Depression

What is Depression?

• Considered to be the most common and underidentified mental disability.
• Serious medical illness which can alter feelings, the way someone thinks, and how someone acts.
• Depression is treatable!
• Affects roughly 6.7% of adults each year
• One-third of women will experience depression in their lifetime

IDEA: Emotional &Behavioral Disorders

• Currently using the term "emotional disturbance"
• A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:

IDEA cont...

• inability to learn, inability to build or maintain relationships, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings, general mood of unhappiness or depression, tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
• Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia

IDEA: Qualifications for Services

• Observation
• Behavior Rating Scales
• Behavior Assessment Systems
• Personality Inventories
• Projective Tests

Symptoms and Behaviors

• Symptoms of depression can range from mild to severe.
• Loss of energy or increased fatigue
• Feeling sad, or depressed mood
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in appetite
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Loss of energy or increased fatigue

Symptoms and Behaviors cont..

• Feeling worthless or guilty
• Increase in purposeless physical activity
• Thoughts of suicide or death

Characteristics

• Cognitive - low self-esteem, attention problems, suicidal thoughts
• Behavioral - social withdrawal, crying for no apparent reason, uncooperative, suicide attempts
• Physiological - poor appetite or overeating, insomnia, low energy or fatigue

Risk Factors

• Biochemistry - differences in certain chemicals found in the brain
• Genetics - depression can run in families
• Personality - people with low self-esteem, easily overwhelmed by stress, generally pessimistic
• Environmental - continuous exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, and poverty
• Children with disabilities; learning or medical problems, are almost more vulnerable to developing depression

Treatment:

• Among the most treatable mental disorders
• Medication - antidepressants, which are not habit-forming
• Psychotherapy - "talk therapy," however antidepressants are prescribed along with therapy for more severe cases
• Self-help & Coping - exercise, get enough sleep, eat healthy diet, avoiding alcohol

Effects on Academic Performance

• Children diagnosed with depression are more likely to develop difficulty concentrating, completing assignments, paying attention, participating in class, achieving at grade level, and feeling motivated to perform

Effects on Social Performance

• Children diagnosed with depression are more likely to become withdrawn, experience social skill deficits, and decrease enjoyment from their surroundings and activities once enjoyed

Teaching Strategies:

• Develop working and collaborative relationship with depressed student
• Avoid negative techniques
• Make adjustments in assignments and tasks
• Plan for success
• Consult with school psychologist, counselor, or social worker

Adaptive/Assistive Technology

• Teachers can provide students with a visual behavior chart in order to track behaviors in the classroom, offer rewards for positive behaviors and participation
• Providing students a timer, for better time management during assignments
• Provide graphic organizers for papers due, in order to help layout assignment

Research:

• Children with high levels of early anxiety/withdrawal are at higher risk for depression
• Experiment collected data from a 30 year longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort

Research Cont...

• Study showed: increasing rates of early anxiety/withdrawal were associated with increased risk of later depression, positive parent-child attachment was associated with decline in the risk of later depression, associations persisted even after controlling for confounding factors

Level of Major Depression in childhood anxiety/withdrawal (7-9 years old)

Level of parent-child attachment and involvement

Research Results

• According to the following charts, the level of parent-child involvement and attachment significantly makes a decrease in the percentage of children experiencing depression.

Family and Community Resources: Online

• American Psychological Association: http://www.apa. org
• National Association of School Psychologists: http:// www.nasponline.org
• National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association: http://www.ndmda.org

Family and Community Resources cont...

• Child Find coordinator
• Principal or Special Education provider or your child's school
• Local pediatrician/hospital - discuss early intervention systems in community
• National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities website (NICHCY)

Fact or Myth?!

• People with depression must deal with pain on their own.
• Medication used to treat depression is addictive.
• Children have not experienced life enough to become depressed.
• Depression can be easily diagnosed due to observable behaviors such as frequent crying and unhappiness.

References:

• A. (2017, January). What Is Depression? Retrieved June 17, 2017, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression
• Huberty, T. (2010). Depression: Supporting Students at School. In Helping Students at Home and School III: Handouts for Families and Educators(pp. S5H11-1-S5H11-3). NASP.

References cont...

• Jakobsen, I. S., Horwood, L. J., & Fergusson, D. M. (2012). Childhood Anxiety/Withdrawal, adolescent parent-child attachment and later risk of depression and anxiety disorder. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(2), 303-310. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9476-x

References cont...

• N. (2012, March). Categories of Disability Under IDEA. Retrieved from www.parentcenterhub.org