PSY 7-2

Final Project Milestone Three: Outline

4

2

Final Project Milestone Three: Outline

Final Project Milestone Three: Outline

T’Erica Huff

Southern New Hampshire University

Depressive Disorder

i. Thesis statement; Depressive disorder is a condition experienced in adolescents, mostly because of the developmental changes that they are undergoing.

ii. Assertions that support the thesis statement

· A depressive disorder is a mental health disorder/ mood disorder that brings about persistent feelings of depression and sadness. It is caused by either psychological, social, or biological sources of distress.

· Psychological distress refers to unpleasant emotions or feelings that disturb the normal functioning of a person. In teenagers, it can be caused by various factors such as a new day at school, victims of bullying, adverse school experiences, among others.

· Social distress can be defined as behaviors, conditions, or situations, which are social and are linked to psychological and physical strain. In teenagers, it can be caused by verbal abuse, not being able to make friends, not fitting in a particular group, among other things.

· Biological distress is caused because of matters of physiology. For example, in teenagers, adolescence is a period of development. During this time, there are a lot of hormones being released, including stress response hormones. More so, changes are happening in the body which sometimes tend to confuse the teenager. This might sometimes lead to depressive disorder.

iii. Evaluation of challenges of the disorder to the child and caregivers

· The disorder causes misunderstanding between the adolescent and the caregiver. While some caregivers might presume the signs and symptoms of the disorder to be a stage, others will presume it to be a lack of discipline and might end up escalating the situation further.

· The disorder also causes a breach of misunderstanding between the caregiver and the adolescent. Sometimes, adolescents with the disease tend to shy away from conversations, therefore, causing difficulties in communication between the adolescent and the caregiver.

iv. Evaluation of opportunities for treatment.

· Treating depressive disorder incorporates a number of elements. There is the use of medications, depending on how severe the disease is. Mostly, the medication is of antidepressants to help reduce depression. Some of the antidepressants used are Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram and fluoxetine.

· Also, changes in lifestyle through behavioral therapy. This can include getting plenty of exercises and sleeping well while eating right.

v. Summary

Current research shows that the disorder is prevalent in adolescents as compared to children. More so, if not treated, the disorder can extend to adulthood and negatively affect the entire life of the patient. Furthermore, sometimes, the disorder leads to the suicide of the patient or the patient having self-harm. For now, it is important to help reduce the disorder in teenagers and to help them undergo the changes smoothly. It is also important to understand teenagers.

References

Angst, J., Angst, F., & Stassen, H. H. (1999). Suicide risk in patients with major depressive

disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

Belmaker, R. H., & Agam, G. (2008). Major depressive disorder. New England Journal of

Medicine, 358(1), 55-68.

Bittner, A., Goodwin, R. D., Wittchen, H. U., Beesdo, K., Höfler, M., & Lieb, R. (2004).

What characteristics of primary anxiety disorders predict subsequent major depressive

disorder?. The Journal of clinical psychiatry.

Fava, M., & Kendler, K. S. (2000). Major depressive disorder. Neuron, 28(2), 335-341.

Lewinsohn, P. M., Rohde, P., Klein, D. N., & Seeley, J. R. (1999). Natural course of

adolescent major depressive disorder: I. Continuity into young adulthood. Journal of

the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(1), 56-63.

Otte, C., Gold, S. M., Penninx, B. W., Pariante, C. M., Etkin, A., Fava, M., Schatzberg, A.

F. (2016). Major depressive disorder. Nature reviews Disease primers, 2(1), 1-20.

Ripke, S., Wray, N. R., Lewis, C. M., Hamilton, S. P., Weissman, M. M., Breen, G., &

Heath, A. C. (2013). A mega-analysis of genome-wide association studies for major

depressive disorder. Molecular psychiatry, 18(4), 497.