Assessment Strategies to Screen for Depression and External Stressors during an Assessment for an Adolescent Patient

Assessment Strategies to Screen for Depression and External Stressors during an Assessment for an Adolescent Patient

There are numerous strategies to be used to screen for depression in teenagers. Teenage depression can cause physical, emotional, and functional problems. One of the significant strategies for the assessment of depression in teenagers is the head-to-toe assessment starting the minute the nurse faces the patient (Yin, 2019). The nurse has the ability to observe the patient’s mood, consciousness, and hygiene. The nurse conducts the head-to-toe assessment starting with the crucial signs and heading to the neurologic assessment. The nurse conducting the assessment should focus on any physical anomalies like changes in mood and emotional changes like the level of fear. A determined neurologic assessment identifies any possible functional problems, with the assessment starting with observing moods, behavior, and ability to converse with the assessor. The assessor should also focus on the patient’s self-esteem by focusing on focusing on how the patient feels about themselves, also, the assessor should focus on the use of social networks by the patients in order to identify cases of cyberbullying, peer pressure, and failed relationships. For the nurse assessing the parent, confidentiality must be maintained at all levels as information on confidentiality should be provided to the teenage patient, where no such information should be given to the parents or guardian without the patient’s knowledge. Education should be offered to the parent or guardian on the importance of confidentiality. Such strategies can be essential for screening depression in teenagers where numerous questions such as if the patient is a victim of bullying and assessing social network usage of the patient would be essential during the assessment.

Support Options for Adolescents Encountering External Stressors

There are numerous support options for adolescents encountering external stressors such as bullying and social networks such as social media and peer influence. One significant support option entails building skills and education (Hobaica et al., 2018). Programs educating teenagers on handling stressors like bullying should be established, and they can be instituted at the societal level or in schools. Teenagers at high risk should be identified and provided with more customized help. Parents and teachers must know what to assess to identify when teenagers are suffering from depression. The peer support option is an essential support option for teenagers who are suffering from depression as it involves receiving help from other teenagers who have suffered from a similar problem, and it can occur through social support groups. For extreme cases, the secondary support option can be essential and can be integrated into the patient’s support system. It can be done by introducing a case manager where the case manager plans, assesses and implements specific measures facilitating the patient’s recovery (Dummett & Williams, 2018). Using such strategies ensures that teenager suffering from depression receives good care.

Conclusion

It can be surmised that depression is kind of common in adolescents. There are numerous reasons being the cause of depression is widespread. Bullying and social networks such as social media and peer influence can be reasons why most teenagers suffer from depression in the United States. Depression can lead to severe circumstances like self-harm and suicide, and this regards the role of parents and teachers is vital in minimizing the risks. Support options like education and building skills for teenagers are essential as they can know how to overcome external stressors like bullying. Frequent counseling with a psychologist is essential as it minimizes depression promoting mental health among adolescents.