Depression Patient Education for Children and Adolescents

Depression Patient Education for Children and Adolescents

Depression is a mental illness that makes people have low moods, lose interest in activities and, to an extent, become lonely and unhappy. The severity of depression differs among people. However, chronic depression can lead to some people losing interest in life and becoming suicidal. There are many causes of depression, including a family pattern, drug, and substance abuse, experiencing a traumatic event, the personality of an individual, or another illness. In the recent past, the overusing and addiction to the internet and social media pages have also led to the feeling of loneliness due to online bullying and reduced face-to-face interactions, which lead to depressive and stressful feelings. This blog serves as an education, especially for children in the adolescents age, on identifying the signs of depression, available treatments from pharmacological interventions and non-pharmacological interventions, and possible community resources and referrals that can help them maintain good mental health.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

Although people experience and show differing signs and symptoms of depression, some indicate a severe underlying problem which is common in most cases. One of these signs is a persistent feeling of low moods (Thapar et al., 2019). It is usual for people to feel down sometimes. However, when this feeling persists and a person becomes preoccupied with negative thoughts about life and self, such scenarios lead to low moods and the development of depression. Secondly, a person can start losing concentration levels and feel worthless (Thapar et al., 2019). Some may start harming themselves and becoming suicidal because of the stressful feelings. Although some of these feelings may not be indicated overtly, a person can start experiencing them and can tell feeling low and stressed. Also, people with depression show the symptom of losing interest in activities, including those they used to love doing (Thapar et al., 2019). In this case, the person starts pulling away from people, even those close to them and becomes lonely and hopeless in life. For others, it can sometimes lead to increased irritability, frustrations, and angry outbursts, even in small matters. These feelings of sadness, emptiness, and losing interest in pleasurable matters such as hobbies or sex are an indication of increased severity of depression (Thapar et al., 2019). Some who have reached chronic depression may experience disturbed sleep cycles, insomnia, and pains resulting from depressive thoughts. Some may show a loss of appetite as well.

Knowing these symptoms and their relation to depression is critical as an early warning to seek professional help to avoid consequences such as giving up or committing suicide. Seeking professional interventions from a psychologist or counselor can help control the symptoms and find the triggers of the stress and depressive feelings so one can start the healing process. In most instances, people refer to the medication of anti-depressors and the counseling session as working effectively for an individual who is depressed if the two methods are used together.

Pharmacological Treatments

The pharmacological interventions are medications used in treating depression in this case. For children in the adolescent’s age with depression, the primary drug treatment described includes antidepressants classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for acute treatment (Thapar et al., 2019). Serotonin is targeted mainly because it is the primary transmitter of depressive feelings. Some drugs commonly used in this category include fluoxetine, citalopram, and paroxetine (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The recommended dosage includes a half dose at the start, which includes 10mg/day and can be increased to 20mg/day for fluoxetine after a week of half dosage (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The medication should be taken or administered for four weeks, and the individual should monitor if such drugs have taken effect in reducing the depressive feelings. Many pharmaceutical companies have also come up with a wide range of depressants aimed at taking quick action on the patient once administered. For instance, some of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) include bupropion, nefazodone, and trazodone, among others (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Other monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) include drugs such as phenelzine and tranylcypromine (Mayo Clinic, 2018). These are but a few antidepressant drug compounds mainly used to reduce the transmission of negative feelings of depression while administering other therapies as recommended by the physician based on the case management.

Non-pharmacological Treatments

Despite the medications helping treat depression, they work better with non-pharmacological interventions. The primary approach used by most clinical psychologists includes the cognitive behavioral therapy, which includes an interaction between the patient and the physician who teaches new skills on management of the stressful triggers and symptoms of depression, as well as helping the patient change the negative attitude and mood towards life or the cause of depression (Thapar et al., 2019). Therefore, it aims to build self-efficacy and appreciation of self to start a healing process towards mindset and behavioral changes that lead to positive consequences using a patient-centered approach to create that recovery path. Other methods of growing interest include acupuncture, a traditional Chinese approach of using tiny needles on the identified stress area in the body, and electroconvulsive therapy, among others (Rodriguez, 2019).

Community Resources and Referrals

In the community, there can be many resources that an individual can approach to seek help. For instance, religious denominations are a critical resource. Most religious leaders and volunteers in faith communities use references to religious doctrines and teachings to give hope in life and help one through counseling sessions. Also, non-profit organizations and facilities with psychologists and counselors can help. Another critical community resource includes schools that should have either an attached service of a counselor or trained educators that help children and adolescents who go through a lot of emotional and behavioral changes at the age and can be susceptible to depressive triggers. Family and friends also offer critical resources to help during the counseling session. Some online platforms also offer referrals to psychologists near the person; hence one can seek help if they feel they are falling into depression.

References

Thapar, A., Pine, D. S., Leckman, J. F., Scott, S., Snowling, M. J., & Taylor, E. A. (2015). Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (6th ed.). Wiley Blackwell

Mayo Clinic. (2018). Depression (major depressive disorder): Diagnosis and treatment. Mayoclinic.org. Retrieved 28 June 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356013.

Rodriguez, T. (2019). 5 Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Depression. MedShadow Foundation. Retrieved 28 June 2022, from https://medshadow.org/5-treatments-for-depression-without-meds/#.