Outline

Adolescent Depression
Source:
Kalb, Claudia. “Troubled Souls.” Newsweek 22 Sept. 2003:68-70.
Summary:
Depressive disorders, which include anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, and behavioral disorders, can have far reaching effects on the functioning and adjustment of young people. Among both children and adolescents, depressive disorders confer an increased risk for illness and interpersonal and psychosocial difficulties that persist long after the depressive episode is resolved; in adolescents there is also an increased risk for substance abuse and suicidal behavior.
Unfortunately, these disorders often go unrecognized by families and physicians alike. Signs of depressive disorders in young people often are viewed as normal mood swings typical of a particular developmental stage. In addition, health care professionals may be reluctant to prematurely “label” a young person with a mental illness diagnosis. Yet early diagnosis and treatment of depre...