Topic 3: Health Assessment During the Adolescent and Prenatal Periods

Research the range of contemporary issues teenagers face today. In a 500-750-word paper, choose one issue (besides teen pregnancy) and discuss its effect on adolescent behavior and overall well-being. Include the following in your submission:

1. Describe the contemporary issue and explain what external stressors are associated with this issue.
2. Outline assessment strategies to screen for this issue and external stressors during an assessment for an adolescent patient. Describe what additional assessment questions you would need to ask and define the ethical parameters regarding what you can and cannot share with the parent or guardian.
3. Discuss support options for adolescents encountering external stressors. Include specific support options for the contemporary issue you presented.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

SOLUTION

Teenage Depression

Introduction

One of the major contemporary issues that teenagers face today is depression. Teenage depression is a mental health issue which leads to teenagers feeling sad and losing interest in activities (NIMH, n.d.). While it affects how one feels, thinks or behaves, it also causes physical, emotional and functional problems. As argued by Kroning & Kroning (2016), teenage depression is a life-threatening concern today. A National comorbidity study in 2001-2004 consisting of 10,123 teens revealed that 11% of them suffered from depression. A 2015 report by the World Health Organization revealed that over 350 million suffered from depression globally. The National Institute of Mental Health found that in 2013, 2.7 teenagers aged 12 to 17 underwent a major depressive episode (Kroning & Kroning, 2016). Teenage depression as argued by Grand Canyon University (2018) is the leading cause of teenage suicide and suicide has become the second cause of death in youth aged 10-24 years.

External Stressors

There are several external stressors associated with depression in teenagers. One of the major stressors is bullying. Bullying has been a growing concern and is estimated to affect 20-30% of the students in the U.S. In the last few decades; the society has