Clinical update
Depression in young people Essential facts
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Nearly 80,000 children and young people in the UK have severe depression, including 8,000 children younger than ten. According to the charity Young Minds, more than half of all adults with mental health problems were diagnosed in childhood but fewer than half of those were treated appropriately at the time. The problem appears to be increasing: the number of young people aged 15 to 16 with depression nearly doubled between the 1980s and the 2000s.
NICE quality standard 2013: Depression in children and young people www.nice.org.uk/ guidance/index. jsp?action=byID&o=14284
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What’s new The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a quality standard to improve the care and support of children and young people with depression aged between five and 17 years. It calls for young people with suspected depression to have a diagnosis confirmed and recorded in their medical records. It also calls for them to be given age-appropriate information about their diagnosis and treatment options so they can participate in shared decision making. NICE stresses the importance of having prompt access to appropriate services.
Causes/risk factors Psychosocial risk factors include family discord, parental depression, bullying, drug or alcohol use, and physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Circumstances such as homelessness, refugee status and living in institutional settings can also play a part. The needs of looked after young people require particular attention – as NICE suggests, some 60 per cent have emotional and mental health problems.
How you can help your patient
Signs and symptoms Diagnosing depression in children and young people can be difficult, according to NICE. Depression can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, losing interest in things that used to be enjoyed, and feeling tearful. Physical symptoms can include feeling constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite, aches and pains.
Expert comment Gemma Trainor, nurse consultant in CAMHS at Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation Mental Health Trust 18 november 6 :: vol 28 no 10 :: 2013
Do not overlook symptoms out of fear that diagnosis will label a child. If appropriate, include parents and carers in the treatment plan. Monitor the moods and feelings of children and young people who are receiving treatment so adjustments can be made. Arrangements should be in place so that those referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) with suspected severe depression and a high risk of suicide are assessed as an emergency within a maximum 24 hours of referral.
‘Depression can leave children in a terrible place, and we are seeing a worrying trend of younger children presenting with the condition. Services across the country can be variable, so these NICE quality standards will help parents, young people and professionals know what they should receive in terms of assessment and treatment.
The NICE quality standard is based on the earlier guideline Depression in children and young people: identification and management in primary, community and secondary care tinyurl.com/pb586gh Department of Health guidance 2011: Delivering better mental health outcomes for people of all ages tinyurl.com/pmjs3el YoungMinds, a charity for the mental health of children www.youngminds.org.uk Article from Nursing Standard: Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence McDougall T (2011) Nursing Standard. 26, 14, 48-56. dx.doi.org/10.7748/ ns2011.12.26.14.48.c8857
‘It is important that children receive a diagnosis and that this is recorded. In some places this is perceived as labelling children, but it is crucial that the condition is recognised so they can access the right services and treatment. ‘Nurses need to bear in mind the effect of the internet on children, which they can access away from adult scrutiny.’
NURSING STANDARD
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Depression in young people Essential facts
Find out more
Nearly 80,000 children and young people in the UK have severe depression, including 8,000 children younger than ten. According to the charity Young Minds, more than half of all adults with mental health problems were diagnosed in childhood but fewer than half of those were treated appropriately at the time. The problem appears to be increasing: the number of young people aged 15 to 16 with depression nearly doubled between the 1980s and the 2000s.
NICE quality standard 2013: Depression in children and young people www.nice.org.uk/ guidance/index. jsp?action=byID&o=14284
GETTY
What’s new The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a quality standard to improve the care and support of children and young people with depression aged between five and 17 years. It calls for young people with suspected depression to have a diagnosis confirmed and recorded in their medical records. It also calls for them to be given age-appropriate information about their diagnosis and treatment options so they can participate in shared decision making. NICE stresses the importance of having prompt access to appropriate services.
Causes/risk factors Psychosocial risk factors include family discord, parental depression, bullying, drug or alcohol use, and physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Circumstances such as homelessness, refugee status and living in institutional settings can also play a part. The needs of looked after young people require particular attention – as NICE suggests, some 60 per cent have emotional and mental health problems.
How you can help your patient
Signs and symptoms Diagnosing depression in children and young people can be difficult, according to NICE. Depression can cause a wide variety of symptoms, including persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, losing interest in things that used to be enjoyed, and feeling tearful. Physical symptoms can include feeling constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite, aches and pains.
Expert comment Gemma Trainor, nurse consultant in CAMHS at Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation Mental Health Trust 18 november 6 :: vol 28 no 10 :: 2013
Do not overlook symptoms out of fear that diagnosis will label a child. If appropriate, include parents and carers in the treatment plan. Monitor the moods and feelings of children and young people who are receiving treatment so adjustments can be made. Arrangements should be in place so that those referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) with suspected severe depression and a high risk of suicide are assessed as an emergency within a maximum 24 hours of referral.
‘Depression can leave children in a terrible place, and we are seeing a worrying trend of younger children presenting with the condition. Services across the country can be variable, so these NICE quality standards will help parents, young people and professionals know what they should receive in terms of assessment and treatment.
The NICE quality standard is based on the earlier guideline Depression in children and young people: identification and management in primary, community and secondary care tinyurl.com/pb586gh Department of Health guidance 2011: Delivering better mental health outcomes for people of all ages tinyurl.com/pmjs3el YoungMinds, a charity for the mental health of children www.youngminds.org.uk Article from Nursing Standard: Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence McDougall T (2011) Nursing Standard. 26, 14, 48-56. dx.doi.org/10.7748/ ns2011.12.26.14.48.c8857
‘It is important that children receive a diagnosis and that this is recorded. In some places this is perceived as labelling children, but it is crucial that the condition is recognised so they can access the right services and treatment. ‘Nurses need to bear in mind the effect of the internet on children, which they can access away from adult scrutiny.’
NURSING STANDARD
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