Looking Back at Adolescent Depression: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Adolescent depression is a serious disorder marked by a prevalence rate of approximately 5% along with significant rates of relapse and mortality (Brent & Birmaher, 2002). This qualitative study involved semistructured interviews of nine young adults who were diagnosed with and treated for major depressive disorder between the ages of 15 and 18. Five themes emerged from the interviews: (a) talking to a counselor about their depression was helpful; (b) participants obtained relief in their counseling and expressed respect for their professional helpers; (c) parental (and adult) partnerships are important; (d) friends of the adolescent clients were usually helpful to them; and (e) the adolescents possessed a realistic optimism concerning a possible subsequent depressive episode. Implications for mental health counselors are also discussed.

How Adolescent Girls Understand and Manage Depression Within Their Peer Group: A Grounded Theory Investigation

“…When depressive symptoms were present in their peers, adolescent girls in this study could not link the symptoms to depression, a mental disorder that needs professional evaluation and intervention. Consistent with the adolescent literature (Wisdom & Agnor, 2007; McCarthy, Downes, & Sherman, 2008), adolescent girls in this study viewed trusted adult role models who were women–mothers of adolescents, teachers, and athletic coaches–as resources to protect their peers from physical risk behaviors or what participants called “serious” behaviors.…”

Concerns and hopes among adolescents attending adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinics

“…In addition, our study shows more specifically that mental disorders pervade widely into an adolescent's life. The literature reports that mental disorders are a heavy burden, including exclusion and disrespectful treatment (European Commission, ), loneliness and hopelessness (McCarthy et al., ), poor quality of life (McCann et al., ) and restricted participation in community events (Burnett‐Zeigler et al., ). For the adolescents in our study, the diversity of negative feelings revealed several difficulties in coping with daily life.…”

“…Adolescents with mental disorders have experiences of being different from peers, poor self‐confidence, and impaired quality of life (McCann, Lubman, & Clark, ). Loneliness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation are common among them (McCarthy, Downes, & Sherman, ). Compared to their healthy peers they also participate less often in activities at school or other communities.…”

Father Absence: Exploring the Experiences of Young People in Regional Western Australia

“…This study was exploratory in nature (Marlow & Boone, 2005), seeking to generate detailed data. A review of recent qualitative research investigating sensitive issues of relevance to adolescents of a similar age (Aymer, 2008;Herrick & Piccus, 2005;McCarthy, Downes, & Sherman, 2008;Unrau, Seita & Putney, 2008) affirmed the use of an exploratory semistructured interview method with a small sample group.…”