Problems Related to Identifying/Diagnosing and the Assessment of Depression in Adolescents Taking Into Account Gender and Contextual Factors.
PYC4802 PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Discuss problems related to identifying/diagnosing and the assessment of depression in adolescents taking into account gender and contextual factors.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition of terms used
3. Epidemiology of depression in adolescents
4. Major Depressive Disorder: Assessment and Diagnosis
4.1 Clinical presentation of symptoms as per the DSM IV (Adults)
4.2 Clinical presentation of symptoms in children and adolescents not part of DSM IV
4.3 Difficulties in assessing and diagnosing depression in adolescents
5. Risk Factors for Depression in Adolescents
5.1 Gender: Boys vs Girls
5.2 Contextual risk factors
6. Conclusion
7. References
Introduction
As with the ‘terrible twos’, adolescence is a period in their child’s life that many parents dread. This can be a stressful time in a young person’s life and the emotional turbulence can impact on everyone around them. This is also a time when depression can easily be overlooked, as sudden behavioural changes are put down to adolescent moodiness, and behavioural problems are written off to the child being a difficult teenager, a ‘hormone hostage’. It is unrealistic to expect that a child entering puberty and who has to adjust to the physical, emotional, biological and social changes suddenly thrust on them, will automatically have the coping skills, vocabulary and self-knowledge to navigate this period in their lives successfully. Adolescent depression is an under-researched area of psychology and successful diagnosis is more dependent on the skill of the counsellor or psychologist than on available literature and agreed upon criteria. In this essay, the student will attempt to identify the problems related to identifying, diagnosing and making assessment of depression in adolescence as well as addressing the risk factors associated with gender and contextual influences.
2. Definitions
Discuss problems related to identifying/diagnosing and the assessment of depression in adolescents taking into account gender and contextual factors.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition of terms used
3. Epidemiology of depression in adolescents
4. Major Depressive Disorder: Assessment and Diagnosis
4.1 Clinical presentation of symptoms as per the DSM IV (Adults)
4.2 Clinical presentation of symptoms in children and adolescents not part of DSM IV
4.3 Difficulties in assessing and diagnosing depression in adolescents
5. Risk Factors for Depression in Adolescents
5.1 Gender: Boys vs Girls
5.2 Contextual risk factors
6. Conclusion
7. References
Introduction
As with the ‘terrible twos’, adolescence is a period in their child’s life that many parents dread. This can be a stressful time in a young person’s life and the emotional turbulence can impact on everyone around them. This is also a time when depression can easily be overlooked, as sudden behavioural changes are put down to adolescent moodiness, and behavioural problems are written off to the child being a difficult teenager, a ‘hormone hostage’. It is unrealistic to expect that a child entering puberty and who has to adjust to the physical, emotional, biological and social changes suddenly thrust on them, will automatically have the coping skills, vocabulary and self-knowledge to navigate this period in their lives successfully. Adolescent depression is an under-researched area of psychology and successful diagnosis is more dependent on the skill of the counsellor or psychologist than on available literature and agreed upon criteria. In this essay, the student will attempt to identify the problems related to identifying, diagnosing and making assessment of depression in adolescence as well as addressing the risk factors associated with gender and contextual influences.
2. Definitions
References: 1. Burwell, R.A., & Shirk, S.R. (2006). Self-processes in adolescent depression: The role of self-worth contingencies. Journal of Research in Adolescence, 16(3), 179-490. 2. Costello, E.J., Erkanli, A., & Angold, A., (2006). Is there an epidemic of child or adolescent depression? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(12), 1263-1271. 3. Colman, A.M. (2009). Oxford Dictionary of Psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 4. Crowe, M., Ward, N., Dunnachie, B., & Roberts, M. (2006). Characteristics of adolescent depression. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 15, 10-18. 6. Mash, E.J., & Wolfe, D.A. (2010). Abnormal child psychology (4th ed.). Belmong: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. 7. Marano, H.E. (2003). More women suffer depression. Psychology Today, July 1, 2003. Retrieved on May 6, 2013, from www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200307/more-women-suffer-depression 8. Page, R.M., & Hall, C.P 9. Son, E.S. & Kirchner, J.T. (2000). Depression in children and adolescents. American Family Physician, 62(10), 2297-2308. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from www.aafp.org/afp/2000/1115/p2297.html 10. American Accreditation Healthcare Commission