnant women be open about their feelings to their partners and doctors. Previous miscarriage, fertility treatments, family history of depression, and stressful events are some of the risk factors of depression during pregnancy.
If you feel depression during pregnancy, refer to the following symptoms to see if you have one or more to confirm:
* Continuous feeling of sadness that you can’t easily shake out
* Have trouble going to sleep
* Loss of interest on things you once enjoy doing
* Always feeling tired
* Negative thoughts of causing harm to yourself and/or to others
Always remember that the above mentioned symptoms of possible depression during pregnancy could be a normal phase of being pregnant. However, if what you’re feeling becomes overwhelming, it could mean a more serious condition. Therefore, seeing your doctor will be a good idea even if it was just a suspicion in the first place.
Even if it is still mild, depression during pregnancy can be prevented such as talking to your partner and/or your doctor. Exercising regularly with close supervision of your doctor plus a healthy eating habit has a great effect in keeping you healthy all the time. Lastly, have as much time as possible to relax and get errand assistance from your family or friends, and most importantly keep a positive thinking, are some of the things that can greatly help you avoid depression during pregnancy. Keep in mind that your health and the health of the tiny little angel inside you is a real blessing not every woman has the opportunity of having, are the most important of all.
Pregnancy is an exciting period in most women’s life where many obvious changes occur everyday throughout the entire pregnancy, like the bulging of tummy and those that only pregnant women feel, depression included. The overwhelming feeling of an infant growing in pregnancy is a huge source of happiness and anticipation to most women. But for a few, that particular feeling could be a source of certain type of depression.
Depression during pregnancy is a subject that is not commonly discussed. Although pregnancy depression can be triggered by pregnancy itself, it can be a previous condition of other forms of depression. This is why depression during pregnancy should be given immediate attention.
It has been known that hormones of pregnant women are raging throughout pregnancy causing mood swings and the tendency to cry easily. Serious feelings of being down should never be taken lightly. It is important that pregnant women be open about their feelings to their partners and doctors. Previous miscarriage, fertility treatments, family history of depression, and stressful events are some of the risk factors of depression during pregnancy.
If you feel depression during pregnancy, refer to the following symptoms to see if you have one or more to confirm:
* Continuous feeling of sadness that you can’t easily shake out
* Have trouble going to sleep
* Loss of interest on things you once enjoy doing
* Always feeling tired
* Negative thoughts of causing harm to yourself and/or to others
Always remember that the above mentioned symptoms of possible depression during pregnancy could be a normal phase of being pregnant. However, if what you’re feeling becomes overwhelming, it could mean a more serious condition. Therefore, seeing your doctor will be a good idea even if it was just a suspicion in the first place.
Even if it is still mild, depression during pregnancy can be prevented such as talking to your partner and/or your doctor. Exercising regularly with close supervision of your doctor plus a healthy eating habit has a great effect in keeping you healthy all the time. Lastly, have as much time as possible to relax and get errand assistance from your family or friends, and most importantly keep a positive thinking, are some of the things that can greatly help you avoid depression during pregnancy. Keep in mind that your health and the health of the tiny little angel inside you is a real blessing not every woman has the opportunity of having, are the most important of all.
Clinical Depression Symptoms
Clinical Depression Symptoms
Depression is a mood disorder that manipulates every portion of daily life. The illness affects all sectors of the populace in each socio-economic group, from children, adults, and the elderly. This overwhelming disease controls the mind, behavior, body, emotional state, and can even conclude the ability to maintain relationships. Clinical depression is a medical finding and is different from everyday connotation of “being depressed”.
According to the DSM-IV-TR criterion for diagnosing a major depressive disorder or clinical depression, two elements must be present, and that is depressed mood or anhedonia. It is satisfactory to have either of these clinical depression symptoms in combination with five of a list of other clinical depression symptoms over a two-week period, which includes:
ь Mental or physical fatigue and loss of energy
ь Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, anxiety, fear, or helplessness
ь Reduced amount of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, daily activities virtually every day
ь Changing appetite and noticeable weight loss or gain
ь Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
ь Feelings of overpowering sadness or fear or the seeming inability to feel emotion
ь Difficulty focusing or making decisions or a generalized slowing and obtunding of cognition including memory
ь Disturbed sleeping patterns such as excessive sleep or hypersomia, insomnia, or loss of REM sleep
ь Repeated thoughts of death, not just fear of dying, persistent suicide ideation with specific plan, or a specific plan of committing suicide or suicide attempt.
Other clinical depression symptoms sometimes reported but not generally taken into account in diagnosis include:
ь Inattention to personal hygieneь Fear of “going mad”
ь Decrease in self-esteem
ь Change in perception of time
ь Sensitivity to noise
ь Physical pains and aches with the belief that may be signs of serious illness
Clinical depression symptoms in children are not apparent as it is in adults. Some of the symptoms that children might show are irritability, loss of appetite, learning or memory problems where none existed before, sleep problems such as recurrent nightmares, and considerable behavioral changes such as social isolation, aggression, and withdrawal.
An added sign could be the excessive use of alcohol or drugs, where depressed adolescents are at a specific risk of further critical behaviors such as eating disorders and self-harm.
One of the most extensively used instruments for measuring the severity of depression is the Beck Depression Inventory, which has twenty-one multiple-choice questions. For people who have not experience clinical depression, either personally or by frequent exposure to people who suffer from it, it is hard for them to understand the emotional impact and severity, taking it to be similar as “having the blues” or “feeling down”. Clinical depression symptoms indicate that clinical depression is a severe, possibly fatal methodical disorder distinguished by interconnected physical, cognitive, and affective symptoms that result for survival and function further than just sad or painful feelings.
Depression is a mood disorder that manipulates every portion of daily life. The illness affects all sectors of the populace in each socio-economic group, from children, adults, and the elderly. This overwhelming disease controls the mind, behavior, body, emotional state, and can even conclude the ability to maintain relationships. Clinical depression is a medical finding and is different from everyday connotation of “being depressed”.
According to the DSM-IV-TR criterion for diagnosing a major depressive disorder or clinical depression, two elements must be present, and that is depressed mood or anhedonia. It is satisfactory to have either of these clinical depression symptoms in combination with five of a list of other clinical depression symptoms over a two-week period, which includes:
ь Mental or physical fatigue and loss of energy
ь Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, anxiety, fear, or helplessness
ь Reduced amount of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, daily activities virtually every day
ь Changing appetite and noticeable weight loss or gain
ь Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
ь Feelings of overpowering sadness or fear or the seeming inability to feel emotion
ь Difficulty focusing or making decisions or a generalized slowing and obtunding of cognition including memory
ь Disturbed sleeping patterns such as excessive sleep or hypersomia, insomnia, or loss of REM sleep
ь Repeated thoughts of death, not just fear of dying, persistent suicide ideation with specific plan, or a specific plan of committing suicide or suicide attempt.
Other clinical depression symptoms sometimes reported but not generally taken into account in diagnosis include:
ь Inattention to personal hygieneь Fear of “going mad”
ь Decrease in self-esteem
ь Change in perception of time
ь Sensitivity to noise
ь Physical pains and aches with the belief that may be signs of serious illness
Clinical depression symptoms in children are not apparent as it is in adults. Some of the symptoms that children might show are irritability, loss of appetite, learning or memory problems where none existed before, sleep problems such as recurrent nightmares, and considerable behavioral changes such as social isolation, aggression, and withdrawal.
An added sign could be the excessive use of alcohol or drugs, where depressed adolescents are at a specific risk of further critical behaviors such as eating disorders and self-harm.
One of the most extensively used instruments for measuring the severity of depression is the Beck Depression Inventory, which has twenty-one multiple-choice questions. For people who have not experience clinical depression, either personally or by frequent exposure to people who suffer from it, it is hard for them to understand the emotional impact and severity, taking it to be similar as “having the blues” or “feeling down”. Clinical depression symptoms indicate that clinical depression is a severe, possibly fatal methodical disorder distinguished by interconnected physical, cognitive, and affective symptoms that result for survival and function further than just sad or painful feelings.
Childhood Depression
Childhood Depression
When first confronted with the concept of childhood depression, the normal reaction would be: “What does a child have to be depressed about?”
The question reveals two misconceptions most people have about childhood. The first reveals the general lack of understanding about depression. It is more than just the occasional bouts of sadness and feeling “down” when confronted with life’s difficulties. Depression is far more serious, more persistent, and can affect how we normally function.
The second misconception we have about childhood depression is that we generally believe childhood to be a happy, carefree period of our lives. And yet, we must keep in mind that children are powerless and have no control over their own lives. Now, imagine living day by day in this kind of frightening state.
When you are an adult and not suffering from depression, you always have the choice to change this state of affairs. But children are different because they do not have this choice yet, and hence the frustration that sets in as a result.
Causes
So if children, like adults, also get depressed, what causes childhood depression? Like adult depression, there is no clear-cut cause of childhood depression. There are certain risk factors in the lives children however which make them predisposed to childhood depression or could “trigger” the depressive state to set in. These risk factors include:
* Family history of mental illness or suicide
* Abuse, including physical, emotional, or sexual
* Chronic illness
* Significant family events, such as the loss of a parent to death, divorce or abandonment
It should be noted that each child is different and so the factors that lead to childhood depression may also be distinct with different causes for each one. What is important is timely identification that there is a problem so that the proper treatment plan may be adopted.
Symptoms
Childhood depression manifests itself through the following signs:
* Persistent sadness and/or irritability that is more extreme than a child’s oft-usual temper tantrum
* Low self-esteem or feelings of worthlessness
* Loss of interest in activities, including those previously enjoyed
* Change in appetite and marked weight loss or gain
* Change in sleep patterns, either unable to sleep or unable to stay asleep or waking up too early and unable to fall back to sleep
* Difficulty concentrating
* Anger and rage
* Headaches, stomachaches and other physical malaise seemingly without cause
* Becomes either more lethargic or more hyperactive
* Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
If the child displays many of the symptoms listed above for longer than a few weeks, then childhood depression could be a possibility. It is normal for children to feel “down” on occasion, especially if there is a perceivable cause, such as disappointment in school or loss of a loved one. But if the feelings persists and they start to interfere with the child’s normal functioning, then seek professional help.
Childhood Depression
When first confronted with the concept of childhood depression, the normal reaction would be: “What does a child have to be depressed about?”
The question reveals two misconceptions most people have about childhood. The first reveals the general lack of understanding about depression. It is more than just the occasional bouts of sadness and feeling “down” when confronted with life’s difficulties. Depression is far more serious, more persistent, and can affect how we normally function.
The second misconception we have about childhood depression is that we generally believe childhood to be a happy, carefree period of our lives. And yet, we must keep in mind that children are powerless and have no control over their own lives. Now, imagine living day by day in this kind of frightening state.
When you are an adult and not suffering from depression, you always have the choice to change this state of affairs. But children are different because they do not have this choice yet, and hence the frustration that sets in as a result.
Causes
So if children, like adults, also get depressed, what causes childhood depression? Like adult depression, there is no clear-cut cause of childhood depression. There are certain risk factors in the lives children however which make them predisposed to childhood depression or could “trigger” the depressive state to set in. These risk factors include:
* Family history of mental illness or suicide
* Abuse, including physical, emotional, or sexual
* Chronic illness
* Significant family events, such as the loss of a parent to death, divorce or abandonment
It should be noted that each child is different and so the factors that lead to childhood depression may also be distinct with different causes for each one. What is important is timely identification that there is a problem so that the proper treatment plan may be adopted.
Symptoms
Childhood depression manifests itself through the following signs:
* Persistent sadness and/or irritability that is more extreme than a child’s oft-usual temper tantrum
* Low self-esteem or feelings of worthlessness
* Loss of interest in activities, including those previously enjoyed
* Change in appetite and marked weight loss or gain
* Change in sleep patterns, either unable to sleep or unable to stay asleep or waking up too early and unable to fall back to sleep
* Difficulty concentrating
* Anger and rage
* Headaches, stomachaches and other physical malaise seemingly without cause
* Becomes either more lethargic or more hyperactive
* Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
If the child displays many of the symptoms listed above for longer than a few weeks, then childhood depression could be a possibility. It is normal for children to feel “down” on occasion, especially if there is a perceivable cause, such as disappointment in school or loss of a loved one. But if the feelings persists and they start to interfere with the child’s normal functioning, then seek professional help.
Childhood Depression
Adolescent Depression
Adolescent Depression
Adolescent depression or teenage depression is a disorder that occurs during the teenage years characterized by constant sadness, loss of self-worth, discouragements, and loss of interest in normal activities. Adolescent depression can be a passing response to many situations and stresses and depressed mood is common because of the normal maturation process, the stress connected with it, the influence of sex hormones, and the “independence” differences with parents.
Adolescent depression can also be a response to a disturbing event, such as breakup of girlfriend or boyfriend, death of a friend or relative, or failure at school. Teenagers who have low self-confidence are highly self-critical and feel a little sense of control over negative incidents, and they are specifically at risk to becoming depressed when they go through stressful experiences.
Real depression in teenagers is most of the time difficult to identify because their normal behavior is marked by both up and down moods, with irregular periods of feeling “the world is a great place” and “life sucks”. These types of mood may alternate over a period of hours or days. Unrelenting depressed moods, failing relationship with family and friends, uncertain school performance, substance abuse, and other negative behavior may signify a serious depressive episode. These symptoms maybe identified easily but adolescent depression often manifests very diversely than these classic symptoms of depression.
Too much sleeping, change in eating habits, and even criminal behavior such as shoplifting, may be signs of depression. Another common warning sign of adolescent depression is an obsession with death that may take the form of either fears about death and dying or suicidal thoughts.
About fifteen to twenty percent of American teens have experienced a severe episode of depression, which is like the percentage of adults suffering from depression. Long-term depressive disorder generally has its beginning in the young adult years.
Adolescent girls are twice as prone to experience depression. Contributing risk factors include stressful life events such as child abuse, both physical and sexual; loss of a parent to death or divorce; chronic illness; unstable caregiving, poor social skills; and family history of depression. It is also linked with eating disorders, specifically bulimia.
Symptoms of adolescent depression include temper or agitation; depressed or irritable mood; reduced pleasure in daily activities; inability to enjoy activities which used to be enjoyable; excessive daytime sleepiness; change in appetite, usually loss of appetite but sometimes an increase; change in weight, unintentional weight gain or loss; fatigue; difficulty making decisions; preoccupation with self; difficulty concentrating; acting-out behavior; excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt; memory loss episodes; feelings of worthlessness, self-hatred, or sadness; excessive irresponsible behavior pattern; and plans to commit suicide or actual suicide attempt.
If symptoms are continuing for at least two weeks and cause considerable sorrow or difficulty functioning, treatment should be sought. Treatments are similar to those of depressed adults and include psychotherapy and antidepressant medications. Seeking professional help for suitable treatment is required.
Adolescent Depression
Adolescent depression or teenage depression is a disorder that occurs during the teenage years characterized by constant sadness, loss of self-worth, discouragements, and loss of interest in normal activities. Adolescent depression can be a passing response to many situations and stresses and depressed mood is common because of the normal maturation process, the stress connected with it, the influence of sex hormones, and the “independence” differences with parents.
Adolescent depression can also be a response to a disturbing event, such as breakup of girlfriend or boyfriend, death of a friend or relative, or failure at school. Teenagers who have low self-confidence are highly self-critical and feel a little sense of control over negative incidents, and they are specifically at risk to becoming depressed when they go through stressful experiences.
Real depression in teenagers is most of the time difficult to identify because their normal behavior is marked by both up and down moods, with irregular periods of feeling “the world is a great place” and “life sucks”. These types of mood may alternate over a period of hours or days. Unrelenting depressed moods, failing relationship with family and friends, uncertain school performance, substance abuse, and other negative behavior may signify a serious depressive episode. These symptoms maybe identified easily but adolescent depression often manifests very diversely than these classic symptoms of depression.
Too much sleeping, change in eating habits, and even criminal behavior such as shoplifting, may be signs of depression. Another common warning sign of adolescent depression is an obsession with death that may take the form of either fears about death and dying or suicidal thoughts.
About fifteen to twenty percent of American teens have experienced a severe episode of depression, which is like the percentage of adults suffering from depression. Long-term depressive disorder generally has its beginning in the young adult years.
Adolescent girls are twice as prone to experience depression. Contributing risk factors include stressful life events such as child abuse, both physical and sexual; loss of a parent to death or divorce; chronic illness; unstable caregiving, poor social skills; and family history of depression. It is also linked with eating disorders, specifically bulimia.
Symptoms of adolescent depression include temper or agitation; depressed or irritable mood; reduced pleasure in daily activities; inability to enjoy activities which used to be enjoyable; excessive daytime sleepiness; change in appetite, usually loss of appetite but sometimes an increase; change in weight, unintentional weight gain or loss; fatigue; difficulty making decisions; preoccupation with self; difficulty concentrating; acting-out behavior; excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt; memory loss episodes; feelings of worthlessness, self-hatred, or sadness; excessive irresponsible behavior pattern; and plans to commit suicide or actual suicide attempt.
If symptoms are continuing for at least two weeks and cause considerable sorrow or difficulty functioning, treatment should be sought. Treatments are similar to those of depressed adults and include psychotherapy and antidepressant medications. Seeking professional help for suitable treatment is required.
Adolescent Depression
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