Adolescent Depression, Essay Example

Adolescent depression is a prevalent problems because the individuals who experience these symptoms are struggling to gain control and make sense of a new world in which they are able to and required to make decisions on their own. This is a stressful event for many individuals and is made more challenging when these groups are unsure of how to cope with these stresses. Symptoms of depression in children and adolescents are characterized by persistent feelings of sadness or anxiousness, fatigue and/or insomnia, changes in eating patterns, irritability and restlessness, feelings of guilt or helplessness, and difficulty concentrating and remembering details.

Primary prevention involves decreasing the stress of groups of adolescents that are considered to be at risk. Techniques involve helping them find healthy ways to cope with their stress. Secondary prevention typically involves use of antidepressant medications. Tertiary prevention provides rehabilitation through counseling and other means for individuals who are in severely depressive states or who have attempted to commit suicide. An important nursing intervention that could be applied to helping adolescents that have suspected depression is providing them with tools to help them cope with stress. An example of this is providing a student who is stressed about school work and grades organizational advice that will help completing assignments and studying become easier. Furthermore, it would be reasonable for the nurse to propose different medications based on the observed efficacy. Two community and state resources that would be able to help adolescents with depression include Desert Hills depression treatment center and ABQ support groups. Desert Hills provides patients with medical care with ABQ support groups will allow adolescents to discuss their feelings with others that have the same condition.

References

ABQ. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.abqjournal.com/health/support.pdf

Desert Hills. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.deserthills-nm.com/depression