Admission for depression in adolescence
Depression affects between 4% and 8% of adolescents (Balazs et al., 2020) and can manifest differently than in children and adults. Symptoms of depression can include sadness, fatigue, apathy, lack of motivation, loss of interest in usual activities, difficulty enjoying oneself, constant boredom, low self-esteem, poor school performance, irritability, and thoughts of death or suicide, among others.
The presentation may vary depending on the person's age:
- In children, symptoms of anxiety often predominate, such as separation anxiety, phobias, physical discomfort and pain, irritability, and physical restlessness (Ryan et al., 1987).
- In adults , loss of interest and motivation, difficulty enjoying pleasurable situations, and concentration problems are more common.
- In adolescents , the predominant symptoms are usually changes in appetite and weight, lack of energy and sleep disturbances —insomnia or hypersomnia— (Rice et al., 2019), as well as social isolation, low self-esteem and irritability (Del Barrio, 2000).
Is depression a disorder exclusive to adults?
Mental health services always try to use the least invasive and least restrictive resource for people, which means that services such as outpatient consultations or partial hospitalization are chosen first, in order to keep the child in their environment (with their family and friends) and allow them to continue with their usual activities (going to school or high school, if possible, or attending extracurricular activities).
Acute child and adolescent mental health units are a resource to help children and adolescents who are experiencing a crisis and who, for some reason, need continuous supervision or observation by health professionals and more intensive treatment to improve their condition.
Sometimes the need for hospitalization can be perceived as a failure, one can be ashamed of it or think that it means the person will not be able to recover, but it is important to understand that hospitalization is only one part of the treatment process, one more phase towards recovery.
More than 1,800 boys and girls need to be hospitalized for some mental health problem in Catalonia over the course of a year (Observatory of the Health System of Catalonia, Results Center, 2017).
At the beginning of a stay for depression, it's common to feel that everything will be useless, that it's not worth trying. This sometimes makes it harder for the person admitted to express themselves and cooperate in therapy, and can even lead them to reject help altogether. This pessimistic outlook is another symptom of depression; it's called hopelessness and is a common feeling.
In addition, treatments for depression often take two to three weeks to begin showing results, which can lead to discouragement when improvement isn't immediate. However, it's important to remember the treatment goals and allow yourself to appreciate any progress, no matter how small.
During the admission period, it is important to continue working with the families and for the boy or girl to continue with their daily activities so as not to lose track of their projects, motivations and support, which will make their subsequent reintegration easier.
The aim is to keep hospital stays as short as possible so that patients can return to their homes and continue working on their individual needs. Therefore, people often leave the hospital feeling better, although not fully recovered. This can cause some insecurity or fear upon discharge, but therapists will continue to provide close support throughout the entire process.
Featuring
