Depression in Children and Adolescents

I.INTRODUCTION.

A. Greeting.

Good Afternoon, my name is Sonia Cruz. Today I�m going to talk about Depression in Children and Adolescents.

B. Attention Grabber.

Concord McGrath, Michael “According to the Centers for Disease Control The suicide rate in the U.S. is 11 per 100,000 people. This makes the national suicide rate significantly higher than the nation�s

homicide rate, with three suicides for every two homicides. Many of 30,000 suicides reported annually in the United States result from depression. Depression accounts for two thirds of all suicides.

Suicide rates amongst children are especially alarming, with untreated depression identified as the single greatest suicide risk. Suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds, and the

fourth leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14″ (McGrath, Michael.)

C. Credibility Statement.

Today I chose to talk about this topic because my best friend started to develop a very severe depression at a very young age I didn’t know what was happening to her until she attempted to commit suicide,

she opened herself after the incident, and began to relate me how life was so unfair with her and how she rather preferred to die than to live an empty life.

D. Relevance.

It is important to know what depression is because is not just the “blues” a child or adolescent may possible have, but it can be a serious mental illness, in addition it is a disorder that affects and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and the ones who care about these young people.

E. Thesis Statement

My objective today is to inform why children and teens may have depression, the different types of depression young people can experience, as well what can be done to help children and adolescents who suffer from depression.

F. Preview.

Children and adolescents are the future of our country, however many of these kids and teens are suffering from a mental illness that interfere with their daily life routines. One of these mental health problems is depression a mental illness that is real, painful, and furthermore serious to deal with causing young people to commit suicide. There are different types of depression and have distinctive symptoms, causes, and effects. Being able to identify what kind of depression a children or teen may have can help us to recognize the symptoms, and to be aware if this young people may have depression.

G.[Transition] Know im going to talk the reason this young people may suffer from depression.

II. BODY.

A. Main Point#1:

Depression is one of the mental and emotional behaviors that affect everyone including children and adolescents. There have been a lot of research to find out what may cause depression, however there is no

a clear understanding of this mental illness at the moment, but the believe it is that is caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors.

1. Depression it�s caused by different factors such as genetics. Children and teenagers that have a family history of depression are more susceptible to get depression although some are not affecting by these genes and are not affected by this mental illness. Genetics can play a big role in depression, still is not the single cause of depression.

2. Life events also play an important role in depression. Infants and teens find very difficult to assimilate a tragic events such as the death of a love one, which can lead to grief and sadness. Other difficult life events are when parents divorced or remarry, or lose of a relationship; even events like moving from neighborhood or changing school can be emotionally challenging enough that can also lead to depression.

3. An additional cause that can lead to depression is the environment in which some children and teens live such as: a negative family atmosphere, or a stressful experience in school that affects their self- esteem and lead to depression.

4. When young people have depression they find difficult to fit in with everyday activities and daily responsibilities. They have difficulties getting along with others and suffer from low self-esteem; signs of depression include: sadness that will not end hopelessness, boredom, unexplained irritability or crying, loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable, difficulty concentrating, reckless behavior, and frequent thoughts about death or suicide.

5.[Transition] Although it is important to know why children and teens can have depression, it is also important to know the different types of depression these young people can experience.

B. Main Point #2

According to Schoenstadt, Arthur “There are a number of different types of depression that a person can experience. Several of them start during the teenage years. The most frequently diagnosed types of depression in teens include: Major depression Dysthymia and Bipolar disorder” (Schoenstadt, Arthur)

1.Major depression: Major depression is also known as clinical depression,unipolar depression, and major depressive disorder. This type of depression last at least 7 to 9 months and its symptoms are lack of pleasure in activities that were once enjoyable, persistent feel of sadness sleep problems, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate, memory problems, and aches and pains. People who suffer from this condition often feel worthless, helpless, and hopeless about their ability to fix things. Children and teens who suffer from this kind of depression relay on sleep because when they wake up they see the real world as their nightmare.Sometimes, when major depression goes untreated, it will run its course and leave by itself. Recent research has shown that genetic and stress play a role in major depression .

2.Dysthymia depression: Dysthymia depression also known as double depression. This kind of depression last at least two weeks this depression its almost the same as major depression the only difference its that has milder symptoms and last shorter. Some symptoms of dystymia depression in children and teens are: poor school or work performance, social withdrawal ,shyness ,irritable hostility ,conflicts with family and friends and sleep irregularities According to Healthy Place “About three percent of the population will suffer from dysthymia at some time – a rate slightly lower than the rate of major depression. Like major depression, dysthymia occurs twice as often in women as it does in men. It is also more common among the poor and the unmarried. The symptoms of dysthymia usually appear in adolescence or young adulthood but in some cases do not emerge until middle age.”

3.Bipolar depression disorder: Bipolar disorder also known as Manic-depressive illness this type of depression has severe symptoms this disorder causes change in moods as an example people who experience this disorder experience unusually intense emotional state that occur in distinct period its called mood episodes or an overly joyful state is called manic episode and an extremely sad or hopeless state is called a mixed state. Another symptom is the change on energy, activity levels and the ability to do normal tasks in daily routines. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor school or job performance, and may even lead to suicide. Some people start to develop this disorder during childhood, but normally develops in a person’s late teens

4.[Transition] Equally important is to know what can be done to help children and teens who suffer from depression.

C. Main Point #3

When children and teens are depressed it doesn’t affect them only, it also affect the ones who care about him. That is why relatives and friend should be aware of what can they do to help. The first and most important thing relatives and friend can do to help a young person with depression is to seek professional help.

1. A doctor or mental health professional will make an evaluation and will diagnostic if the child or teen have depression; why he or she might have depression and what type of depression she or he might have.Once diagnosed, the child or teen with depression she or he can be treated with a number of methods. The most common treatments are psychotherapy and antidepressants.

2. Psychotherapy is the treatment of mental and emotional disorders through the use of psychological techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into problems, with the goal being personality growth and behavior modification.This process is often call ‘ talk therapy” because it involves the patient and therapist sitting in a room talking. Concord Schimelpfening, Nanci “Psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for depression, because it helps the patient delve into the underlying reasons for his depression and learn new coping skills. Good evidence exists that one particular type of psychotherapy, called cognitive-behavioral therapy, may be just as effective as an antidepressant in treating depression. Several studies suggest, however, that the combination of an antidepressant and psychotherapy is the best approach. While psychotherapy is useful for ferreting out the psychological factors that contribute to depression, antidepressant medication corrects the underlying chemical imbalance”( Schimelpfening, Nanci).Psychotherapy treatments are usually the first choice for children and adolescents this can be an individual therapy or a family therapy or both.

3. According to the National Institute of Mental Health “Depression is commonly treated with antidepressant medications. Antidepressants work to balance some of the natural chemicals in our brains. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters, and they affect our mood and emotional responses” (Depression). Antidepressants are prescription drugs that help people achieve their recovery, but as all drugs it have many benefits as well side effecs that is why these antidepressants should only be taken under a doctor’s supervision, whether antidepressant medication is the best treatment option depends on how severe the child or teen depression is, their history of illness, and their personal preferences, most teens do best with a combination of medications for depression and therapy.

4.When children and adolescents are going through treatment is important to support them to listen to them and to tell them how important they are.

III. CONCLUSION

A. Signal

Before concluding my talk. I hope and i make clear what is depresion on children and adolescent.

B. Thesis Restatement.

My purpose today was to give you information about the different types of depression young people can experience, as well what can be done to help children and adolescents who suffer from depression.

C.Summary of Main Points.

1.Main Point #1

Know you know that depression is a mental and emotional illness that can have many different factors such as biological and environmental.

2.Main Point#2

Secondly and not least important we have a clear understanding of the different types of depression and how they affect children and adolescents.

3.Main Point#3

Today we also learn what can relatives and friends can do to help a child or teen who is facind depression.

D.Concluding Remarks,Memorable Statement, and/or call to action

“Why live? Why die? to keep on living an empty life.”

these word were from a 14 years old who commit suicide from depression