
Get answers to your child's growth, nutrition, and feeding behavior questions.
Growth and Nutrition Experts’s Bio | Q&A Archive
Depression - adolescents; Teenage depression
Periods of depressed mood are common in most adolescents. However, supportive relationships and healthy coping skills can help prevent these periods from leading to more severe depressive symptoms. Open communication with your teen can help identify depression earlier.
Counseling may help teens deal with periods of low mood. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches depressed people ways of fighting negative thoughts, is the most effective non-medication treatment for depression. Ensure that the counsellors or psychologists you work with are well trained in this method.
For adolescents with a strong family history of depression or multiple risk factors, episodes of depression may not be preventable. For these teens, early identification and prompt and appropriate treatment of depression may prevent or postpone further episodes.
Agerter DC, Rasmussen NH, Sutor B. Depression. In: Rakel RE, ed. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 58.
Borrillo Cm, Boris NW. Mood disorders. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 25.
Boris NW, Dalton R. Suicide and attempted suicide. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 26.
Zuckerbrot RA, Cheung AH, Jenson PS, Stein REK. Identification, assessment, and initial management guidelines for adolescent depression in primary care. Pediatrics. 2007;120:e1299-e1312.
Cheung AH, Zuckerbrot RA, Jenson PS, Ghalib K. Treatment and ongoing management guidelines for adolescent depression in primary care. Pediatrics. 2007;120:e1313-e1326.