Childhood Depression Therapy

848 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Treating depression with cognitive behavioral therapies

Depression in children has only started to be taken seriously in the past two decades. A child who is depressed may fake sickness, not want to go to school, or be overly attached to their parent. Older children may mope around, cause problems at school, have a negative attitude, and feel misunderstood in general. Because of the normal varying behaviors of childhood, it is often difficult for a parent to tell whether their child is just going through "phase" or is actually suffering from depression. Some mental health specialists say the number of childhood depression cases is increasing, and children younger and younger are being diagnosed. “I've even seen children as young as 3 years old with depression,” says Lois Flaherty, a child and adolescent …show more content…

"Many psychiatrists worry that non-specialists may be administering the drugs without referring the children for psychotherapy, which they say should be an integral part of drug therapy" (CQ Researcher). This can lead to many consequences, such as insomnia and even suicidal thoughts. Since children are involuntary patients, the government needs to take special precautions to insure that their safety is of the upmost importance. Law should require doctors to enroll their patients in cognitive behavior therapy before they are able to prescribe children antidepressant medications. Antidepressant medication should be treated as a last resort, if all other options …show more content…

American Family Physician states that, "Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome occurs in approximately 20 percent of patients after abrupt discontinuation of an antidepressant medication that was taken for at least six weeks" (Warner et. al). As bad as antidepressant discontinuation syndrome is, it is not the only withdrawal symptom caused by antidepressants. Kimberly Holland stated that the "drop of your medicine may also worsen your depression, send your symptoms on a downward spiral, and set your treatment back several weeks or months" (The Dangers of Abruptly Stopping Antidepressants). This is very dangerous, and the child may afflict harm to themselves or others during this time

Show More
Related

  • Talk Therapy vs Psychoactive Drugs

    2738 Words  | 6 Pages

    In today’s society, a lot of emphasis is placed on administering drugs and medicating people with psychological issues; however, most of these ailments and issues have the ability be treated through the use of talk therapy rather than medication. Americans are particularly guilty of over medicating when it comes to our more common mental health diagnosis such as, ADHD, depression, and anxiety. We as a society expect things to be done at the snap of a finger; in our advancement of science, we have been able to discover ways of offering the results we want quickly, inexpensively, and with little effort. Unfortunately, although the use of medications, also known as psychoactive drugs, occasionally remove the symptoms, but they do little to remove the causes of these mental health issues. In addition, to the lack of solution that the use of psychoactive drugs offer, they can also have unwanted and dangerous side effects. These can include simple physical irritants such as dry mouth and head aches, and can range up to dependency and substance abuse, and in some cases even death. Moreover, there are cases of inappropriate prescribing, where doctors are authorizing the use of medications that don’t work or are not pertinent to the issue the patient is experiencing. Furthermore, some of these doctors are issuing these medications without subjecting the patient to a proper mental health evaluation by a psychological professional.

    Read More

  • Psychotherapy Therapy: Cognitive Behavior Therapy

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Psychotherapy integration is best explained as an attempt to look beyond and across the dimensions of a single therapy approach, to examine what one can learn from other perspectives, and how one’s client’s can benefit from various ways of administering therapy (Corey, 2013). Research has shown that a variety of treatments are equally effective when administered by therapist who believe in them and client’s that accept them (Corey, 2013). Therefore, one of the best aspects of utilizing an integrative approach is that, in most cases, if a therapist understands how and when to incorporate therapeutic interventions, they usually can’t go wrong. While integrating different approaches can be beneficial for the client, it is also important for the

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Antidepressants

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is often recommended to taper of the dosage of antidepressants gradually so that the body can get used to the change. As a counterclaim, it is said that up to 20 percent of people who stop taking antidepressants can suddenly experience unpleasant side effects, up to 72 hours of the last dose. For some, the discontinuation symptoms are so severe that they avoid taking an psychotropic medications again. However this is rare to happen if the dosages units are not abused and discontinuation of the drug is done through the primary care physicians consent.

    Read More

  • Children, Adolescents & Psychotropic Medication

    1677 Words  | 4 Pages

    Psychotropic medications, also referred to as psychiatric or psychotherapeutic medications, are used to treat psychiatric disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They have been used for many years and oftentimes come with dangerous side effects. The side effects that often occur in children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.). The use of psychotropic medication to treat mental disorders in children and adolescents is highly controversial because of ethical viewpoints (i.e. parents “drugging” their children to calm them down) and potentially harmful side effects, but one has to take into consideration whether the risks outweigh the benefits when deciding whether or not to give this type of medication to children.

    Read More

  • Children and Antidepressants

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    In summary, the article talked about the effects that antidepressant pills have on children. Immense publicity about antidepressants causing suicidal behavior in children is prompting more parents to hesitate to take their kids to psychiatrists. More doctors are hesitating to put their patients on antidepressant prescriptions. Last October, the Food and Drug Administration ordered black box labels, the most severe warning, on all anti-depressants. Some doctors think that these medicines are "speed bumps" and might end in more suicides. Other doctors think, "For children who really need treatment, a ‘wait and see' approach could be dangerous." The percentage rate of children's antidepressant prescriptions has dropped within the last couple months. Psychiatrist Bruce Black says, "Kids are unhappy for a lot of reasons, and antidepressants often aren't the solution."

    Read More

  • Antipsychotic Drugs Are Bad For Children

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Antipsychotic drugs are the new quick fix for mental illness in children, whether right or wrong. Doctors shouldn’t give children antipsychotic drugs at a young age, even though it may be the easy way out of dealing with these children. These drugs will make the victim lifeless and without character for a long time. Such drugs have caused major side effects which caused the child to have long-term issues, which they will face for the rest of their lives. In other words, antipsychotic drugs are gruesome for young children and therefore shouldn’t be used.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Antidepressants On Children And Teens

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the FDA, about 2.5% of children and around 8% of adolescents are affected by depression (Temple). A common way to treat depression is by taking antidepressants. Children and teens have also been prescribed antidepressants for various reasons other than depression such as OCD and anxiety disorders. While it is legal for teenagers and children to take antidepressants, many people are concerned with the issues that taking antidepressants have. Children and teens should be allowed to take antidepressants only when other forms of therapy don’t work. Antidepressants are serious drugs that have severe warnings when children and teens use them. There is also an increased risk of worsening depression and suicide in children and teens, especially in the when they begin to take it. Even the less severe side effects can make quite a negative impact on life.

    Read More

  • Depression in America's Teens

    2855 Words  | 6 Pages

    Clinical depression goes beyond sadness or having a bad day. It is a form of mental illness that affects the way one feels, thinks, and acts. Depression in children can lead to failure in school, alcohol or other drug abuse and even suicide. The warning signs of depression fall into four different categories: emotional signs, cognitive signs (those involving thinking), physical complaints, and behavioral changes. Depending upon the degree of depression, a child may experience a few symptoms or many. Also, the severity of each symptom may vary. According to the CQ Researcher, "School

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Medicated Child

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    The documentary “The Medicated Child” gave me a lot of insight into the lives of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When we hear and learn about bipolar disorder, we do not normally think of children. However, there are many children diagnosed with bipolar disorder ranging from all ages. As we saw in the documentary, bipolar disorder can be very hard on both the child and the family, so finding a cure that is effective and safe is important. The video also highlighted how little research there has been on the effectiveness of antidepressants on children.

    Read More

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Depression

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    Cognitive behavioral therapy commonly known as CBT is a systematic process by which we learn to change our negative thoughts into more positive ones. CBT is a combination of two types of therapy, Cognitive Therapy and Behavioral Therapy. Cognition is our thoughts, so cognitive behavioral therapy combines working with our thought process and changing our behavior at the same time. Cognitive behavioral therapists believe that our behavior and our feelings are influenced by the way we think; also our mood is affected by our behavior and thought process. So CBT tries to tackle our thoughts, feelings and behavior. Scientific research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy is affective for a wide range of mental health problems. The purpose is to bring positive change by alleviating emotional distress such as depression. CBT starts by breaking down your problems into smaller components, often trying to identify particular problematic thoughts or behavior. Once these problems are broken down it is then suggested a straightforward plan in which the patient and therapist can intervene to promote recovery.

    Read More

  • Does Antidepressants Use in Teenagers Increase Suicide Rates?

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the past few recent years, there has been a developing concern about the use of antidepressants in teenagers (13-20 years of age) as there has been increase in teen depression in the world. It is now a big question among the psychiatrists if it is really beneficial for teenagers. In most cases parents take their child to the psychiatrist if they notice them behaving differently from normal and see if they can do something about it. Unfortunately, prescribing an antidepressant to an adolescent may increase suicidal thought or completions. The literature review will therefore consider if antidepressants are appropriate to be used by teenagers and if they influence or contribute to the suicidal thoughts and actions. The view will mainly respond to the following questions:

    Read More

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

    2362 Words  | 5 Pages

    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method of correcting invalid thought patterns to a more positive view of the person and their place in their world. Some people do not believe that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a real treatment for depression, claiming it is a form of positive thinking ("The Daily Mail," 2009). On the opposite end of the spectrum, others argue that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be used in all therapies for depression as it allows the patient to take an active role in their treatment. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefit of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a viable treatment of depression, either as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with other therapies.

    Read More

  • Understanding Child Mood Disorders: Depression and Bipolar

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chapter 10 titled “Depressive and Bipolar Disorders” discussed in detail the history of mood disorders that included depressive, major depressive, persistent depressive and disruptive mood dysregulation disorders. Chapter 10 articulated the causes of depression along with discussing a variety of treatment options available to match the child’s individual need. The chapter further reviews the associated characteristics of depression along with the theories currently presented by research.

    Read More

  • Avoid Reuptake Inhibitors Psychology

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    Do we do this? Typically not. We seem to generally rely on medication to get us through these feelings. SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are the main type of medication used to treat depression and they work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin letting it remain longer in the synaptic cleft. SSRIs have been found to increase the likelihood of suicide in children, teenagers, and adults with Paxil being one of the biggest offenders (Breggin, 2008). So let us pretend that we are giving these medications to child. Keep in mind they have been tested on adults, not children, so we do not even know if they work, and we know they may cause suicide risk. This is also assuming our child is simply dealing with ‘depression’ but what if the child is ‘bi-polar?’ Will we give them Paxil for the depression, but then we will probably need to throw in Xanax for anxiety, so now this child has been given a few drugs to battle it out inside of their developing brains. With all of this and then the stress of being told there is something wrong with them, they probably cannot sleep. What do we do? Throw more medications into the cocktail until this child is spellbound. Now let us sit this child down and ask how they are feeling. One of two things will probably happen, the child will sit perfectly still (stupor) and agree that the drugs are working thanks to some anosognosia and a little

    Read More

  • Childhood Depression

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    for that reason. Children tend to express their sadness by behavioral changes, poor Recognizing the symptoms and early signs of childhood depression, seeking diagnosis and treatment and learning to live with and accept the disorder and still live for yourself are all important steps for knowledgeable parents.

    Read More

More about Childhood Depression Therapy

Open Document