Monday, May 7, 2012

Depression in Boys and Adolescent Males

This article, found on the NIMH website, explores depression in adolescent males.  Research is showing that depression is occurring earlier in life today than in past decades, and a closer look is being taken in regards to depression in adolescence.  Research shows that early onset depression often recurs or continues into adulthood, and may predict a more severe illness in adulthood. Symptoms of depression in a younger child may include saying he is sick, refusing to go to school, or clinging to a parent.  An older child may sulk, get into trouble at school, be negative and grouchy, and feel misunderstood.  Typically signs of depressive disorders in young people are often viewed as normal mood swings.  Despite the hesitation health care professionals are towards prematurely labeling a young person with a disorder, this article argues that early diagnoses and treatment of depressive disorders are critical to healthy emotional, social, and behavioral development.

Bipolar disorder, can also appear in children and adolescents and is more likely to affect the children of parents who have the illness.  It is shown that 20-40 percent of adolescents with major depression go on the reveal bipolar disorder within five years of the onset of depression.  There is much less research on treatment of children with depression than that for adults.  But recent studies agree that a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment, much like that in adults.




1 comment:

human psychology said...

boys have a different ways of depression, they have this attitude that sometimes its hard to understand..they have this attitude of being strong but deep inside they are week