Depression is comparatively common in adolescents and children, and if it is left concealed and untreated, can have enduring negative effects. Social workers who provide services to adolescents and children have to understand its characteristics, and perform proper developmental measurements of depressive symptoms. This paper reviews present literature interrelated to the measurement of depression in children.
If a child is suspected to be depressed, psychological testing may be used to substantiate the diagnosis and establish the acuteness of his or her symptoms. Psychological testing may be utilized to assess the adaptive and accomplishment level of the child, cognitive functioning of the child, educational and school change, and substance abuse. For the clinician to make accurate measurement of depression, he should create a precise and all-inclusive picture of the child’s current functioning by evaluating his recent and past medical and psychological functioning and symptom profile. Most often, the process starts by making that important visit to the primary care doctor. The doctor asks the child simple questions about how he feels and about his experiences. The parent can also be asked to clarify whether recent life events like loss of a loved one or even divorce had happened. Historically, these life events psychologically affect children. The assesment will then be scored and the outcome interpreted by a psychiatrist. Once the outcome of the assessment is released, the child meets the doctor to discuss it. After discussions, plans for treatment are decided upon and sometimes additional specialists may come in to help ( DiMaria, 2010).
Time should be taken to figure out the process of valuation and how best it can help your child to live an anxiety free life and keep depression at bay.
References
DiMaria, L. (2010). Psychological testing for depression in children. Retrieved from http://depression.about.com/od/Diagnosis/a/psychological-testing.htm
