Beyond a diagnosis: The experience of depression among clinically-referred adolescents

Abstract Policy-makers have identified an urgent need to improve our ability to detect and diagnose depression in adolescents. This study aims to explore the lived experience of depression in clinically referred adolescents. 77 adolescents, aged between 11 and 17 with moderate to severe depression,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescence (London, England.) England.), 2015-10, Vol.44 (1), p.269-279
Main Authors: Midgley, Nick, Parkinson, Sally, Holmes, Josh, Stapley, Emily, Eatough, Virginia, Target, Mary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescence
Adolescent
Anger
Child
Clinical trials
Data analysis
Depression
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - psychology
Diagnosis
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Lived experience
Male
Medical diagnosis
Mental depression
Pediatrics
Qualitative
Social Isolation - psychology
Teenagers
Violence - psychology
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Summary:Abstract Policy-makers have identified an urgent need to improve our ability to detect and diagnose depression in adolescents. This study aims to explore the lived experience of depression in clinically referred adolescents. 77 adolescents, aged between 11 and 17 with moderate to severe depression, were interviewed as part of a randomised controlled trial, using the Expectations of Therapy Interview . Data were analysed qualitatively using framework analysis, with a focus on how the adolescents spoke about their depression. The study identified five themes: 1) Misery, despair and tears; 2) Anger and violence towards self and others; 3) A bleak view of everything; 4) Isolation and cutting off from the world; and 5) The impact on education. Researchers and policy-makers need to develop an understanding of depression grounded in the experiences of adolescents to improve detection and diagnosis of depression.
ISSN:0140-1971
1095-9254
DOI:10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.08.007