Assessment Description
Research the range of contemporary issues teenagers face today. In a 500-750-word paper, choose one issue (besides teen pregnancy) and discuss its effect on adolescent behavior and overall well-being. Include the following in your submission:
Describe the contemporary issue and explain what external stressors are associated with this issue.
Outline assessment strategies to screen for this issue and external stressors during an assessment for an adolescent patient. Describe what additional assessment questions you would need to ask and define the ethical parameters regarding what you can and cannot share with the parent or guardian.
Discuss support options for adolescents encountering external stressors. Include specific support options for the contemporary issue you presented.
You are required to cite a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years, appropriate for the assignment criteria, and relevant to nursing practice.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Contemporary Issues Among Teenagers
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Contemporary Issues Among Teenagers
Introduction
Teenagehood is a complex stage of life when children begin to experience some critical life situations. The World Health Organization defines teenagers as people between the ages of 10 years and 19 years. It is during teenagehood that people experience significant physical, emotional, and intellectual changes. Depression is one of the most common contemporary issues among teenagers. In that regard, this paper discusses depression among teenagers.
Depression Among Teenagers
Depression is a major problem among teenagers in the U.S. and other countries across the world. The National Institute of mental Health (NIML) indicated that about 13.3% of teenagers (12 -17 years) experienced, at least, major depressive disorder in 2017. Additionally, 20% of females and 6.8% of males aged 12-17 suffered a depressive episode in 2017. These numbers indicate that depression is a major concern among teenagers. Depression can have detrimental health effects on the individual. Some of the symptoms of depression include a feeling of sadness, frustration, hopelessness, aggressiveness, loss of interest, low self-esteem, lack of concentration, and suicidal thoughts.
There are numerous external stressors related to depression among teenagers. Bullying is a common contributing factor to the problem. Teens everywhere are facing torment from their peers in schools, clubs, and even in families. Acceptance is another stressor, especially, among teens who are disadvantaged in one way or the other. Some teens go into depression due to academic performance, especially, when they fail to achieve their learning goals. Negative experiences such as neglect, trauma, abuse, or parental divorce are all stressors.
Assessment Strategies
As stated above, depression causes physical, emotional, and functional problems, therefore, assessment should cover all these areas. The caregiver might do a physical exam including vital assessments, neurological assessments, and others. depression may be linked to underlying physical health sometimes. Both emotional and behavioral assessments should be performed. Any emotional, functional, or behavioral changes that are liked to depression including suicidal thoughts, feeling of sadness, drug abuse, truancy, and social withdrawal, among others, should be noted. Additional questions to ask include whether the child is experiencing any form of neglect or buying. The therapist may ask what the patient is feeling about him/herself to detect low self-esteem. The patient may be asked if there is any difficulty he/she is facing that needs to be addressed. Confidentiality must be maintained and information shared with parents/guardians only after consulting the patients. However, information can be shared without consent if there is a risk of harm to other people.
Support Options
Three support options include medications, psychotherapy, and education. The FDA has approved several medications for treating teen depression. Some of these medications include fluoxetine (Prozac) and escitalopram (Lexapro). Another option is psychotherapy or psychological counseling. This may be performed one on one, with family members, or in a group. Counseling will allow the teen to devise coping skills to deal with external stressors, as well as symptoms of depression. Psychiatric counseling will help the patient manage bad thoughts and sadness. Patient and family education will help provide sufficient support at home. Parents will learn better ways to support the child. Additionally, education allows patients recognize support groups in society to link with.
Conclusion
Teenage is a very complicated stage of life that require proper coaching. Depression among teenagers is a community health concern elsewhere across the world. Therefore, teenagers might be struggling to cope with a variety of issues at this stage. Proper assessment and support are essential in supporting teenagers.
References
Harris, N. (2019). Teen Depression: Statistics, Causes, and Treatment. https://www.parents.com/kids/teens/depression/teen-depression-statistics-causes-and-treatment/
Kim, Y.-K. (2021). Major depressive disorder: Rethinking and understanding recent discoveries. Springer.
Perlman, K., Benrimoh, D., Israel, S., Rollins, C., Brown, E., Tunteng, J. F., … & Berlim, M. T. (2019). A systematic meta-review of predictors of antidepressant treatment outcome in major depressive disorder. Journal of affective disorders, 243, 503-515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.067