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Adolescent depression

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Depression - adolescents; Teenage depression

Symptoms:

• Depressed or irritable mood
• Temper (agitation)
• Loss of interest in activities
• Reduced pleasure in daily activities
• Appetite changes (usually a loss of appetite but sometimes an increase)
• Weight change (unintentional weight loss or unintentional weight gain)
• Persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep ( insomnia )
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fifficulty making decisions
• Episodes of memory loss
• Preoccupation with self
• Feelings of worthlessness, sadness, or self-hatred
• Excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt
• Acting-out behavior (missing curfews, unusual defiance)
• Thoughts about suicide or obsessive fears or worries about death
• Plans to commit suicide or actual suicide attempt
• Excessively irresponsible behavior pattern

If these symptoms persist for at least 2 weeks and cause significant distress or difficulty functioning, treatment should be sought.

Signs and tests:

The doctor will perform a physical examination and order blood tests to rule out medical causes for the symptoms.

The doctor will evaluate the teen for signs of substance abuse. Heavy drinking, frequent marijuana (pot) smoking, and other drug use can be caused by or occur because of depression.

A psychiatric evaluation will also be done to document the teen's history of sadness, irritability, and loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities. The doctor will look for signs of potentially co-existing psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, mania, or schizophrenia. A careful assessement of the teenager will help determine suicidal/homicidal risks -- that is, if the teen is a danger to him or herself or others.

Information from family members or school personnel can often help identify depression in teenagers.

References:

MacKenzie DL, Gover AR,  Armstrong GS, Mitchell O. A National Study Comparing the Environments of Boot Camps With Traditional Facilities for Juvenile Offenders . Washington, DC. National Institute of Justice, US Dept. of Justice; 2001.

Borque B, Han M, Hill S. A National Survey of Aftercare Provisions for Boot Camp Graduates . Washington, DC. National Institute of Justice, US Dept. of Justice; 1996.

Bottcher J, Isorena T. First-year evaluation of the California Youth Authority Boot Camp. In: D MacKenzie, E Herbert, eds. Correctional Boot Camps: A Tough Intermediate Sanction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, US Dept of Justice; 1995.

MacKenzie D, Souryal C.  Multi-site Evaluation of Shock Incarceration. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, US Dept of Justice; 1994.

Peters M, Thomas D, Zamberlan C. Boot Camps for Juvenile Offenders Program Summary. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Dept of Justice; 1997.

• Review Date: 5/17/2007
• Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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