Adolescent Depression
Depression in children and adolescents often goes unrecognized and
recognition is of course the most important step in obtaining treatment.
Children and adolescents communicate with their behavior, not always
with words, so their behavior may indicate the underlying feelings of
sadness, hopelessness, anger, and a lack of enjoyment in life. Some
behavioral indications of depression include, but are not limited to,
doing poorly in school, a change in sleep or eating patterns, decreased
energy for doing enjoyable things, decreased energy for interacting with
others, and irritability.
Treatment for depression once recognized has improved greatly over the
last few years. Generally speaking, a combination of individual therapy,
family therapy and at times psychopharmacology can help children and
adolescents recover from depression.
Although depression has natural cycles, and some children will recover
without treatment, depression also has a high level of risk. Dangerous
behaviors include suicidal behavior, drug use, and not attending to
safety and physical needs. It is important that depression be diagnosed
and treated in order to not interfere with the day to day functioning of
the child and in order to prevent self-injury.
To assist in identifying children at risk for depression, the following
resources will be helpful to parents and professionals.
