JPP Student Journal Club Commentary: Addressing Adolescent Depression in Primary Care

Major depressive disorder is increasingly one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States, with the onset of at least one depressive episode typically occurring after puberty (Thapar et al., 2012). Approximately 13% of youth aged 12 –17 experience at least one major depressive episode per year, 70% of whom report severe impairment (SAMHSA, 2017). Untreated depression is associated with increased risk for academic and social impairment, substance use, suicide, and poor outcomes continuing to adulthood including comorbid health conditions results in significant societal and economic costs (Clayborne et al., 2019;Das et al., 2016;Johnson et al., 2018;Naicker et al., 2013). Furthermore, close to two-thirds of youth with depressive symptoms do not receive treatment (SAMHSA, 2017), due to barriers (e.g., stigma about mental health, lack of screening for early detection of psychological conditions, and unavailability of quality, affordable care;Andrade et al., 2014;Costello et al., 2021;O ’Brien et al., 2016). Providing psychological services through pediatric integrated primary care is an established method for addressing these barriers, promoting preventive mental health service utilization, and providing follow-up care (Honigfeld et al., 2017;Richardson et al., 2017;Talmi et al., 2016). Importantly, the availability of psychological services in the primary care setting can reduce disparities that affect racial/ethnic and language minority youth (Campo et a...
Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research