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Teenage Depression Concerns About Treatments

Getting a teenager diagnosed with depression is often difficult to do. Teenagers are typically moody, and identifying depression in teenagers is often not done unless the patient asks for help. There are different treatments for depression and risks involved with medication.

  1. Treatment

    • Depending on the severity of depression, treatment can be started with counselling alone. Medication for depression is added when depression is severe and counseling alone is not enough.

    Antidepressants

    • The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of antidepressants with the following guidelines. After a teen starts taking an antidepressant, the patient should be closely monitored by her doctor for the first 12 weeks of treatment.

    Risks

    • The risk of suicidal thinking and behavior is the highest during the first one to two months of antidepressant use. Risks are also higher for patients with a family history of bipolar disorder and those who have had previous suicide attempts.

    Danger signs

    • According to the National Institute of Mental Health, signs of problems with an antidepressant include new or worsening symptoms of agitation, irritability or anger. Unusual changes in behavior should be reported to your doctor immediately.

    Misdiagnosis

    • According to the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation, antidepressants can sometimes trigger irritability and aggression in teenagers. This type of manic behavior is characteristic of bipolar disorder.

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