The client discussed in this paper is a 13 year old Caucasian male who was brought in for treatment by his mother who reported a change in the clients daily functioning and mood. He is in the 8th grade at a private high school located in the greater metropolitan area of Miami. During intake assessment the client reported feelings of anhedonia, feelings of worthlessness, trouble sleeping, morbid ideation, feelings of guilt, and hopelessness when thinking of the future. After receiving a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), the client was referred to weekly sessions of psychotherapy for a period of no more than 16 weeks. The theoretical approach used for this client was Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
Depression in adolescence is a growing concern in mental health professions across different communities, cultures, and demographics. Depression has been known to have adverse effects on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development of adolescents, and is directly linked to the risk of suicide. Increase in adolescent reports of depression and suicide attempts have resulted in increasing research studies that highlight the epidemiological causes, pathogenic components, and clinical treatment of depression in the adolescent population. Various components have been identified that directly affect the development and outcome of depression in adolescent clients such as: genetic, cognitive, psychosocial and familial factors. Research in regards to the treatment and outcome of depression has identified a breadth of clinical treatment methods including, cognitive, behavioral, psychoanalytic, and familial systemic approaches. The diagnosis of depression in adolescents has been identified as a daunting task, especially with the adolescent population. In part this is due to the attitudes adolescents hold, disparities in the seeking of mental health treatment for certain populations, possible comorbid disorders, and the focusing on externalizing symptoms by teachers, parents, or primary caregivers. Prognosis for undiagnosed and untreated depression beginning in adolescence is grim and has been linked with longitudinal pathology as the adolescent’s progress into adulthood. Intervention practices have been tailored to focus on the adolescents, in conjunction with some systemic work to highlight familial factors and their effect on the development and maintenance of the disorder. By the age of 18 years approximately one in four adolescents will have, at least once, met criteria for a positive diagnosis of MDD. …show more content…
Longitudinal studies have highlighted the claim that the continuity of youth depression into adulthood decreases social functioning, family impairments, and elevated suicide risks. Relapse rates for adolescents are reported 12% meeting symptoms for depression with a year and 33% within four years. The study of psychotherapeutic interventions as a treatment for depression has been markedly boosted due not only to the evidence of outcome and impact of adolescent depression, but as well as hesitation in pharmacotherapy intervention. As previously noted, the client in question was diagnosed with MDD. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), MDD is defined as a depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities for more than two weeks. In addition to these initial diagnostic symptoms an individual must meet five of nine specific symptoms nearly every day, these symptoms include: Depressed mood or irritability (most of the day nearly every day) that is measured by self- report or external observations. Decreased interest or pleasure in daily activities; significant weight change or change in appetite; change in sleeping habits; change in sleep; change in activity; fatigue or loss of energy; feelings of guilt or worthlessness; diminished ability to maintain concentration; suicidality. These clusters of symptoms must be a change from an individual’s baseline behavior and must cause impaired functioning in social, occupational, or educational domains. Initial assessment of the client …show more content…
It is a 17 item scale that is rated by clinician via unstructured interview with both the child and parent. A standard of score of ≥40 is correlated with a positive diagnosis of depression. In a study conducted by Mayes et al, 152 participants were recruited to measure the psychometric properties of the CDRS-R. The study found that internal consistency and item- total correlations to be good across all three visits, initial screening (0.79), baseline (0.74), and exit (0.92). CDRS-R scores at all three visits were highly correlated with the severity of depression (CGI-S) of participants. Scores were significantly correlated with global functioning scores, however, only during the exit
Depression in adolescence is a growing concern in mental health professions across different communities, cultures, and demographics. Depression has been known to have adverse effects on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development of adolescents, and is directly linked to the risk of suicide. Increase in adolescent reports of depression and suicide attempts have resulted in increasing research studies that highlight the epidemiological causes, pathogenic components, and clinical treatment of depression in the adolescent population. Various components have been identified that directly affect the development and outcome of depression in adolescent clients such as: genetic, cognitive, psychosocial and familial factors. Research in regards to the treatment and outcome of depression has identified a breadth of clinical treatment methods including, cognitive, behavioral, psychoanalytic, and familial systemic approaches. The diagnosis of depression in adolescents has been identified as a daunting task, especially with the adolescent population. In part this is due to the attitudes adolescents hold, disparities in the seeking of mental health treatment for certain populations, possible comorbid disorders, and the focusing on externalizing symptoms by teachers, parents, or primary caregivers. Prognosis for undiagnosed and untreated depression beginning in adolescence is grim and has been linked with longitudinal pathology as the adolescent’s progress into adulthood. Intervention practices have been tailored to focus on the adolescents, in conjunction with some systemic work to highlight familial factors and their effect on the development and maintenance of the disorder. By the age of 18 years approximately one in four adolescents will have, at least once, met criteria for a positive diagnosis of MDD. …show more content…
Longitudinal studies have highlighted the claim that the continuity of youth depression into adulthood decreases social functioning, family impairments, and elevated suicide risks. Relapse rates for adolescents are reported 12% meeting symptoms for depression with a year and 33% within four years. The study of psychotherapeutic interventions as a treatment for depression has been markedly boosted due not only to the evidence of outcome and impact of adolescent depression, but as well as hesitation in pharmacotherapy intervention. As previously noted, the client in question was diagnosed with MDD. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), MDD is defined as a depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities for more than two weeks. In addition to these initial diagnostic symptoms an individual must meet five of nine specific symptoms nearly every day, these symptoms include: Depressed mood or irritability (most of the day nearly every day) that is measured by self- report or external observations. Decreased interest or pleasure in daily activities; significant weight change or change in appetite; change in sleeping habits; change in sleep; change in activity; fatigue or loss of energy; feelings of guilt or worthlessness; diminished ability to maintain concentration; suicidality. These clusters of symptoms must be a change from an individual’s baseline behavior and must cause impaired functioning in social, occupational, or educational domains. Initial assessment of the client …show more content…
It is a 17 item scale that is rated by clinician via unstructured interview with both the child and parent. A standard of score of ≥40 is correlated with a positive diagnosis of depression. In a study conducted by Mayes et al, 152 participants were recruited to measure the psychometric properties of the CDRS-R. The study found that internal consistency and item- total correlations to be good across all three visits, initial screening (0.79), baseline (0.74), and exit (0.92). CDRS-R scores at all three visits were highly correlated with the severity of depression (CGI-S) of participants. Scores were significantly correlated with global functioning scores, however, only during the exit