1) Identify and describe one practice-related issue or concern.  You may choose to build on the practice issue you identified in NR500NP/NR501NP. Provide support for the issue from scholarly nursing sources current within the last 5 years.

PICOT Question – Teenage Depression

The practice issue of concern is teenage depression. Depression impacts the social lives of teenagers. It causes apathy, hopelessness, irritability, and frustration. Teens are unable to establish healthy relationships with their peers and family members. Also, depression increases the likelihood of isolation and suicidal ideations among teens. Findings from 2020 indicate that about 4.1 million teens experienced a depressive episode in the USA (NIMH.gov, 2022). The prevalence of depression among females than males was about twenty-five percent and nine percent, respectively (NIMH.gov, 2022). Furthermore, the highest prevalence of depressive episodes was reported among multiracial teenagers (approximately 29 percent) (NIMH.gov, 2022). The prevalence of depressive episodes among Hispanics, whites, Asians, and blacks was approximately 15 percent, 18 percent, 13.9 percent, and 13 percent, respectively (NIMH.gov, 2022).

Teen depression is attributed to multifactorial etiologies. To begin with, a genetic predisposition has been identified. The risk of depression is increased by about twenty to fifty percent among teenagers with a family history of mental health issues (Horowitz & Graf, 2019). Secondly, traumatic childhood experiences increase the risk of teen depression. This entails aspects such as neglect, abuse, assault, and loss of loved ones (Horowitz & Graf, 2019). Thirdly, underlying chronic healthcare conditions increase the risk of depression. For instance, a teenager with diabetes mellitus or cancer is likely to be anxious, afraid, and depressed about the disease and the treatment process (Daly, 2022). Furthermore, teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are likely to be depressed because the disease impacts their concentration and learning ability (Daly, 2022). Fourthly, the cases of depression are higher among unsupported gays, lesbians, transgender, bisexuals, and other sexual minorities compared to heterosexuals (Jones et al., 2022). Fifthly, depression can be an indicator of an adverse effect or withdrawal symptom of substance abuse such as alcohol (Daly, 2022).

The prevalence of teen depression and its impact on teenagers’ social lives necessitate the formulation of strategies to address the problem. This can be achieved via concerted efforts among all various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, nurse practitioners, and members of the interdisciplinary team. The first intervention is the comprehensive screening of teenagers to identify any manifestations of depression (Davis & Leon, 2021). In this context, parents and teachers should report suspicions of depressive episodes to healthcare providers. This is essential to ensure a timely diagnosis of depression. The second intervention entails the management of depression (Davis & Leon, 2021). Lee et al. (2020) report that this is achieved via non-pharmacological approaches such as psychotherapy and pharmacological approaches.