Depression in Adolescents
This article was authored by Katharina Weitkamp, Eva Klein, Nick Midgley, and published on 16th may 2016. Generally, there is insufficient research conducted in health regarding the experiences of the adolescents dealing with mental ailments. Thus, the objective of this study was to highlight how young people battle with depression and their experiences when undergoing therapy following a diagnosis with mental illness. For such reasons, the research is essential since it provides not only new information but also a better understanding of mental disorders among young people.
The approach applied was use if semi-structured interviews conducted with six young people, five females and one male. From the study, the author identified four crucial themes. The first one is an overwhelming experience accompanying the suffering, secondly, high levels of isolation and loneliness, third, failure to comprehend the suffering and lastly resorting to therapy as the final option (Weitkamp, Klein & Midgley, 2016). The study highlighted the significance of minimizing stigma and encouraging people to undergo, mental health education for young people plus health professionals, school staff as well as parents.
The study is crucial because it mirrors findings by world health organization which highlighted serious void for mental health challenges, especially among adolescents and children. For instance, many young people in their teenage years satisfy the diagnostic criteria for depression which renders affective ailments of particular significance for psychological services (Biglan et al 2015). Incidentally, there are few cases of treatment of mental ailments among young people. Furthermore, this delay in accessing treatment is a major concern with many young people only seeking help long after the onset of the mental disorder (Weinberger et al 2018). The failure to identify signs of depression in young people and the fear of stigmatization are the two main causes of the delayed access for mental health services.
The authors sought to build on previous research works by interviewing previously diagnosed young people and referring to written works on the topic. According to Roberts and Duong (2014), this approach enhances the credibility of a study. The participants gave a written consent before taking part in the study. Also, the authors used pseudonyms to cover the identities of these participants. This allows such young people to open up without fear. Nevertheless, the study had one significant shortcoming in that it only covered the young people who consented to interview (Weitkamp, Klein & Midgley, 2016). Hence, vital information was missed out even though a majority of the participants mentioned social anxiety as a key factor in depression among young people.
The results and discussion revealed the expected four themes. All the symptoms revealed among young people mirrored those of adults undergoing mental treatment. They include irritability and aggression commonly associated with a post-traumatic disorder. Other warning signs of depression are interpersonal conflicts at school or at home, drop in academic performance and persistent irritability (Kremer et al 2014). The study revealed the essence of identifying depressive symptoms early enough to seek medical attention.
From the conclusion, it is evident the authors answer all the raised questions in regard to depression among young people. The results mirrored known depressive symptoms from previous studies by other researchers. However, due to the few participants not every symptom of depression was identified and those were a key limitation to the findings of the study. Nevertheless, it is a study that is applicable to providing new insights into mental disorders among adolescents. Overall, it is a credible article sufficient for nursing practitioners in handling mentally ailing young people.
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