Nearly 2 Million Teens Depressed, Government Urges Screening for All
Most teens are undiagnosed and untreated, said the panel, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which sets guidelines for doctors on a host of health issues.
An estimated 6 percent of U.S. teenagers are clinically depressed. Evidence shows that detailed but simple questionnaires can accurately diagnose depression in primary-care settings such as a pediatrician's office.
The task force said that when followed by treatment, including psychotherapy, screening can help improve symptoms and help kids cope. Because depression can lead to persistent sadness, social isolation, school problems and even suicide, screening to treat it early is crucial, the panel said.
Because depression is so common, "you will miss a lot if you only screen high-risk groups," said Dr. Ned Calonge, task force chairman and chief medical officer for Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment.
The group recommends research-tested screening tests even for kids without symptoms. It cited two questionnaires that focus on depression tip-offs, such as mood, anxiety, appetite and substance abuse. It is stressed that the panel does not want its advice to lead to drug treatment alone, particularly antidepressants that have been linked with increased risks for suicidal thoughts.
The recommendations come at a pivotal time for treatment of depression and other mental health problems in children. Recently passed federal mental health equity legislation mandates equal coverage for mental and physical ailments in insurance plans offering both. The law is expected to prompt many more adults and children to seek mental health care.
I think this is a great thing. All teenagers should be screen for depression. This is a serious issue and it can cause great damage to the life of the actual teenage or their family members as well. This is a issue that doesn’t just effect one person, it effects so many individuals. This is something we can prevent as well. We should all be made aware of how to detect the symptoms that comes along with depression. I am going into teaching and I feel that all teachers along with parents should have to attend a training that talks about the sign and symptoms of depression. This is a very serious issue in our teens in today’s society.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Facebook, MySpace Reveal Pain of Musician's Daughters Before Shocking Murder-Suicide
Foxnews
The MySpace and Facebook pages of the daughters of Pablo Josue Amador, 54, shed light on the inner turmoil his daughters were apparently feeling mere hours before the murders.
''Crying/hurting inside. Don't know how to deal. Not even gonna try attempting anymore,'' wrote Amador's oldest daughter Beula ''Bea'' Beatriz Amador, 20, on Facebook at 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Miami Herald.
She didn't go into detail in the posting written just five hours before her mother Maria Amador and younger sisters Priscila and Rosa were killed. Bea Amador, a student at the University of Miami, was not home and not among the victims of the massacre — nor was her 16-year-old brother, who escaped.
''I have gone through so much and yet I still try to stand tall, because this whole world is coming down on me, and me blocking it hurts more and more,'' Priscila, 14, wrote on MySpace."That's why I don't care anymore.''
It was not immediately clear what either daughter was referring to in their posts on MySpace and Facebook.
Those who knew Pablo Amador, a music teacher and former opera tenor, described him as a "regular dad" who made music with his children and taught kids to play piano. They are confounded over what led him to snap.
Investigators carried out the four bodies of Pablo, his 47-year-old wife and two young girls on Wednesday, found inside their gray-trimmed, white ranch house.The son who escaped the shootings uninjured called 911 at 5:58 a.m. as he fled the home, police said. Authorities have not said where he is now.
His wife was the education director at the University of Miami's Project to Cure Paralysis.
Next-door neighbor Christina Ruiz, a 23-year-old social work student, described Amador as a "regular dad" who helped her grandmother jump-start her car several times but who was known to complain when he was bothered by noise or work being done on her house.Amador sang tenor with the Greater Miami Opera chorus and was a soloist at Kendall United Methodist Church, he said on his Web site. Officials at both weren't able to confirm that information.
Those in the community said that Amador worked at a music store, in addition to giving lessons. His wife had nursing degrees; as director of education at the Project to Cure Paralysis, she taught about spinal cord injuries and answered calls from patients looking for the right doctor.
It just breaks my heart when you hear something like this happen. As something similar to this has happened in Valley City. It was many years ago when a husband killed his wife and then himself he did not hurt his children. I am not sure if there were signs of trouble in this case. It is sad to know there were noticeable signs on facebook and myspace and none of the friends of this individual did anything to help. Murder and suicide are two things I think we can all help to prevent. I hope the people looking at this as a learning experience and how they can recognize the signs of suicide or even depression in someone.
Photos
Miami Herald
The MySpace and Facebook pages of the daughters of Pablo Josue Amador, 54, shed light on the inner turmoil his daughters were apparently feeling mere hours before the murders.
''Crying/hurting inside. Don't know how to deal. Not even gonna try attempting anymore,'' wrote Amador's oldest daughter Beula ''Bea'' Beatriz Amador, 20, on Facebook at 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Miami Herald.
She didn't go into detail in the posting written just five hours before her mother Maria Amador and younger sisters Priscila and Rosa were killed. Bea Amador, a student at the University of Miami, was not home and not among the victims of the massacre — nor was her 16-year-old brother, who escaped.
''I have gone through so much and yet I still try to stand tall, because this whole world is coming down on me, and me blocking it hurts more and more,'' Priscila, 14, wrote on MySpace."That's why I don't care anymore.''
It was not immediately clear what either daughter was referring to in their posts on MySpace and Facebook.
Those who knew Pablo Amador, a music teacher and former opera tenor, described him as a "regular dad" who made music with his children and taught kids to play piano. They are confounded over what led him to snap.
Investigators carried out the four bodies of Pablo, his 47-year-old wife and two young girls on Wednesday, found inside their gray-trimmed, white ranch house.The son who escaped the shootings uninjured called 911 at 5:58 a.m. as he fled the home, police said. Authorities have not said where he is now.
His wife was the education director at the University of Miami's Project to Cure Paralysis.
Next-door neighbor Christina Ruiz, a 23-year-old social work student, described Amador as a "regular dad" who helped her grandmother jump-start her car several times but who was known to complain when he was bothered by noise or work being done on her house.Amador sang tenor with the Greater Miami Opera chorus and was a soloist at Kendall United Methodist Church, he said on his Web site. Officials at both weren't able to confirm that information.
Those in the community said that Amador worked at a music store, in addition to giving lessons. His wife had nursing degrees; as director of education at the Project to Cure Paralysis, she taught about spinal cord injuries and answered calls from patients looking for the right doctor.
It just breaks my heart when you hear something like this happen. As something similar to this has happened in Valley City. It was many years ago when a husband killed his wife and then himself he did not hurt his children. I am not sure if there were signs of trouble in this case. It is sad to know there were noticeable signs on facebook and myspace and none of the friends of this individual did anything to help. Murder and suicide are two things I think we can all help to prevent. I hope the people looking at this as a learning experience and how they can recognize the signs of suicide or even depression in someone.
Photos
Miami Herald
Monday, March 9, 2009
More Missing Children
Sisters Missing After Trip to Philadelphia Playground
Monday, March 09, 2009
www.foxnews.com
Police in Philadelphia are searching for two girls who disappeared during a trip to a nearby playground.
Taliya Hamilton, 14, and Brianna Boyd, 3, were last seen in the playground, about two blocks from their home, at about 8 p.m. Sunday night.
No Amber Alert has been issued because police don't have a reason to suspect a danger to the girls.
Michelle Hamilton, the girls' mother, told MyFOXPhilly she doesn't think a stranger abducted her children, noting that her older daughter recently became rebellious and has been running off for a day or two at a time.
Taliya Hamilton was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 115 pounds, with brown eyes and brown, straight hair down to the middle of her back. Her sister is 3 feet 4 inches, about 30 pounds, with brown eyes and short, curly black hair. She was wearing a red and black jacket, black pants, black sneakers and had different colored barrettes in hair.
How and why would someone do something to two beautiful children? I just cannot even image why someone would do something so crazy. Then again the mother did say that the older sister has been running away lately so it might not be someone else in this case. I feel that they should still have an amber alert out for the girls. Anytime that anyone is missing there should be an amber alert out not matter what they think might have happened to them. I can’t image what that mother is going thru right now. I know my biggest fear as a mother will be making sure my children are always safe. I did some traveling this past week and I know a few mothers and fathers throughout the airport that just let their children run like they are in their own home. I may sound way over protective but there is no way I would just let my children run in a place like the Detroit Airport or the Mall of America. There is just too many people out there we cannot trust. There have been to many missing children cases now days for someone to just allow their child that freedom. So parents keep a close eye on your children at all times. It is always better to be overprotective that it is to be under protective.
Monday, March 09, 2009
www.foxnews.com
Police in Philadelphia are searching for two girls who disappeared during a trip to a nearby playground.
Taliya Hamilton, 14, and Brianna Boyd, 3, were last seen in the playground, about two blocks from their home, at about 8 p.m. Sunday night.
No Amber Alert has been issued because police don't have a reason to suspect a danger to the girls.
Michelle Hamilton, the girls' mother, told MyFOXPhilly she doesn't think a stranger abducted her children, noting that her older daughter recently became rebellious and has been running off for a day or two at a time.
Taliya Hamilton was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 115 pounds, with brown eyes and brown, straight hair down to the middle of her back. Her sister is 3 feet 4 inches, about 30 pounds, with brown eyes and short, curly black hair. She was wearing a red and black jacket, black pants, black sneakers and had different colored barrettes in hair.
How and why would someone do something to two beautiful children? I just cannot even image why someone would do something so crazy. Then again the mother did say that the older sister has been running away lately so it might not be someone else in this case. I feel that they should still have an amber alert out for the girls. Anytime that anyone is missing there should be an amber alert out not matter what they think might have happened to them. I can’t image what that mother is going thru right now. I know my biggest fear as a mother will be making sure my children are always safe. I did some traveling this past week and I know a few mothers and fathers throughout the airport that just let their children run like they are in their own home. I may sound way over protective but there is no way I would just let my children run in a place like the Detroit Airport or the Mall of America. There is just too many people out there we cannot trust. There have been to many missing children cases now days for someone to just allow their child that freedom. So parents keep a close eye on your children at all times. It is always better to be overprotective that it is to be under protective.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
MISSING
Fishing Boat Carrying NFL Players Reported Missing in Florida
The Coast Guard searched off Florida's Gulf Coast on Sunday for a fishing boat carrying NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and two other men missing nearly a day in choppy seas.
Smith is a defensive end for the Detroit Lions, and Cooper is an Oakland Raiders linebacker, were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning and did not return. Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass.
Cooper owns the boat and he and Smith have been on many fishing trips before this one. The coast guard had stated that the weather early Saturday had been fair, but got worse as the day went on. The National Weather Service said seas were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning and increased to 3 to 5 feet in the afternoon. Late Saturday night, a small craft advisory was issued, when winds were around 20 knots and seas were up to 7 feet or more.
There was no communication with the men even before the weather started to pick up. They were expected home by early evening. No sign of them or the boat had been spotted by late Sunday afternoon. Relatives told the Coast Guard the men had lifejackets and flares onboard.
"That's not to say they didn't send one out," he said. "We didn't receive anything."
The Coast Guard search was mainly by air so far, but was hampered by the poor weather. Just 14 feet offshore and wind gusts of up to 30 mph.
Whenever there are people missing it is a scary thing for both family and friends of the victims. Not knowing if they are going to return and if they are going to be found is very scary. I could image what is going through their minds right now. I can only pray and hope that the men make it back to shore safely.
The Coast Guard searched off Florida's Gulf Coast on Sunday for a fishing boat carrying NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and two other men missing nearly a day in choppy seas.
Smith is a defensive end for the Detroit Lions, and Cooper is an Oakland Raiders linebacker, were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning and did not return. Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass.
Cooper owns the boat and he and Smith have been on many fishing trips before this one. The coast guard had stated that the weather early Saturday had been fair, but got worse as the day went on. The National Weather Service said seas were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning and increased to 3 to 5 feet in the afternoon. Late Saturday night, a small craft advisory was issued, when winds were around 20 knots and seas were up to 7 feet or more.
There was no communication with the men even before the weather started to pick up. They were expected home by early evening. No sign of them or the boat had been spotted by late Sunday afternoon. Relatives told the Coast Guard the men had lifejackets and flares onboard.
"That's not to say they didn't send one out," he said. "We didn't receive anything."
The Coast Guard search was mainly by air so far, but was hampered by the poor weather. Just 14 feet offshore and wind gusts of up to 30 mph.
Whenever there are people missing it is a scary thing for both family and friends of the victims. Not knowing if they are going to return and if they are going to be found is very scary. I could image what is going through their minds right now. I can only pray and hope that the men make it back to shore safely.
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