Teen Depression
Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
- Teen depression facts
- What is teen depression?
- What are causes and risk factors for depression in teenagers?
- What are teen depression symptoms and signs?
- What are warning signs for teen suicide?
- How do health-care professionals diagnose depression in teens?
- What is the treatment for teen depression?
- What are complications of teen depression?
- What is the prognosis of teen depression?
- Is it possible to prevent teen depression?
- What can family members and friends do to help a depressed teen?
- Where can teens get support for depression?
- Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
Teen depression facts
- Depression that extends beyond sadness to the point of illness is that which interferes with the sufferer's ability to function.
- Depression affects about 20% of adolescents by the time they become adults.
- Teenage depression does not have one single definitive cause but rather several psychological, biological, and environmental risk factors.
- General depression symptoms include having an irritable or depressed mood for more than two weeks and having at least five clinical symptoms and signs.
- Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth 10-24 years of age in the United States.
- In order to determine the diagnosis of depression, a health-care professional may run routine lab test, conduct a medical interview and physical examination, and ask standard mental-health questions.
- Treatment for teen depression may include lifestyle adjustments, psychotherapy, and medication for moderate to severe depression.
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are the two major approaches commonly used to treat teen depression.
- About one-half of teens who take antidepressants improve. It may take up to six weeks of taking medication at the appropriate dose to start feeling better.
- Teen depression is a risk factor for developing a number of other mental-health symptoms and disorders.
- In the U.S., depression is the leading cause of disability for people over 5 years of age.
Next: What is teen depression?
http://www.medicinenet.com/teen_depression/article.htm
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