Task 4: depression and suicide Flashcards
predisposing factor for depression - genetics
- greater genetic influence for adolescent than childhood depression
- children of depressed parents at greater risk
- heritability: 15-80% for depressive symptoms
family environment and depression
- low levels of parental warmth and high levels of hostility and conflict: associated with increased depressive symptoms
- parental mental health problems impact on parenting -> more difficult to meet child’s need and provide confiding relationship
Temperament/personality as risk factor for depression
- children who adapt slow to new experiences, socially reticent, easily upset
- raised levels of anxiety, high self-criticism
- negative attributional style: tendency to self-blame
early / chronic adversity and depression
- poverty / social disadvantage
- physical, sexual, emotional abuse
Neurobiological factors and depression
- underactivity of cerebral amine systems
- abnormalities in cortisol secretion
- functional and anatomical brain differences in depressed young people
precipitating factors depression
stressful live events:
- losses (parental separation)
- disappointments and failures (peer problems, bullying, academic difficulties)
maintaining factors depression
- persistent depressive symptoms
- psychosocial scars: individuals may experience residual effects from depressive episode
Treatment brief/minor depression
exploration of difficulties, activity scheduling and follow up
treatment mild to moderate depression
1) CBT: psychoeducation, self-monitoring, competence in emotion recognition, challenges to cognitive distortions, activity scheduling
2) interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A): addresses problem relationship areas (conflict, transitions, losses)
More persistent moderate / severe depression
- therapy and anti depressants
- SSRIs
- slight increased risk of suicide
epidemiology depression
- increases from childhood to adolescence
- 1 to 8% in adolescents
- in childhood equally common in boys and girls
- in adolescents ratio is 2:1 (2 girls)
epidemiology suicidal behavior
- increases in mid-adolescence
- deliberate self-harm (DSH) common in adolescents (7-9%)
- 3x more common in females
individual predisposing factors for suicidal behavior
- Psychiatric disorders, especially major depressive disorders, but also anxiety, substance misuse, conduct disorder
- hopelessness, despair, low self-esteem, self-blame
- Experience of abuse
- gay/bisexual
- impulsivity, risk-taking
- presence of psychiatric comorbidities: MDD, anxiety, substance misuse, conduct disorder
DSH as impulsive response
- DSH may be an impulsive response to problems in attempt to find an immediate relief for distress/escape from situation instead of using problem solving strategy/assessing support
- Mostly an impulsive act with many individuals thinking about it for just minutes before acting
family as predisposing factor for suicidal behavior
- Communication difficulties (also risk factor for repeated episodes)
- Parental divorce
- Family history of mental health problems and suicide/suicide attempts