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"Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. It's believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression."

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We were drawn to study Depression due to the prevalence of the mental illness in our age group. According to the CDC, the rates of depression was highest among young adults ranging from 18 to 29 years old.
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression/facts-statistics
https://paintingvalley.com/download-image#depression-abstract-painting-16.jpg

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There isn't just one single cause to depression

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There isn't just one single cause to depression

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There are many contributing factors, some of which are other mental bullying, illnesses, abuse, age, trauma, and genetics.

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Social media, television, school, or work can all put a mental strain on today's adolescents and young adults. Weather that is comparing oneself to others on the internet or bullying to feeling isolated or being overwhelmed at school or work all of these are facters contributing to depression.

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Young people cartoon icon vector illustration graphic design Stock Vector

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Download Young people cartoon icon vector illustration graphic design Stock Vector and explore similar vectors at Adobe Stock.

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Child-bearing, child birth, and child-raising has an incredible amount of physical, emotional, and mental strain on women. Having a new baby in the family is a large change. One must take up numerous new responsibilities, such as: sacrificing free time to feed and play with one’s own child, staying up late to soothe their tantrums, and cleaning after their messes. Each task can be draining and lead one to burn out.

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People of Color in America suffer major depression in much more severe bouts than their Caucasian counterparts. Studies have found racial discrimination and misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis to contribute heavily to longer and severe depression.

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Children who have been abused are more likely to develop anxiety and depression.

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461 Anti Bullying Icon Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock

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Find Anti Bullying Icon stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day.

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Many experience a lack of drive to fulfill daily obligations and living necessities. In turn, many struggle to get out of bed to eat, drink water, shower, and complete their chores. Depressed individuals may also face a sudden loss of interest toward activities they normally would enjoy.

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Depression has a tendency make concentrating difficult. In turn, people feel as though they have brain fog, slower processing speeds, or are slower to recall events.

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Fatigue and oversleeping is a very common occurrence when one has depression.

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The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is widely used to screen for depression and to measure behavioral manifestations and severity of depression. The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory contains 21 self-report items which individuals complete using multiple choice response formats.

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Psychological treatment usually in the form of therapy is used as one of the first ways to combat acute or mild depression. There are many types of psychological treatments but the main two are cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. Cognitive is aimed at trying to change the way people look at life and behavioral trying to change destructive patterns in people's lives. The main goals of this type of therapy is to relieve immediate symptoms and let people go back to everyday life.

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 Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Treatments for depression. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279282/

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Medicine is usually the next step in treatment for people with severe or regularly recurring depression. Antidepressants are taken in combination with psychological treatment and are often used to boost one's mood and increase motivation in a patient.

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Psychiatrists typically diagnose using psychological tests and one-on-one evaluations, and they also run lab tests to rule out any physical cause for symptoms. Treatment can include psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of both, and medication will be fine-tuned according to observations and results.

https://pacifichealthsystems.com/blog/is-a-psychiatrist-or-psychologist-better-for-depression/#:~:text=Psychiatrists%20typically%20diagnose%20using%20psychological,according%20to%20observations%20and%20results.

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Best Psychiatrist in Delhi - Delhi Mind Clinic

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It could be challenging to work, study, sleep, eat, enjoy friends and hobbies when you're suffering from major depression. Some people only experience clinical depression once in their lifetime, whereas others do it numerous times.

Although major depression frequently affects people without a family history of the illness, it can occasionally run in families and be passed down from one generation to the next.

What Is Clinical Depression?

A sad or depressed mood is a common human emotion. A loss of interest in routine activities and relationships, however, as well as a melancholy mood throughout the majority of the day, sometimes especially in the morning, are indicators of clinical depression and must be present every day for at least two weeks. You may also have other symptoms of serious depression, according to the DSM-5, a guidebook used to diagnose mental health issues. These signs may consist of:

Virtually daily feelings of worthlessness or remorse

Almost daily fatigue or energy loss

A change in body weight of more than 5% in a month indicates significant weight loss or increase.

Having trouble focusing and making decisions

Practically daily insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)

Markedly reduced enjoyment or interest in practically all activities

Almost every day (called anhedonia, this symptom can be indicated by reports from significant others)

Unease or a sense of slowness

Recurring suicidal or death thoughts

Are Females More Prone to Clinical Depression?

Major or clinical depression affects nearly twice as many women as males, and hormonal changes associated with puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, miscarriage, and menopause may increase the risk.

Additional risk factors for clinical depression in women who are physiologically predisposed to it include increasing stress at home or at work, juggling a profession and family, and providing care for an elderly parent. The risk will also rise if a child is raised by one person.

Who Is At Risk For Clinical Depression?

Approximately 6.7% of Americans over the age of 18 experience major depression, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Between 20% and 25% of individuals may experience a significant depressive episode at some point in their lives.

Although older individuals, teenagers, and toddlers are also affected by major depression, these populations usually lack a diagnosis and receive no treatment.

What Indicates a Man Is Suffering from Clinical Depression?

Men's depression is vastly underreported. Men with clinical depression are less likely to seek assistance or even speak with others about their condition.

Men who suffer from depression may exhibit signs such as irritation, hostility, or drug and alcohol misuse (substance abuse can also be a cause of depression rather than the result of it). Negative emotions that are suppressed can lead to both internalised and externalised violence. Additionally, it may lead to an increase in violence, suicide, and sickness.

A full medical evaluation will be carried out by a healthcare professional, such as your primary care physician or a psychiatrist. During a routine checkup with your doctor, you might have a depression screening done. The specialist will enquire about your own and your family's psychiatric histories and ask you questions that test for major depressive disorder symptoms.

Major depression cannot be identified with any laboratory test, including X-rays, blood tests, or other imaging procedures. To help identify any other medical conditions that exhibit symptoms comparable to depression, your doctor could perform blood testing. For instance, hypothyroidism, drug or alcohol misuse, certain medications, and stroke can all result in some of the same symptoms as depression.

Clinical Depression: Is It Preventable?

After experiencing a major depressive episode, your risk of experiencing another is very significant. The best strategy to avoid another episode of depression is to continue taking the recommended medicine to prevent relapse and to be aware of the triggers or causes of major depression (see above). It's also critical to be aware of the signs of serious depression and to consult your physician as soon as you notice any of these signs.

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What Is Clinical Depression? What Are Its Symptoms? What You Exacty Need To Know About Clinical Depression!

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One of the main structures effected by depression is the frontal lobe of the brain. Studies have found that prefrontal areas undergo a significant reduction in thickness and much more. These changes are thought to be associated with inhibiting  uncomfortable neural activity, feelings and behaviors and also plays a crucial role in emotional/ motivational management and decision making.

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The Hippocampus is another anatomical structure that is impacted by depression. This area is associated with memory and recall and is found to be smaller in patients with Major Depressive Disorder.

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Depression also impacts the Amygdala, the area associated with fear and emotional responses. According to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Amygdala of those with depression often is “overly active” in response to upsetting stimuli, but “under active” in response to positive stimuli.
https://dnalc.cshl.edu/view/2074-The-amygdala-and-depression.html

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A long term emotional impact depression has is heightened emotions, a lack of emotions or opinions, indecisiveness, and increased feelings of anxiousness. At times, depression may even trigger an anxiety disorder.

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Depression can lead to heart disease and diabetes by being inactive or by having poor or irregular diets.

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Depression affects people's "mood, anhedonia, and low energy or fatigue. Other symptoms, such as sleep and psychomotor disturbances, feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, suicidal tendencies, as well as autonomic and gastrointestinal disturbances, are also often present."

Brigitta, Bondy. “Pathophysiology of depression and mechanisms of treatment - PMC.” NCBI, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181668/.

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Depression can also lead one to become restless, easily frustrated, unmotivated, and lose interest in activities they once were interested in. Depressed individuals may also lack concentration and have difficulties recalling memories or making decisions.
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html

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As depression disrupts sleep regulation, it is associated with sleep issues. “About 3/4 of depressed patients have insomnia symptoms.”
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.3/dnutt

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Depression in the long term can affect one's behavior by making a person more socially withdrawn, engage in negative thinking patterns, and have suicidal thoughts and tendencies.

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The average cost of American Mental Health therapy is anywhere between $100-$200 a session. Counseling is likely to be covered by insurance and thus can be more affordable with copay, but your insurance is not guaranteed to be applicable to every counseling company/service. If the patient chooses not to get mental health therapy due to the cost, severe consequences can occur, such as: impulsive behavior, self-compromising behaviors, relapsing, suicidal thoughts/ tendencies, self harm, and suicide.

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The average cost of generic antidepressants is typically between $5-25 per month, depending on the medication, location, and dosage($7-$100 without insurance). If a patient wants to get the brand name of antidepressants it will cost them $200-$600(without insurance).
Most insurance plans that include prescription drug coverage will typically include antidepressants. However, insurance plans may only cover certain types of antidepressants, specific dosing regimens, or only the generic version, not the brand name.

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Teen depression is on the rise. Parents and doctors need solutions. No one wants to see a child or adolescent suffer. And medication may seem like the easiest and quickest way to treat depressed or suicidal teens.

In some cases, antidepressants are a necessary tool. They address the physical and mental health of a teenager. This is particularly true if a teen is considering self-harm. However, it's important to understand how teenage antidepressants change the brain. Moreover, parents need to know about the side effects. In addition, the long-term impact of antidepressants on adolescents can be negative as they mature.

How Antidepressants Work

To some extent, depression and its effects on the brain are a mystery. In addition, experts are not entirely sure what causes depression. Furthermore, they are not completely clear on how antidepressants help.

The simplest explanation is that antidepressants impact the behavior of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are released to send messages between nerve cells. Specifically, the neurotransmitters that impact depression are serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

The most prescribed antidepressants are reuptake inhibitors. These medications for teenage depression prevent neurotransmitters from being absorbed back into the nerve cells in the brain. The theory is that keeping levels of the neurotransmitters higher could improve communication between the nerve cells. Thus, the circuits in the brain that regulate mood are stronger.

Common Antidepressants for Teens

Different kinds of depression medications target different neurotransmitters. The three main types of reuptake inhibitors are:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): SSRIs affect serotonin transporters and include Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Abilify, and Seroquel.

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): SNRIs block the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine; they include Cymbalta, Effexor, Khedezla, Fetzima, and Pristiq.

Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs): NDRIs affect the reuptake of both norepinephrine and dopamine. Wellbutrin is the drug that represents this category.

Other types of medication for teenage anxiety and depression work in different ways. Tetracylics, such as Asendin, Remeron, and Ludiomil, stop neurotransmitters from binding with nerve receptors. Additionally, serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors redirect serotonin particles to more beneficial receptors.

How Effective Are Antidepressants?

Do antidepressants work? There is evidence on both sides of the argument.

In a 2008 study led by Irving Kirsch of Harvard Medical School, researchers looked at 35 different antidepressant drug trials submitted to the FDA. This was for the licensing of Prozac, Effexor, Serzone, and Paxil. They found that the effect of these antidepressants was not much greater than the effect of a placebo drug. Overall, the study showed that placebos were 82 percent as effective as the antidepressants.

According to Kirsch, "Analyses of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by the drug companies reveal that most (if not all) of the benefits are due to the placebo effect."

The results of Kirsch's study were confirmed by the findings of a 2010 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Hence, this study found that antidepressants had a benefit only for people with severe depression. Antidepressants for teens may not be as effective for those suffering from mild to moderate varieties of the disorder.

Statistics on Antidepressants

In 2012, Kirsch conducted another study on antidepressants. This one found that the combination of psychotherapy and antidepressants might be slighter more beneficial than antidepressants alone or psychotherapy alone. Furthermore, the study suggested that antidepressants and psychotherapy had a similar effect as alternative therapies for depression.

The Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, also looked at the efficacy of teen antidepressants. Results indicated that a combination of medication and psychotherapy is effective treatment for adolescents with depression.

Clearly, the research on this topic is contradictory. Therefore, it reveals how much is unknown about the effectiveness of depression medication for children.

Side Effects of Antidepressants

Even when antidepressants seem to relieve symptoms of depression, they have many undesirable side effects. In addition, these side effects can be dangerous and even life threatening. Side effects of Prozac in children and teens as well as for other antidepressants include the following:

Increases in suicidal ideation among children and young adults

Long-term weight gain

Insomnia

Nausea and diarrhea

Sexual dysfunction, which affects 70 to 80 percent of people on SSRIs

Increased risk of stroke and death among older adults

Greater risk of relapse after recovery.

When it comes to teenagers and antidepressants, parents need to look at the long-term health effects. In addition, new discoveries are being made about these side effects.

Recently, a study found evidence that long-term antidepressant use may be associated with increased risk of type-2 diabetes for young adults.

Furthermore, data indicates that antidepressant medication may double the risk of suicide and aggressive behavior in teens and children under 18.

Antidepressants Impact the Brain

Furthermore, antidepressants create dramatic changes in the brain immediately. Specifically, changes in the functional structure of the brain have been observed after a single dose of SSRI medication. Therefore, this is significant because the teenage brain is still developing. In fact, the brain does not fully mature until a person's mid-20s.

"When different treatments are equally effective, choice should be based on risk and harm, and of all of these treatments, antidepressant drugs are the riskiest and most harmful. If they are to be used at all, it should be as a last resort, when depression is extremely severe and all other treatment alternatives have been tried and failed." -Dr. Irving Kirsch, Harvard Medical School

Alternatives to Antidepressants

Medication is not the only approach for addressing teen depression. In fact, studies show that clinical and holistic methods for decreasing teen anxiety and depression can be equally or more effective than prescription medication.

Clinical therapy modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy are proven to be effective in treating depression in adolescents.

Exercise: In one study, 30 minutes of exercise three times per week was as effective as drugs for depression.

Nutrition: Diet can be a powerful method for relieving teen depression. In a study known as the SMILES Trial (Supporting the Modification of Lifestyle in Lowered Emotional States), one-third of participants experienced remission from depressive symptoms after three months of a healthy diet.

Mindfulness practice: A review study at Johns Hopkins found that meditation is just as effective as medication for teenage anxiety and depression.

In conclusion, teenagers and antidepressants might not be a healthy mix. Hence, before parents fill prescriptions for Zoloft for teens or Prozac for teens, they need to explore the full range of treatment options.
Sources PLoS One. JAMA. 2010 Jan 6; 303(1): 47-53. Clin Psychiatry. 2014 Jan;75(1):31-8. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(3):357-368. BMJ 2017;358:j3697. Psychiatric Times Psychosomatic Medicine: September/October 2000 62(5): 633-638. 2012;7(7):e41778.

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Teens and Antidepressants: The Case for Holistic Treatment

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In some acute cases, antidepressants are a necessary tool. But we must understand side effects and how antidepressants change the teenage brain.

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Each long-term fix for lifestyle adjustments is not covered by insurance, however, these adjustments can be free or low-cost. For long-term depression, there are many lifestyle adjustments people can make to combat it. Exercise and proper sleep are recommended as they can boost natrual antidepressants in the body.

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Problem-solving therapy involves patients learning or reactivating problem-solving skills. These skills can then be applied to specific life problems associated with psychological and somatic symptoms.

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"All life is problem solving" suggested the philosopher Karl Popper (Popper & Camiller, 2013).

In mental health, we might say, "all psychotherapy is problem solving." For example, problem solving is part and parcel of many psychotherapies for depression, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), family therapy, and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT).

Problem solving therapy (PST) is also a therapeutic approach in its own right with roots in Social Learning Theory that was developed by Thomas D'Zurilla and Marvin Goldfried in the 1970s (D'Zurilla & Goldfried, 1971).

Problem solving training typically builds self-efficacy and teaches rational problem solving skills, based on the idea that effective and rational problem solving protects from the negative effects of chronic or sudden stress, while ineffective problem solving (e.g., avoiding problems, leaving them for others to solve, or jumping on the first solution that comes to mind) does not. Problem-solving training can be brief (i.e., fewer than 10 sessions) and be delivered by trained clinicians, general practitioners, lay counsellors, or online. It is a versatile treatment ingredient that deserves greater scrutiny as a means to tackle depression.

In this blog, I review findings from an updated meta-analysis published in 2018 by Pim Cuijpers and colleagues (Cuijpers et al., 2018). The meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of stand-alone PST for adults with depression, compared with control conditions and with other evidence-based therapies.

I also talk about my own recent Wellcome Trust-funded review of problem solving for young people with depression.

Methods

Randomised controlled trials were retrieved from an existing database that was compiled through systematic searches in PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and the Cochrane Library, and databases specifically cataloguing trials from lower- and middle-income countries. For inclusion, studies had to be randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing problem solving therapy (PST) for adult depression (established via a diagnostic interview or above-threshold self-report score) with a control group (e.g., waitlist, treatment as usual, placebo, etc.) or with another active treatment. Maintenance studies or those using inpatient samples were excluded. RCTs for other types of psychotherapy for depression were also retrieved to compare their effectiveness to that of PST. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts.

All included studies underwent a risk of bias assessment using the Cochrane Collaboration's assessment tool, and reviewers coded suspected "researcher allegiance" in favour of PST (e.g., where PST was mentioned as the principal intervention to be tested in a paper's introduction). A random effects meta-analysis assessed the difference in depression scores between intervention and control groups post treatment, using Hedge's g and a correction for small sample bias. Subgroup and multivariate meta-regression analysis aimed to identify causes of heterogeneity, and publication bias was also examined.

Results

The meta-analysis considered 30 PST trials and 264 trials of other therapies for comparison. Close to two thirds of PST trials had been done in North America, one third in Europe, and one trial in Africa. There was considerable risk of bias in most PST trials, with only seven out of 30 meeting all Cochrane criteria of high quality.

Key findings

PST versus control group (27 comparisons): there was a large and significant overall effect in favour of PST (g = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.57 to 1.01), but heterogeneity was high (I ² = 84), and there was a strong indication of publication bias:

When considering only studies with low risk of bias, the effect size was smaller (g = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.46), and heterogeneity was low (I ² = 32).

Several study characteristics were significantly related to effect size in a subgroup analysis (see Table 1 below), but only low risk of bias remained significant in a multivariate meta-regression (associated with smaller effect sizes).

PST versus another type of psychotherapy (12 direct comparisons): PST was slightly superior (g = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.35), with low heterogeneity (I ² = 27), but there was researcher allegiance pro PST in most studies.

PST versus antidepressants (6 comparisons): No statistically significant effect was found (g = 0.09; 95% CI: -0.13 to 0.30).

When comparing the effect size for PST with those achieved by other psychotherapies (compared with control groups), there was no statistically significant difference in effectiveness.

Table 1. Findings about possible causes of heterogeneity

Conclusions

The authors concluded that despite some limitations, this meta-analysis showed that:

PST is probably an effective treatment of [adult] depression, with effect sizes that are small, but comparable to those found for other psychological treatments of depression (p. 35).

Strengths and limitations

The authors provide a thorough and systematic approach to assessing the evidence, controlling for possible sources of bias (e.g., publication bias, researcher allegiance, distorting influence of very high effect sizes), and investigating causes of heterogeneity.

The sample of studies was too small to examine the influence of factors such as treatment length or delivery format on PST effectiveness, with a lack of high-quality studies (k = 9) in particular. Publication bias, and researcher allegiance in over half of the included studies were additional barriers to drawing credible conclusions. The authors could have further enhanced the strength of their review by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system to appraise the overall quality of the evidence and of the clinical recommendations that can be made on their basis (Guyatt et al., 2008).

Implications for practice

Problem solving therapy is not currently recommended as a stand-alone treatment for adult depression by the NICE guidelines, but this meta-analysis found it could be offered as an alternative to CBT or IPT, with similar expected benefits.

Problem solving training for young people with depression: our Active Ingredients review

We were inspired by this finding from Cuijpers et al (2018) that problem solving therapy (PST) is as effective as evidence-based therapy packages (including CBT), because problem solving is one of the coping skills that youth most frequently use in their daily lives (Ng et al., 2016). Learning coping and self-management skills is also a key desired outcome of depression treatment in the eyes of youth with lived experience (Krause et al., 2020a; Krause et al., 2020b). This got us interested in looking at problem-solving as an active ingredient of treatment for youth depression.

We conducted a scoping review that considered four clinical trials of stand-alone PST for youth depression; four secondary analyses of trial data looking at problem solving as a predictor, moderator, or mediator of treatment response; and 24 clinical practice guidelines for youth depression.

Our findings suggest that there is currently no strong evidence in favour of PST as a stand-alone treatment for reducing youth depression symptoms. Stand-alone PST may be beneficial for youth who face stress from challenging events or daily hassles and who struggle with problem solving, but whose mental health difficulties are relatively mild. In turn, the current evidence base suggests that youth who struggle with low mood and other depression symptoms may require broader psychotherapeutic support to recover from their depression. More high-quality research is needed to investigate the effective of problem-solving training for youth.

We had the chance of having two youth advisors work with us as co-researchers. They consulted a larger panel of youth research advisors at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario to help us contextualize our review findings. From our youth advisors we learned that in order to be meaningful, problem-solving training should be:

youth-driven (with youth rather than therapists defining the problem)

strengths-based (avoiding deficit-focused language)

comprehensive (by considering the root causes of superficial problems) and

personalised (by embracing people's individual problem solving styles).

In order to be acceptable to youth, problem-solving training needs to be youth-driven, strengths-based, comprehensive, and personalised.

Statement of interests

Karolin's team at the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) received funding through the Wellcome Trust Mental Health Priority Area 'Active Ingredients' commission to conduct their review of problem solving training as an active ingredient for treating youth depression.

Links

Primary paper

Cuijpers, P., de Wit, L., Kleiboer, A., Karyotaki, E., & Ebert, D. D. (2018). Problem-solving therapy for adult depression: An updated meta-analysis. European Psychiatry, 48, 27-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.11.006

Other references

Cuijpers, P., de Wit, L., Kleiboer, A., Karyotaki, E., & Ebert, D. D. (2018). Problem-solving therapy for adult depression: An updated meta-analysis. European Psychiatry, 48, 27-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.11.006

D'Zurilla, T. J., & Goldfried, M. R. (1971). Problem solving and behaviour modification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 78(1), 107-126. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0031360

Guyatt, G. H., Oxman, A. D., Vist, G. E., Kunz, R., Falck-Ytter, Y., Alonso-Coello, P., & Schünemann, H. J. (2008). GRADE: an emerging consensus on rating quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. BMJ, 336(7650), 924-926. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39489.470347.AD

Krause, K., Midgley, N., Edbrooke-Childs, J., & Wolpert, M. (2020a). A comprehensive mapping of outcomes following psychotherapy for adolescent depression: The perspectives of young people, their parents and therapists. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01648-8

Krause, K. R., Edbrooke-Childs, J., Bear, H. A., Calderón, A., & Wolpert, M. (2020b). What Treatment Outcomes Matter Most? A Q-study of Outcome Priority Profiles Among Youth with Lived Experience of Depression. MedRxiv, 2020.10.12.20210468. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.12.20210468

Ng, M. Y., Eckshtain, D., & Weisz, J. R. (2016). Assessing Fit Between Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Youth Depression and Real-Life Coping in Early Adolescence. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 45(6), 732-748. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2015.1041591

Popper, K., & Camiller, P. (2013). All life is problem solving. In All Life is Problem Solving. Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431900

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Problem solving therapy for depression #ActiveIngredientsMH

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Karolin Krause on a systematic review relating to her own Wellcome Trust funded research on problem solving therapy for young people with depression.

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As mentioned previously, CBT is a treatment where one actively identifies and modifies their negative thought patterns. The therapy’s primary purpose is to target symptoms of apathy, negative thinking, loss of motivation, and more in order to be able to cope or more sufficiently function in one’s daily life. This is provided by councilors, psychologists, social workers, mental health workers, and therapists.

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Speech, Hearing, or Cognitive impairments

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Speech, Hearing, or Cognitive impairments

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Some general cognitive impairments include reduced attention, concentration, impaired learning and memory, executive dysfunction, and a lower processing speed. In addition to these impairments, major depressive disorder is known to have symptoms of “pseudo dementia” and also doubles the chances of actual dementia in one’s later life.

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Depression can make it difficult to do daily tasks in one's life. Occupational Therapy aims to help these people get through their daily lives. As people with depression often struggle with having structure and meaning in their lives, an occupational therapist can help said patients build a schedule for their everyday activities. They can guide patients toward a particular job or role based on their existing values, interests, or skills in order to make one’s life more meaningful or enjoyable. They can also assist in life adjustments, responsibilities, stressors, and teaching organization strategies that will help people deal with daily depressive symptoms.

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Depression robs many persons of the meaning of life and a sense of purpose. It may also lead to suicidal ideations and even suicide. Almost 5% of American adults reported regular feelings of depression. Since the pandemic, the rate of reported depression tripled throughout the USA.

There are several types of health interventions for depression, but we will focus on how occupational therapists and mental health treatments can help with this condition.

What is Depression?

Depression refers to persistent feelings of sadness, loss, and anger that interfere with your daily life. It is also categorized as a mood disorder that causes a loss of interest in the activities that you once enjoyed. Depression is also accompanied by several emotional and physical problems that can decrease your ability to complete your work and home responsibilities.

What Are The Symptoms of Depression?

The general symptoms of depression include:

However, depression affects males and females differently , and it also has various effects across age groups.

Increased irritability

Feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, and anxiety

Losing interest in favorite activities, withdrawing from social engagements, suicidal thoughts

Impaired thinking and slowed speech

Disrupted sleep patterns, insomnia, and hypersomnia

Reduced energy, exhaustion, fatigue, appetite changes, extreme weight changes, aches, pain, headaches, and increased cramps

For children:

How Can Occupational Therapy Help Depression?

Mainstream media is awash with an abundance of ads for antidepressants. Unfortunately, this has convinced many Americans that the solution for depression lies in a pill bottle. But while medication plays an important role in managing depression, other strategies should also be employed.

Occupational therapists can help individuals struggling with depression. These professionals help you restructure your daily life, find meaning in your daily occupations, and redefine your sense of identity.

Creating a Meaningful Life

Occupational therapists can help you explore life roles that you find meaningful. They will help you to adapt your daily schedule so that you will have the time to pursue these fulfilling occupations to derive a sense of accomplishment. These roles may be worker, student, family member, friend, or hobbyist.

An occupational therapist will also help you to figure out what may stop you from being able to pursue those meaningful occupations. Some of these occurrences may be going to work late or being overwhelmed by tasks. For example, an occupational therapist may help a mother suffering from depression to make shopping lists and plan simple meals. Also, if you enjoy gardening, then you may start a backyard garden.

Improving Self-Esteem

Having healthy self-esteem and identity matters a lot in managing your depression. Your self-esteem drives the choices you make. So if you would normally spend a bad day on the couch before your TV all day, then your therapist will help you to create and fill a daily schedule. As you accomplish these tasks, you will feel better about yourself and able to manage your symptoms.

Do You Need an Expert Occupational Therapist?

We have discussed how occupational therapists and mental health treatments can help you manage depression. Do you live close to Shelton, CT areas and need an occupational therapist? Then visit Moving With Hope ! We have several medical professionals including occupational therapists. We invite you to contact us today to discuss how we can help you manage your depression and live a fulfilling life.

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Occupational Therapy for Depression: Here's How it Works - Moving With Hope

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Depression affects the lives of millions of people in the U.S. You don't have to turn to medication -- we discuss treatment options involving occupational therapy.

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Speech, hearing, or Cognitive rehab treatments 

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Speech, hearing, or Cognitive rehab treatments 

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Some treatments that may counteract or reduce the symptoms previously mentioned include Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CRT involves training individual’s cognitive skills (ie: executive functioning, organization, focus) so they can apply those skills and be more adapt in handling real life situations. CBT, as mentioned before, is a talk or psychotherapy that helps one become aware of flawed or negative thinking to help them manage situations more effectively with a more helpful mentality.
Additionally, Physiotherapy aids depression by incorporating exercise and physical activity as a treatment plan. Studies have shown that regular exercise can help alleviate symptoms and improve mental health.

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“Poor sleep may create difficulties regulating emotions that, in turn, may leave you more vulnerable to depression in the future—months or even years from now. And depression itself is associated with sleep difficulties such as shortening the amount of restorative slow-wave sleep a person gets each night.”

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/depression-and-sleep-understanding-the-connection#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPoor%20sleep%20may%20create%20difficulties,a%20person%20gets%20each%20night.%E2%80%9D

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Depression and Sleep: Understanding the Connection

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People with insomnia have a higher risk of depression. On the other hand,
depression can trigger sleep problems. Knowing the connection between
depression and sleep can help you recognize symptoms and get treatment for
both.

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Adding regular exercise as a lifestyle change can help fight depression. Adding regular exercise into one's life could be a difficult change as some people may not have the time or energy to adhere to it on a week to week basis. However getting in touch with a personal trainer could help or getting the support of friends or family is one way to stick to exercise goals. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495#:~:text=How%20does%20exercise%20help%20depression,your%20sense%20of%20well%2Dbeing

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Depression is prevalent among this population due to people of color’s lack of economic resources including education, wealth, income, employment, and private health insurance coverage.

Additionally, Ethnic groups may struggle to receive treatment for depression due to racial discrimination, language barriers, and a lack of trust toward medical practitioners. They may additionally struggle to pay off healthcare expenses due to the wage gap or lack of health insurance that would have helped them afford treatment costs.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1199525/

https://online.simmons.edu/blog/racial-disparities-in-mental-health-treatment/

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According to Mayo Clinic, individuals assigned female at birth are ~ 2x as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men. While the hormonal changes don’t cause depression, they increase the chances of girls developing the disorder as a primary or secondary source.

Similar to POC, women also experience struggles with affording treatment and prevention services due to the wage gap. They also face difficulties or may be reluctant to attain treatment due to language barriers, unaffordable health care costs, and due to cultural stigmas about seeking care or the fear of contributing to the stereotype that they are emotional and unable to manage on their own.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10360426/#

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression/art-20047725#:~:text=Women%20are%20nearly%20twice%20as,alone%20don't%20cause%20depression

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Regular exercise can be effective as research shows that associations with reduced future cases of depression. A large study has discovered that at least 1 hour of exercise each week can reduce up to 12% of future manifestations of depression.

However, formal exercise at gyms may be expensive. Additionally those most susceptible to depression may already have a busy schedule and thus have difficulty fitting time into their day to exercise.

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16111223

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Taking night-time strategies can be extremely helpful by minimizing restlessness, nightmares, sleep deprivation, and furthermore reduce feelings of irritability, hopelessness, and loneliness. In turn, individuals can avoid triggering or accumulating symptoms of depression.

However, adopting this measure may be difficult due to the struggles to fully commit to a new routine. Before any positive results are apparent, you may have to consistently follow the practice for a long while. Those who are susceptible to depression are likely to have sleep problems, making it challenging to reduce the moodiness they get from the illness due to challenges to get adequate sleep.

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/patient-care/preventing-and-managing-depression