RESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study examined the 6-month prevalence of depression and suicidal probability among new referrals to an adolescent health clinic. METHODS: All subjects (n = 104) completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) prior to being seen by a physician and were categorized according to presenting problem (physical complaints only, psychological complaints only, and physical and psychological complaints combined). RESULTS: Fifty-nine percent of the sample was depressed with 21% falling in the moderate range and 21% falling within the severe range of depression. Almost 23% of the sample demonstrated significant suicidal probability. The BDI and SPS were highly correlated (r = .73, p < .001) and 22% of the sample met criteria for both moderate to severe depression and suicidal probability. A significantly greater proportion of patients presenting with physical and psychological complaints combined (60%) met BDI criteria for depression than was found for the other two groups. Suicidal probability was most prevalent in patients presenting with psychological complaints only (26%) and moderate to severe depression and significant suicidal probability also coexisted to a greater extent within this group (26%). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that depression and suicidal probability represent significant mental health problems within the adolescent clinic and the identification of high-risk individuals can be achieved through comprehensive screening practices.
Asunto(s)
Conducta del Adolescente , Servicios de Salud del Adolescente/estadística & datos numéricos , Depresión/epidemiología , Intento de Suicidio/estadística & datos numéricos , Adolescente , Depresión/diagnóstico , Depresión/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Inventario de Personalidad , Prevalencia , Derivación y Consulta , Factores de Riesgo , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Intento de Suicidio/psicologíaRESUMEN
This study examined the problem of follow-up contact bias in adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome research. The sample consisted of 299 male and female adolescents at an AA-oriented hospital-based inpatient substance abuse treatment program. Six-month and 12-month follow-up data were collected from adolescents and their parents with a sequence of standard and supplementary follow-up data collection procedures. Standard efforts were implemented first and subjects contacted were assigned to the easy-to-contact group. Those subjects not contacted with the initial standard efforts were included in the supplementary effort. Subjects contacted with supplementary efforts constituted the difficult-to-contact group. The difficult-to-contact group exhibited consistently poorer outcomes compared to the easy-to-contact group across most outcome variables and for both follow-up periods. Outcome results from extant studies with a significant number of noncontacted subjects may represent overestimates of outcome and may not be generalizable to the noncontacted group.
Asunto(s)
Alcoholismo/rehabilitación , Drogas Ilícitas , Psicotrópicos , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/rehabilitación , Adolescente , Alcoholismo/epidemiología , Alcoholismo/psicología , Sesgo , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Minnesota/epidemiología , Evaluación de Procesos y Resultados en Atención de Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Pacientes Desistentes del Tratamiento/psicología , Pacientes Desistentes del Tratamiento/estadística & datos numéricos , Recurrencia , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Centros de Tratamiento de Abuso de Sustancias , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/epidemiología , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/psicologíaRESUMEN
By being sensitive to the precursors of runaway behavior and by being aware of the morbidity associated with living on "the street," the family physician can play both a preventive and therapeutic role. Advocacy by the family physician for appropriate shelters and rehabilitative services within the community can further contribute to effective management to this problem.