The transition from childhood to adulthood is called adolescence. The core principles of transformation include psychological, cognitive, social and cognitive principles. The shift comes with many changes. These include role uncertainty, stress levels that are high, as well as emotional instability. The World Health Organization admits that between 10-20% and 20% of teens have 1-2 mental disorders during this period. The adolescent may also be affected by other socio-demographic factors, like parental involvement and financial position. This can lead to a desire to take drugs or substances, as shown in this example by Chen et al. 2020. Most medical professionals dismiss the symptoms of anxiety, sadness, or hopelessness among adolescents. However, unresolved problems can cause suicide thoughts to become more common.
A component of evidence-based medicine is careful first evaluations. A nurse will use self-administered tools to assess the symptoms of depression. Beck Depression Inventory is used to assess the severity of depression. It examines its levels and symptoms. Beck Hopelessness Scale can also be used to assess teens’ future outlook. Twenty true-false question will be asked of the participants. A comprehensive physical and review will be done by the nurse in addition to any self-administered assessments. Objections will help to determine teens’ mental state. Objective questions like “does your sleep get adequate?” can help to determine the disordered nature of a teenager’s cognitive processes. An evaluation will look into any past sexual abuses, violence, bullying, or other forms of childhood trauma. A possible relapse may be made. To assess suicide behavior, a brief mental health evaluation will be performed.
The DSM-IV criteria will be used by the nurse to match client’s symptoms and diagnose depression. Depression is defined by a depressed mood, low interest in anything, weight loss and skewed focus, as well as feelings of worthlessness. (Sela, et al. 2020). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale is used by nurses to determine the level of depression.
The two best methods to treat teenage depression are psychotherapy and medication. Because of its effectiveness, fluoxetine has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as the sole medication for treatment of teenage depression. A counselor psychologist will direct the teenage client to cognitive restructuring. Behavioral therapy and group treatment for social skills training and elementary problem-solving (Grover & Avasthi, 2019). The Patient Health Questionnaire is used to determine if the client is responding well to cognitive behavioral therapy and/or pharmaceutical therapy.