Public Health Issues

6

Significance of Major Depression Problems Among the Youth

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Significance of Major Depression Problems Among the Youth

The Issue

Mental health issues gravely affect the society in different ways. One of the key mental health problems is depression. This condition can be defined as a mood disorder that causes feelings of sadness, anxiety or general loss of interest with matters to do with day-to-day life. It affects the perception of individuals and influences how they act. Depression results in symptoms such as guilt, low mood and irritability. The feelings, thoughts and actions are usually persistent (Kujawa & Burkhouse, 2017). The youth form one of the most affected groups across the society. This age group covers much of the teenage and early adulthood years. Depression is a major problem as more than 5% of adults suffer from the illness while approximately 4% of the whole population are affected (about 280 million people worldwide) (WHO, 2021). Women are usually more affected by depression compared to men (Kujawa & Burkhouse, 2017).

Risk Factors

There are several risk factors that are associated with depression. Family history and genetics associated with depression or mental illness play a role as they increase the likelihood of an individual suffering from the disorder (Schaakxset al., 2017). Chronic stress tends to wear down the health response by the body towards stress. Long-term stress leads to the overactivity of the HPA axis of the brain (hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal glands). This overactivity causes the excessive release of epinephrine resulting in health problems like depression. History of trauma and abuse pose greater risk of development of depression (Schaakxset al., 2017). Persons who suffered childhood trauma have higher potential of being affected by depression in adulthood. The same applies for people with unresolved feelings of grief or loss. Gender is a factor as women have higher chances of developing depression. They are twice more likely to experience major depression. Personality traits enhance the susceptibility to depression. Specific traits include high neuroticism, low cooperativeness and conscientiousness. Use of medication and substances including prescription medications make people vulnerable to depression. Poor nutrition can also impact brain function leading to depression (Schleider et al., 2014).

The Impact

The general health of the society is affected as a result of depression given the that it affects a huge portion of the population with the youth being quite vulnerable. There are both short-term and long-term impacts. The short-term effects include loss of appetite and weight loss. In the long-term, one of the most critical impacts of depression in the society is suicidal ideation and in significant number of cases the affected persons go through with the intentions. This means that there is high probability of depression affecting public safety as numerous people with depressive symptoms end up attempting or committing suicide (Schleider et al., 2014). Depression is a major contributory factor to the burden of the disease. The youths are integral in the progression of the society. Therefore, with increased likelihood of disease within this age group, the welfare of the society is hampered.

The Community Need

It is necessary to address the issue of depression among the youth as the impacts are quite enormous. Out of all suicides, about 66% of them have depression as a factor which means that the well-being and lives of people are at stake. For people of ages 15 to 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death (WHO, 2021). A number of youths could be on their way to troublesome circumstances and the undesirable life ending scenario if the problem is not attended to in good time. 20% of teens experience depressive symptoms before adulthood and only about 30% get treated. Depression is among the mental illnesses which are leading causes of permanent disability (WHO, 2021). Disabilities put a strain on the society as the conditions lead to higher levels of dependence and healthcare needs. Addressing the mental health issues is essential in enhancing the overall health of the society thereby minimizing the impact on the healthcare sector. Minimizing the cases of disability is also essential in optimizing health thus ensuring the welfare.

Program to Address the Issue

An appropriate initiative will entail development of community program that will be established on participatory research approach and development. This should be a community partnership that will integrate different stakeholders across the society. The program should be in the likeness of a Community Partners in Care (CPIC). The program should feature depression care toolkit that comes with technical assistance in addition to consultation which is used to implement the approach to depression care (Castillo et al., 2019). It will be equipped with resources that will cater for implementation and monitoring of depression services (Beardslee et al., 2013). These resources enable the involvement of the community in psychoeducation, screening and referrals to social and clinic services. The program will educate the youth about discernment and acknowledgement of depressive symptoms, coping with stressful situations in their lives, the avenues to seek help and how to support other persons who suffer from depression. The essence of this program is in helping put in place early intervention services for those that are affected. The development of a CPIC-type program is vital as it mainly focuses on minority communities (Castillo et al., 2019).

Stakeholders Involved

The stakeholders can help in achieving the objectives of the program by being part of the process. Individuals can contribute towards the resources that will enable the program to run. The resources may be in the form of funding, facilities, counseling services, or supporting structure. The tools for screening and monitoring require finances and expertise which can be facilitated by the stakeholders. The stakeholders can provide the leadership that is requisite in running such a program. In addition, stakeholders can play the role of mentors to the youth who suffer from depression.

References

Beardslee, W. R., Brent, D. A., Weersing, V. R., Clarke, G. N., Porta, G., Hollon, S. D., ... & Garber, J. (2013). Prevention of depression in at-risk adolescents: longer-term effects. JAMA psychiatry, 70(11), 1161-1170. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.295

Castillo, E. G., Ijadi-Maghsoodi, R., Shadravan, S., Moore, E., Mensah, M. O., Docherty, M., ... & Wells, K. B. (2019). Community interventions to promote mental health and social equity. Current psychiatry reports, 21(5), 1-14. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-019-1017-0

Kujawa, A., & Burkhouse, K. L. (2017). Vulnerability to depression in youth: Advances from affective neuroscience. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2(1), 28-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2016.09.006

L Schleider, J., D Krause, E., & E Gillham, J. (2014). Sequential comorbidity of anxiety and depression in youth: Present knowledge and future directions. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 10(1), 75-87. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cpsr/2014/00000010/00000001/art00010

Schaakxs, R., Comijs, H. C., van der Mast, R. C., Schoevers, R. A., Beekman, A. T., & Penninx, B. W. (2017). Risk factors for depression: differential across age?. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(9), 966-977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2017.04.004

WHO. (2021). Depression. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression