TPC-Digests-V1-Issues-123

A b s t r a c t This pilot study focused on mental health literacy as it relates to adolescent depression and represented a pseudo-replication of Burns and Rapee (2006). Overall, participants (N=36) in this study were able to differentiate depressed vignettes from non-depressed vignettes and identify common symptoms of depression in their assessments. E valuating M ental H ealth L iteracy and A dolescent D epression : W hat D o T eenagers “K now ?” According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) (APA, 2000), the diagnostic criteria mirror adult depression in many respects. It is a disorder that can affect a teen in numerous ways, including academically, socially, occupationally, and interpersonally. The rate of depression increases six- fold between the ages of 15-18 (Hankin, 2006). Approximately eight percent of teenagers—an estimated two million youth from 12-17 years of age—suffered at least one major depressive episode in 2007. However, only 39 percent received some form of treatment for it in the preceding 12 months (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2009). Relatively little research on mental health literacy, particularly as it relates to adolescent depression, has been done in the U.S. The present study represented a pseudo-replication of Burns and Rapee (2006), a study composed of 202 Australian youth aged 15-17 who completed the Friends in Need Questionnaire. This instrument offers both depressed and non-depressed case scenarios of fictitious adolescents and asks participants about how they viewed each person’s problem; the indicators that led to this perception; the length of time it would take for each person to feel better; and whether help was needed by the person in the scenario. If help was recommended, participants were asked about the appropriate helper. In the Burns and Rapee study, participants were overall able to differentiate July 8th, 2011 John McCarthy Michelle Bruno Teresa E. Fernandes Link to Article TPC Digest