My 13 yr old may have clinical depression - how are young teens treated?
I have experienced clinical depression 9 yrs ago and was treated, so I have first hand knowledge of the illness. I know antidepressants are usually not given to young teens, due to the dangers. She has had symptoms for about 6 months, which have become increasingly worse. It was hard to tell, until now, if it was just normal 13 yr old behavior or something else. We're thinking it's depression - she's over-sleeping all the time, not eating as much as she did, irritability which is now extreme and turns to rage, she's failing school (previously a straight A student), changed all her friends and is exhibiting lack of self esteem, she steals, she lies, - I do not recognize her now, compared to her normal former self. She has appt with family doctor tomorrow for screening. I will take her to a pediatric psychiatrist at a leading children's hospital 2 hours away for further evaluation and treatment. What are typical treatments for younger teens? Thanks in advance.
2009-03-16T06:42:11Z
Thanks - as I stated, I'm not looking for advice from strangers on the internet. I just wondered if someone knew more than I about the different therapies used for teens.
I have read about CBT and am planning to incorporate more exercise, best vitamin/mineral supplement, no processed foods & junk, no caffeine. I want to avoid drugs if possible, because of her age. She will see the best pediatric doctors in my state.
2009-03-16T09:02:34Z
Yes, I have no doubt hormone imbalance can also be at work here - part or all of it. I'm asking for a complete panel/workup to check everything. Thanks to (most) everyone for your help! She isn't well and I know it will only get worse if we don't get her help now. She's on a very bad path and we're very concerned. She has 2 older sisters, so we've seen the normal 13 yr old stuff before. Her behavior has gone from "normal" to extreme. If she's on on drugs (which we don't suspect yet), it's only a matter of time. She has isolated herself from her best friends - chosen completely different friends, she is no longer interested in her favorite things, she has an altered sense of reality, she throws raging, screaming & violent "tantrums" and is potentially a danger to her 3 siblings. She glares at us, talks back, is disrespectful, disobedient, defiant, and just angry most of the time - She's in 7th grade, which is rough anyway, but this is beyond anything we expected or can consider normal.
Gard232009-03-16T17:32:16Z
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If you are looking at diet, then the link below may be very helpful. There's a lot of reading to work through, but the info seems solid and well researched.
If the change in behavior has been a significant shift, +/- ties in with her body's maturation, then that might point to a physical cause e.g. puberty & hormones.
It also sounds like drug-taking, particularly the telling lies, stealing and rages - but blood/hair tests could swiftly check out this possibility...?
If you find yourself exploring the psychiatric options, then you could do worse than read the booklets from MIND (link below) as a starting point. They're independent, straight-forward and highly informative, plus give additional reading lists for those who wish to research more deeply.
P.S. Be quite clear as to the difference between a psychiatrist (usually a psychopharmacologist who believes in 'chemical imbalances' and prescribes medication) and a psychologist (explores the root issue).
about 5 years ago, I started to fall into a really depressive episode. At first I thought it was only because I had a bad break from a relationship but the feelings wouldn't go away even after I got a new girlfriend. It was wrecking my life until a point where it was seriously affecting my work and personal life.
She was very worried but at the same time couldn't understand why I was still sad and thought that I still couldn't let go of my previous relationship. Being the wonderful person that she is, she put aside her feelings and suggested I go for psychiatric evaluation. Many months later and even more anti-depressants, I was not coming close to being better at all.
After doing some research online, I found out the real cause as you described it really makes a lot of sense and purchased this program. The results were simply astonishing. I read this book over three times and put all words in action. Using this method, I've kept my depression at bay ever since. Up to date I'm still living happily with my girlfriend.
I have a history of clinical depression and my teenage daughter also was showing symptoms similar to the ones you describe. I have been under the care of an excellent psychiatrist for years so I was aware of all the self-help treatment to initiate for my daughter. Those self-help treatments of exercise, diet, good balance of socializing and sleep, seemed to help a little. However, one day we were in the living room and I happened to look down at her shoes and her ankles were showing. She had been cutting her ankles in an effort to get relief from her depression. I knew at that moment she needed medication immediately to get her out of the ditch. I really did not want the stigma of medication to follow her and I was scared of the potentially fatal side-effect of antidepressants in teens. But, the bottom line is I felt like I was a failure as a parent if my child was on medication for mental illness ie depression. Frankly, if all the self-help solutions were going to help, they would have. My daughter was put on medication and was closely monitored by her psychiatrist, me and her father, which included reading her email and snooping for signs of suicide. I have no guilt about that at all. She was on medication for less than a year and was in one-on-one talk therapy at the same time. She stabilized, was tapered off meds and therapy. She has been stable, depression and medication free for over two years. I would keep a low-keyed approach with a teenager so they do not feel that 'being crazy' is their identity and is the behavior that gets 'the best in the state'. Sometimes kids need the best love their parents have to offer instead of the best money can buy. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
Doctors have their protocol.... that includes drugs, usuallly, Hormone imbalances account for most mental illness, including depression, in addition (and you can ask them if you dont believe it) they dont usually test for hormone imbalances in teens.... and your family history says that they should test for that and you also.... now, and you can ask this too, their 'normal' range in hormones (ie, thyroid, sex, adrenals) is so huge that it excludes all but the most severe imbalances, when in fact, a person can be 50% or more off their normal feelings and life energies,etc.... and it will read 'normal' in that huge range... when they are NOT>.... a resource below by doctors... leading experts... So, yes, along with vit/minerals , I think eniva products are suprerb at resource below, also.... change of diet, exercise... I would zero in on the hormones.... and the blood tests used are only testing what is in the blood, and the saliva tests are more sensative to what is acutally bioavailable to the body to use.... The only ones using the saliva tests are some expert doctors and naturopathics..... another resource below.. For the most part the doctors trained in hormones (endos) are dealing with the diabetic epedemic, and leaving everyone else to deal with it the best they can, when there are millions of people more and more miserable... many feel it is partly due to the envioronmental estrogens in everything.... etc... For what it is worth, my opinion... take care
Well, from personal experience(I'm 27 now, but have had depression since I was 13), not a lot. Doctors are reluctant to prescribe antidepressants to youngsters. I had to wait until I was 21 before any doctors really did anything. Up until that point, all that would happen was that the doctor sat me down and had a chat. Although CBT(look it up) is effective, which is therapy, but not using drugs. It might be they suggest a course of that. If not, ask about putting her on it.