At Risk Youth

Children whose parents are depressed are more at risk for depression themselves. Now two new studies from Vanderbilt University indicate that family treatments for depression may lower a child’s risk.

The first study looked at two groups of adults with depression, and their children ages 9 to 15 years old. One group was assigned to cognitive behavioral therapy as a family unit. The other group used written materials that children and parents read on their own.

Children in the first group had half the incidence of depression compared to children in the second. The greatest benefits occurred a year after participation in the two kinds of therapy. The study appeared in the Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology.

The second study found that cognitive behavioral therapy could help teenagers, but did not necessarily help parents with depression.

“We now have extremely encouraging evidence from two studies conducted at Vanderbilt, that we may be able to reduce the incidence of depression and other mental health problems in children at high risk,” said Prof. Bruce Compas.

The second study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Young people with depression are more likely to do poorly in school and relationships, and they are at higher risk for substance abuse and suicide.

About 100 teenagers commit suicide every week, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If a young person feels sad or hopeless every day for 14 days, that is an indication of severe depression that can lead to suicide. About one in four teenagers experience such symptoms at least once a year.

The CDC study found that such depression, low self-esteem, perfectionism, abuse of drugs or alcohol, being a victim of abuse or neglect, being gay or lesbian, and tendency to be a “loner” are factors associated with elevated risk for suicide.

If a teenager shows at least three of the following risk factors for teen suicide, his or her parents should seek help:

• Increased irritability
• Sudden outbursts of emotion
• Changes in school attendance
• Sudden failure to do school work
• Attitude of despair
• Preoccupation with death
• Excessive eating or sleeping
• Not eating or sleeping enough.

Teens who grow up in insecure relationships are more likely to be depressed and to have headaches and abdominal or stomach pain, according to new research from the University of Montreal.

Dr. Isabelle Tremblay questioned 382 students in grades 8 to 12 about their emotional and physical pain. To put it simply, she said, insecure babies become insecure teenagers who become insecure adults.

“Although previous studies in adults found that an individual’s security level was influenced by painful experience, it was not clear why relationship security should be related to pain,” Dr. Tremblay said. “We found that adolescents with insecure relationships tend to be more alarmist about their pain symptoms. They have a tendency to amplify the degree of threat or severity of their pain. This amplification leads them to more intense pain and more severe depressive symptoms.”

The study appeared in the Journal of Pain.

A study that appears in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that teenagers who have disorders including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression and social phobia are more likely to develop an addiction to the Internet.

A Oct. 6 HealthDay News article provided the following details:

• The study surveyed more than 2,000 seventh graders who were assessed for mental illnesses, and asked about their Internet use.
• More than 10 percent of surveyed students exhibited symptoms of Internet addiction.
• Most often, Internet addiction is considered to be excessive use of the Internet that negatively impacts grades, family relationships or emotional state.
• Symptoms of Internet addiction include a preoccupation with the Internet, greater use of the Internet than anticipated or desired, an inability to stop, and using the Internet so much that it crowds out other activities.

Researchers say the study should serve as a warning to parents whose children have been diagnosed with mental disorders — and that these parents should be especially vigilant about monitoring their children’s Internet usage.

Over 80 percent of American teenagers experience depression, but many of these two million youngsters do not get treatment because they do not have health insurance.

A study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that over 40 percent of teenagers covered by health insurance got treatment for their depression compared to only 17 percent of depressed teens whose families have no health insurance.

SAMHSA Director Eric Broderick said this report “highlights our nation’s growing concern and commitment to alleviating the damage and suffering inflicted by untreated mental disorders on children, their families and communities.”