African American Children Suffering From Anxiety and Depression

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African American Children Suffering From Anxiety and Depression

African American children and adolescents are among the most marginalized groups of people in the United States of America, considering their age and race. These children are exposed to various life problems such as racism, poor households, and consistent violence, negatively affecting their mental health. Nonetheless, other subjects look into the role of a functioning family in identifying the mental issues in their children and how to prevent them from occurring. The two areas of diversity discussed in this paper are race and age, which cause disparities in the handling of African American adolescents dealing with anxiety and depression. Depression and anxiety are common among African American children and adolescents, and they face significant barriers to receiving care and treatment due to their age and race.

Depression and Anxiety Prevalence and Risk Factors

Due to many risk factors, depression, and anxiety are common among African American children. 50% of African American youths begin to have chronic mental issues from 14 years of age that progress and worsen as they grow. One in five African American children develops acute mental issues, which decrease with time (Breland-Noble & Weller, 2012). The primary cause of depression and anxiety among African American adolescents is poverty. Most African Americans live in the United States of America (Stewart et al., 2012). Adolescents living in poor neighborhoods are exposed to a life of crime and violence, affecting their mental health. Nonetheless, most African Americans have grown up with trauma due to fear of the consequences of racial injustice. A case in point is when an African American sees a fellow black person being gunned down by police unjustly, it will make them live in fear, increasing their chances of becoming depressed. Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent in the African American community due to poverty, violence, and racial injustice.

Symptoms and Impacts of Depression and Anxiety

Additionally, these adolescents and children exude specific characteristics when depressed, which negatively impact their lives. Early symptoms of the disorders are having low moods and a lack of self-worth. The child then distances themselves from their peers and becomes wholly closed. Some children may experience massive weight loss or weight gain, irregular sleeping patterns, and lack of appetite. Later onset behavior of the disorders includes aggressive behavior towards people, substance abuse in a trance state, and suicidal attempts. These disorders impair childrens social and school lives. Reports show decreased academic performance among children with depression and anxiety (Stewart et al., 2012). Nonetheless, some adolescents kill themselves, with the rate of suicide rampant. Depression and anxiety give adolescents less meaning in life, and they would rather be dead than experience mental turmoil.

Treatment of Depression and Anxiety

Moreover, there are therapy alternatives for treating depression among African American children and adolescents. One of the primary ways to treat the disorders is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has helped youths change their mindsets and have better lifestyles (Stewart et al., 2012). The therapy helps them accept their situations as African Americans who may face racial discrimination and how it should not impact their self-worth. Nonetheless, prescribed medications can help elevate their moods, such as citalopram and paroxetine. Another effective way of dealing with depression and anxiety among teenagers is maintaining a healthy lifestyle of proper nutrition, sleep, and exercise. These remedies help elevate ones mood, thus combating depressive and anxiety episodes.

Although there are various therapy alternatives for helping African American adolescents, most of them do not go for therapy due to racial inequality and stigmatization. Approximately 40% of African-American adolescents with depression and anxiety do not seek treatment even though they make up the highest percentage of the race with the most depressed and anxious youths (Stewart et al., 2012). Racial inequalities create health care disparities where some clinics in African American communities barely offer therapy sessions for depressed and anxious youths. Nonetheless, most African American children with depressive and violent behaviors are sent to juvenile while white children are sent to see a psychiatrist because of the same behavior. Others fear victimization and lack trust in the system to help them as it is the same system that makes them victims of racial injustice. The inequality and stigmatization surrounding therapy make many African Americans abhor therapy.

Parental Function in Identifying and Preventing Depression and Anxiety

Parents play a crucial role in identifying symptoms and helping their children cope with anxiety and depression. Studies note significant inconsistencies in childrens and adolescents perception of their depressive conditions and parents perception of the issues present, especially in African American families (Breland-Noble & Weller, 2012). Parents who are more family-oriented than work-oriented can spot the various depressive symptoms in their children and take them to professionals. Additionally, a parent that has good mental health is in the capacity to note the different behavior in their depressed child. If the parent were depressed, they would not see a difference in their childs behavior if they had the same behavior. Therefore parents must maintain proper mental health to help their children with depression and anxiety.

Nevertheless, parents promote the development of healthy behavior in children and prevent the development of anxiety and depression in them. Studies demonstrate that family relationships, particularly parenting style, family functioning, and environment, significantly impact the problem (Washington et al., 2017). First, the direct relationship between parent and child is vital as children imitate their parents. Nonetheless, the relationship among parents enhances a functioning environment for childrens mental health. Parents with stable relationships, fewer conflicts, and showing love for each other decrease the chance of having their child get depression and anxiety issues. Similarly, parents who offer extensive family time bonds with their children create a sense of security for them, which prevents the development of anxiety and depression. Parents can create preventive interventions which will help their children develop healthy mental habits, thus, decreasing the chances of having depression and anxiety.

Summary

Depression is prevalent among African American children and adolescents who cannot access treatment due to their race and age. One of the significant causes of depression and anxiety among the young African American generation is poverty, injustice, and consistent violence. The symptoms involve suicide attempts, substance abuse, and aggressive behavior. This behavior impairs their relations with their peers and school performance. There are ways to combat depression and anxiety, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications, and a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, race is a significant barrier in the black community when seeking treatment. However, parents play a crucial role in identifying the childs behavior as they are the primary socialization agents and can develop means of preventing depression and anxiety.

Discussion

I chose this topic because I resonate with it as a part of the young generation. Nonetheless, I have suffered from depression and anxiety in the past. When I researched how to deal with depression and anxiety, I discovered the prevalence, causes, and symptoms of African American adolescents going through depression and anxiety. I was able to understand the problems which African Americans face in general and how they affect the mental state of the young generation. From this research, I have understood the importance of a functioning family for African American children and every other household to protect childrens mental states.

References

Breland-Noble, A. M., & Weller, B. (2012). Examining African American adolescent depression in a community sample: The impact of parent/child agreement. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(5), 869-876. Web.

Stewart, S. M., Simmons, A., & Habibpour, E. (2012). Treatment of culturally diverse children and adolescents with depression. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 22(1), 72-79. Web.

Washington, T., Rose, T., Coard, S. I., Patton, D. U., Young, S., Giles, S., & Nolen, M. (2017). Family-level factors, depression, and anxiety among African American children: A systematic review. Child & Youth Care Forum, 46(1), 137-156. Web.

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