ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION

Adolescent Depression



Adolescence Depression

Introduction

Adolescence is an important period during the lifespan, with specific challenging and developmental tasks. The homosexual is striving for more independence and autonomy, which often creates tension with parents and caregivers who try to set boundaries to limit risk. Another challenge in the family is the homosexual's desire to spend increased time developing social relationships outside of the family context.

The current Practice Parameters from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) for homosexual depression emphasize the importance of including the family in each phase of depression treatment. This includes addressing factors such as family understanding of depression; parental depression; motivation for treatment; family conflict; and monitoring of youth by family members (Marriott, 2009).

Thesis Statement

In this paper, we are discussing the effects of depression in homosexuals and what role does family therapy play in it.

Discussion

Identify the population in terms of diagnoses

Depression, with a point prevalence of approximately 6% during adolescence, puts homosexual at major risk for adverse outcomes. These risks include psychosocial difficulties; drug and alcohol abuse; theoretical problems; early parenthood; sociality; and adult depression.1-6 to date, antidepressant medications and psychotherapy have been shown to be effective in the treatment of pediatric depression.

Depression in homosexuals affects families in countless ways. Extant data have shown that child depression and parental depression are often co-occurring in families. In addition, families of depressed homosexual may display communication problems; low levels of family cohesion and support; excessive control; and increased conflict. Family dysfunction, including high levels of a negative effect, conflict, and hostility, is associated with depressive illness.. For example, protective factors may reduce the risk of suicidal in homosexuals (Marriott, 2009).

Theories of psychotherapy for best treating

Although a considerable number of studies have compared guided self-help and client centered therapy in depression are directly related with each other (i.e. in the same study), no meta-analysis of these studies has been conducted. Such a meta-analysis is, however, important, because most individual studies in this field do not have sufficient statistical power to detect a significant difference between the two treatments. In fact, many studies could be better described as equivalence studies in which a null finding is the expected outcome. If there is a difference between the two treatments it can be assumed that this difference is relatively small, and in order to detect a small effect, a large number of participants are needed. Most studies in this field have not included sufficient participants to detect a possible difference. This could suggest that the two treatments are equally effective, while in fact, they are not (Marriott, 2009). Here, we are presenting the theories which would be helpful for depression

Client Centered Therapy

Client centered therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, is a non structured, non directive process between the psychotherapist and the patient. It is the process itself, not something that the psychotherapist does to the patient that ultimately enables the patient to feel better by relieving the symptoms of depression. Client centered therapy is based on the humanistic philosophy that we ...