Adolescent Depression - The Under Acknowledged Disease
Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way
that the afflicted tends to act and react abnormally toward others and
themselves. Therefore it comes to no surprise to discover that
adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent
suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than
cardiovascular disease or cancer (Blackman, 1995). Despite this
increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly
underdiagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and
personal adjustment which may often continue into adulthood. How
prevalent are mood disorders in children and when should an adolescent
with changes in mood be considered clinically depressed?
Brown (1996) has said the reason why depression is often over looked in
children and adolescents is because "children are not always able to
express how they feel." Sometimes the symptoms of mood disorders take
on different forms in children than in adults. Adolescence is a time of
emotional turmoil, mood swings, gloomy thoughts, and heightened
sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and experimentation. Blackman
(1996) observed that the "challenge is to identify depressive
symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more
transient, but expected, developmental storm." Therefore, diagnosis
should not lay only in the physician's hands but be associated with
parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with the patient on a daily
basis. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often
masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom
and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors (Oster &
Montgomery, 1996). Mood disorders are often accompanied by other
psychological problems such as anxiety (Oster & Montgomery, 1996),
eating disorders (Lasko et al., 1996), hyperactivity (Blackman, 1995),
substance abuse (Blackman, 1995; Brown, 1996; Lasko et al., 1996) and
suicide...
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