[xtypo_dropcap]T[/xtypo_dropcap]he National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is getting serious about youth depression in the United States at the grassroots level, coming out with an updated, expanded version of a guide geared toward helping identify and deal with depression within the family context.
“It is important that parents and children engage in dialogue [on mental illness] to create an open and honest environment,” said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of NAMI, in a press statement. “Communication is imperative. The family guide will help the discussion.”
What Families Need to Know about Adolescent Depression, originally written in 2005, is available online and also in hard copy to be ordered at the NAMI online store.
The booklet stresses that adolescent depression should be viewed as a form of mental illness, not simply as a sort of prolonged sadness or a behavioral problem.
The guide describes youth depression as typically an episodic illness but one that can occur repeatedly. Four out of ten youths who experience depression will experience it a second time within two years of the first episode, according to the guide.
The booklet also covers treatment methods for youth depression, including the most typical approach—talk therapy, which is sometimes applied in conjunction with medication.
NAMI describes itself as the largest grassroots mental health organization in the United States.
