Until recently, psychologists and psychiatrists believed that adolescents did not experience true depression in the way that adults do. Medical experts now realize that young people can and do get seriously depressed, and that depression and bipolar disorder may be more serious and more difficult to treat in adolescents than in adults. Depression may also be harder to recognize as an illness, both because moodiness is considered universal among teenagers and because parents often resist having their child treated for a psychiatric illness that they think—and often hope—will be "just a phase."
In Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Francis Mondimore helps parents understand that serious depression in adolescents is an illness—an illness that can be effectively treated. He describes the many forms of depression and the many ways it can appear in young people—from intensely sad feelings to irritability, anger, and destructive rages. And he answers parents' questions, including: What are the danger signals of serious depression in teenagers? How are mood disorders diagnosed? How do medications work? What about talking therapies? How does depression relate to other problems, such as drug abuse, ADHD, and eating disorders and other self-injurious behavior? Of the one in five adults who go through a period of serious depression during their lifetime, many had their first experience of depression as teenagers. This comprehensive and compassionate guide detailing the symptoms, treatments, complications, and causes of adolescent depression provides parents with the information they need to ensure that their children receive the best possible treatment and become happy and healthy adults.
1117482331
Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents
Until recently, psychologists and psychiatrists believed that adolescents did not experience true depression in the way that adults do. Medical experts now realize that young people can and do get seriously depressed, and that depression and bipolar disorder may be more serious and more difficult to treat in adolescents than in adults. Depression may also be harder to recognize as an illness, both because moodiness is considered universal among teenagers and because parents often resist having their child treated for a psychiatric illness that they think—and often hope—will be "just a phase."
In Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Francis Mondimore helps parents understand that serious depression in adolescents is an illness—an illness that can be effectively treated. He describes the many forms of depression and the many ways it can appear in young people—from intensely sad feelings to irritability, anger, and destructive rages. And he answers parents' questions, including: What are the danger signals of serious depression in teenagers? How are mood disorders diagnosed? How do medications work? What about talking therapies? How does depression relate to other problems, such as drug abuse, ADHD, and eating disorders and other self-injurious behavior? Of the one in five adults who go through a period of serious depression during their lifetime, many had their first experience of depression as teenagers. This comprehensive and compassionate guide detailing the symptoms, treatments, complications, and causes of adolescent depression provides parents with the information they need to ensure that their children receive the best possible treatment and become happy and healthy adults.
Until recently, psychologists and psychiatrists believed that adolescents did not experience true depression in the way that adults do. Medical experts now realize that young people can and do get seriously depressed, and that depression and bipolar disorder may be more serious and more difficult to treat in adolescents than in adults. Depression may also be harder to recognize as an illness, both because moodiness is considered universal among teenagers and because parents often resist having their child treated for a psychiatric illness that they think—and often hope—will be "just a phase."
In Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Francis Mondimore helps parents understand that serious depression in adolescents is an illness—an illness that can be effectively treated. He describes the many forms of depression and the many ways it can appear in young people—from intensely sad feelings to irritability, anger, and destructive rages. And he answers parents' questions, including: What are the danger signals of serious depression in teenagers? How are mood disorders diagnosed? How do medications work? What about talking therapies? How does depression relate to other problems, such as drug abuse, ADHD, and eating disorders and other self-injurious behavior? Of the one in five adults who go through a period of serious depression during their lifetime, many had their first experience of depression as teenagers. This comprehensive and compassionate guide detailing the symptoms, treatments, complications, and causes of adolescent depression provides parents with the information they need to ensure that their children receive the best possible treatment and become happy and healthy adults.
Francis Mark Mondimore, M.D., is a psychiatrist and member of the clinical faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His books include Depression: The Mood Disease and Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families, both available from Johns Hopkins.
Table of Contents
PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I1. DepressionNormal and Abnormal MoodsThe Symptom of DepressionThe Syndrome of DepressionAssociated Symptoms of DepressionMood DisordersThe Chemistry of Mood2. Normal Adolescence and Depression in AdolescenceMore on SymptomsMore on AdolescenceWhen Is Depression "Serious"?3. The Mood Disorders of AdolescencePsychiatric DiagnosisMajor Depressive DisorderDysthymic DisorderPremenstrual Dysphoric DisorderBipolar DisorderControversies Surrounding Bipolar Affective Disorder in ChildrenDisruptive Mood Dysregulation DisorderMore on DiagnosisThe Importance of Treatment4. Mood DisordersWhat Is the DSM?A Multiaxial Diagnostic SystemMood Disorder Categories in the DSMControversies in the Use of the DSMPart II5. Medication Issues in AdolescencePharmaceuticals and the FDADose Adjustments and Other Differences for Young PeopleHow Psychiatric Medications Work6. Antidepressant MedicationsTricyclic AntidepressantsSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsOther, New, AntidepressantsMonoamine Oxidase InhibitorsAntidepressant Therapy7. Mood-Stabilizing MedicationsLithiumValproate (Depakote)Carbamazepine (Tegretol)Lamotrigine (Lamictal)Other Mood StabilizersWhat Do Mood Stabilizers Treat?Why, and How, to Use Mood Stabilizers in Depression8. Other Medications and TreatmentsAntipsychotic MedicationsControversiesBenzodiazepinesSt. John's WortOmega-3 Fatty Acids and Fish OilExercise"Medical" MarijuanaElectroconvulsive TherapyOther New Treatments9. Counseling and PsychotherapyThe "Biology-Psychology" Split in PsychiatryIs Psychotherapy Alone Sufficient?Is Psychotherapy Always Necessary?Matching the Psychotherapy to the PatientChoosing a Therapy and a TherapistThe Psychiatrist-PsychotherapistPart III10. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderWhat Is ADHD?Treatment IssuesMood Disorders and ADHDOther MedicationsTreatment for Your Child11. Autism, Asperger's, and Related DisordersAutismSymptoms of AutismAutism versus Asperger's SyndromeAutism and Mood DisordersApproaches to Treatment of the Child Who Has Autism12. Alcohol and Drug AbuseAdolescent Substance AbuseAlcohol AbuseMarijuana AbuseAmphetamines (Crystal Meth, Ecstasy, and "Club Drugs")Mood Disorders and Substance AbuseTreatment Issues13. Eating DisordersAnorexia NervosaBulimia NervosaUnderstanding Eating DisordersMood Disorders and Eating Disorders14. "Cutting" and Other Self-Harming BehaviorsSelf-MutilationAdolescent Suicide15. The Genetics of Mood DisordersGenes, Chromosomes, and DNAGenetic DiseasesWhat We KnowThe Search ContinuesPart IV16. Strategies for Successful TreatmentDiagnosis, Diagnosis, DiagnosisChoosing the Treatment TeamEliminating Pathological Influences17. The Role of the FamilyRecognizing SymptomsGetting Involved in TreatmentSafety IssuesArranging Hospitalization and Involuntary TreatmentGetting the Support You Need18. Planning for EmergenciesKnow Whom to Call for HelpInsurance IssuesMore on Safety19. Looking AheadResourcesSuggested ReadingSupport and Advocacy OrganizationsInternet ResourcesNotesIndex
This is Dr. Mondimore's best book yet, thorough and comprehensive. He provides information that is vital for parents, pediatricians, and general practitioners trying to understand the behavioral symptoms of mood disorders in adolescents.
— Sallie P. Mink, Director of Education, Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA)
Neal D. Ryan
This well-written book is both comprehensive and scientifically rigorous. Dr. Mondimore makes the complex concepts and terms involved in the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent depression enormously accessible to the layperson.
— Neal D. Ryan, M.D., Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh
Anthony J. Drobnick
Dr. Mondimore has clearly succeeded in his goal of providing parents with a sophisticated summary of everything that is currently known about adolescent mood disorders. His writing combines a keen clinical skill in the care of patients with a comprehensive and sensible review of the research literature. In our clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, we spend a lot of time simply educating parents about these conditions, and we have badly needed a book to recommend to families. Dr. Mondimore's book more than satisfies this urgent need. This is an outstanding work that surpasses anything else I have read for parents on clinical depression and bipolar disorder in teenagers.
— Anthony J. Drobnick, M.D., Director of the Adolescent Affective Disorders Consultation Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
