Mary Donohue
Spring 2008
ALHE 5500
Title of Journal
Article_____________Depression in Children and Adolescents______________________
Title of Journal
__________________American Family Physician________________________________________________
Volume__________62____________________ Date ___11/15/2000______ Page Number(s) ______________
·
What organization
is responsible for publishing the journal you chose?
The journal is published by the American Academy
of Family Physicians
·
What is your overall
evaluation of this article?
_____Poor
______Fair ___X___Good
_______Very Good _____Excellent
·
Why did you choose
to review this particular article?
This was a required reading assignment.
·
How would you rate
this article as a tool for teaching a student about cardiopulmonary physiology, radiography, or another allied health specialty?
Students:
____Poor
____Fair ___X__Good _____Very Good _____Excellent
Teachers:
____Poor
____Fair ___X__Good _____Very Good _____Excellent
Patients:
____Poor
___X_Fair _____Good _____Very Good _____Excellent
·
Comment on the
readability of this article.
The article was well organized and interesting
to read. It gave a lot of information, but it wasn’t overwhelming.
·
Course Topics covered:
Prevalence of a disorder, questionnaires,
specificity, meta-analysis, placebo effect, randomized controlled trials, inverse relationship, and evidence based research.
·
Brief Summary:
Although it was previously thought that
children and adolescents do not experience bouts of depression and other mood disorders, attention is being brought to the
evidence that indicate this is not the case. In fact, an increase in the number
of cases of depression can be seen in children and adolescents and also it is being seen in younger ages. Diagnosis is not easy and many times easily missed by physicians, so it is important for screening measures
to be developed. Input from family and teachers tend to be very important in
diagnosis. There is not a lot of evidence based research when it comes to treating
depression in children and adolescents, so treatment plans have been developed by using adult research. The most effective treatments combine psychotherapy, pharmacology and education of the patient and family. Family involvement in treatment is extremely important for the success of the patient. There are many questions regarding medication protocol in this population as there
is a high placebo effect, especially with Tricyclic antidepressants. Better results
have been shown with SSRI’s, but more studies need to be conducted.
·
Identify and attempt
to explain three (3) terms, procedures or concepts that were unfamiliar to you when reviewing this article.
The first piece of information that was
new to me (and quite disturbing) was that the “prevalence of depression appears to be increasing in successive generations
of children, with onset at earlier ages.” I had no idea that children could
experience these types of disorders. I have always thought that it was a teenage
and older disorder.
Second, I didn’t know the variations
in diagnosis of depression. It was interesting to learn that dysthymic disorder
had similar depression symptoms, but not as severe, yet could last longer. Depression
episodes normally last from 7-9 months, whereas dysthymic disorders can last three years.
Finally, I was unfamiliar with the term
“comorbid” condition. I now understand it to be used when two different
disorders occur at the same time in a patient.
·
Detail the strengths/weaknesses
of this article.
The strength of the article is that it brings
to the forefront an issue that has not been researched thoroughly but should be. Depression
in children and adolescents is becoming more frequently seen, so it is an important topic to understand so it can be diagnosed
earlier.
I do wish that the article went into more
detail in regard to what education is needed for the family of a patient. It
stated that it was a critical element to the success of the treatment.
·
How might this
article be useful to you in your further studies and career?
The article stated how the treatment options
for children came from studies done with adults. This shows that although research
may not be done on the specific topic I might be looking into, I can see related research to gain information and possible
courses of action.
·
Does the article
include a list of references/citations that can be used to find more information on the topics they cover?
The article does include a list of references
that would provide additional information on depression in children and adolescents.
Your Name: _______Mary Donohue
_________________________________ Date: __2/10/2008_____
