[NYAPRS Enews] MNT: Fear Of Family Reaction Barrier To Tx For Teens w Depression

[Matt Canuteson]

Fear Of Family Reaction Is Barrier To Treatment For Depressed Teens


Medical News Today May 26th 2009


    

Although teen depression poses a widespread problem for which proven
treatments exist, few depressed teens receive any care.


 


Why don't they undergo treatment? The answer depends whether you ask
parents or the adolescents themselves, according to a study in the June
issue of the journal Medical Care.


 
"With teenagers, treatment decisions greatly involve other parties,
especially parents. For instance, teenagers often rely on adults for
transportation. Doctors need a sense not just of what the teen thinks or
what the parent thinks, but what both think," said Lisa Meredith, Ph.D.,
lead author of the new study.


 
The ability of their physicians to address all the perceived barriers
"affects the teenager's own ability to acknowledge their depression and
do something about it," said Meredith, a researcher at RAND.


 


Teens with untreated depression more often have social and academic
problems, become parents prematurely, abuse drugs and alcohol and suffer
adult depression and suicide.


 
For the study, researchers recruited 368 adolescent patients of diverse
backgrounds receiving care in seven public or private primary care
practices. Of these, half had a diagnosis of depression. One parent or
guardian of each enrolled teenager also participated.


 
Teens and parents rated the effects of seven possible barriers: 1) cost
of care, 2) what others might think, 3) problems finding or making
appointments with a doctor or therapist, 4) time constraints and other
responsibilities, 5) not wanting family to know about the depression
(this was asked of teens only), 6) good care being unavailable and 7)
just not wanting care.


 


Parents were significantly less likely to report barriers than teens.


 
For teens, concerns about stigma and relatives' reactions were among the
significant issues, and those who perceived barriers were less likely to
undergo therapy or take medications. Depressed teens were significantly
more likely to perceive barriers to care than their non-depressed peers
were.


 
"Adolescents do tend to go undiagnosed and untreated. They don't want to
seem abnormal. They want to fit in. Yet when they deny problems, they
often act out adaptively, drinking a lot and pursuing other high-risk
behaviors," said Deborah Amdur, a psychiatrist with the Advanced
Psychiatric Group in Orlando, Fla.


 
"This study has the potential to be significant if the findings reach
the primary care physicians and help them understand their task in
ensuring that adolescents have access to care," Amdur said. "It's not a
simple one step of speaking with the teenager. They also have to
coordinate care with the parent."


 
"Once primary care doctors understand the perceived barriers that exist
on both sides, they are better able to work with a family to get care
that feels right for a particular teenager," Meredith said.


 
Medical Care: Contact Sue Houchin at (317) 796-5752 or
medicalcare at comcast.net or visit: http://www.lww-medicalcare.com
<http://www.lww-medicalcare.com> 


 


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151383.php


 

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