For this assignment, you will develop a patient medication guide for the treatment of depressive disorders in a vulnerable population (your choice for one vulnerable patient population to choose from: 

Depressive Disorder Medication Guide

Introduction

Adolescents frequently suffer from the severe condition of depression. Depression has long-lasting consequences on a person’s emotions, thoughts, concept of self, behaviors, interpersonal relationships, bodily functions, level of satisfaction at work, and quality of life. It is a typical psychiatric condition that frequently affects adolescents and is ranked as the fourth most prevalent cause of disability and premature death globally (Davaasambuu et al., 2019). Depression is a significant illness that seriously impairs thoughts, makes it challenging to cope with situations, and leaves a person depressed most of the time. Debilitating feelings of melancholy and low self-worth can persist for weeks, months, or even longer for some.

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Causes and Symptoms

Different factors cause depressive disorders. For instance, changes in brain chemistry, genetics, and personality predispose to depressive disorders. Changes in brain hormone levels can cause depression (Perrotta, 2019). Genetically, if a first-degree relative has depression, an individual is likely to get depression. Some personality traits, such as quickly getting anxious, predispose an individual to depression. Additional factors that can lead to depression are stressful life events such as isolation or death of a loved one, medical conditions such as cancer, and alcohol intake or use of recreational drugs. The symptoms of depressive disorders are depressed mood most of the day, reduced attentiveness to daily activities, unintentional weight loss, sleep disturbance, restlessness, fatigue, feelings of insignificance, decreased concentration, frequent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, or suicidal attempts.

Diagnosis

If the following criteria are met, an adolescent is diagnosed with clinical depression: Five or even more symptoms are present over two weeks, indicating a change compared to prior functioning. A depressed mood or a lack of interest must be one of the symptoms (Tolentino & Schmidt, 2018). The symptoms impair social, professional, and other critical areas of functioning. Furthermore, the symptoms cause individuals significant distress. The occurrence of the symptoms cannot be credited to drug or substance use. Adolescents are vulnerable because major depressive disorder is the most common mental illness in their age group (Mullen, 2018). With the onset of puberty comes adolescence, a period during which a variety of biological factors, including heredity, puberty strain, and cognitive function changes, might make a person more susceptible to depression.

Medication Treatment Options and Considerations

FDA-approved medications for major depressive disorder in adolescents are escitalopram and fluoxetine. The benefits of using fluoxetine are improved mood, increased energy levels, and better sleeping patterns (Wang, 2022), while the risk includes increased suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, side effects include nausea, excessive sweating, anxiety, headache, fatigue, and tremors. Consistently, escitalopram improves mood and reduces anxiety (Wang et al., 2022), while the risk is an increased risk of suicide. Its side effects include nausea, diarrhea, exhaustion, change in sleeping patterns, and headaches. When prescribing medication, it is essential to consider the risks, benefits, and side effects.

Monitoring

A comprehensive evaluation of depression and suicide risk should be done at the onset of treatment with fluoxetine. Through the course of therapy, serum concentrations should be monitored. It will help to assess potential toxicity and patient compliance with treatment (Hazell, 2021). For escitalopram, the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) and hyponatremia-related fluid-electrolyte imbalance should be monitored (Hazell, 2021)—increased water retention brought on by SIADH results in comparatively low sodium content.

Legal, Ethical, and Cultural Considerations

The treatment of teenagers in the health care system poses essential legal, ethical, and cultural questions, for instance, patient permission for treatment, the confidentiality of conversations and records, and payment for services (Giano, Anderson, & Schreffler, 2020). The law affords teenagers numerous opportunities to consent to their treatment and offers substantial confidentiality protections. It’s crucial to keep cultural considerations in mind when working with depressed young people. Cultural background significantly affects how people perceive and