Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
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Struggling with mental health as a child or teen is extremely difficult and can impact their developing brains for years to come. Adolescent depression and mental health conditions are common, and the global pandemic only highlighted and exacerbated what was already a rising tide of mental health disorders in our youth.
At Mindful Health Solutions, we can help your adolescent work through difficult situations, learn coping skills to manage strong feelings associated with anxiety and depression, and help families communicate effectively and get along better. We are ambitious about not just finding relief for your adolescent, but happiness.
What does adolescent psychiatry mean?
Child and adolescent psychiatry at Mindful Health Solutions is provided by expert adolescent psychiatrics who focus not just on the psychological impacts of your child’s struggles, but also on the important biological and social components of their current stage in life.
Through our adolescent psychiatry program, children and teens are provided with a customized treatment plan that may involve talk therapy or medication management. If their provider thinks it is appropriate, they may recommend Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy as a treatment option.
Is your child depressed?
Sadly, depression among children and teens is not uncommon. Adolescent depression is a challenging, and often debilitating, disease that needs to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to achieve the best results.
The signs of depression in youth can be hard to recognize. To start, it’s important to talk to your child or teen and keep lines of communication open, especially if they are undergoing stress and/or emotional changes. You may also have them take our online depression quiz to determine if additional help is needed.
Signs that your child or teen may be depressed
Sadly, depression among children and teens is not uncommon. Adolescent depression is a challenging, and often debilitating, disease that needs to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to achieve the best results. However, depression can be hard to recognize.
To begin the process to see if your child or teen needs support, it’s important to talk to them. If they are undergoing stress and/or emotional changes, talk to them about it and observe their methods of coping.
You can also notice if they are showing symptoms of depression, such as:
Through our adolescent psychiatry program, children and teens are provided with a customized treatment plan that may involve talk therapy or medication management. If their provider thinks it is appropriate, talk therapy or medication management. If their provider thinks it is appropriate, they may recommend transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy as a treatment option.
- Persistent sadness or anxiety
- Being pessimistic or negative
- Quick to anger or agitation
- Disinterest in hobbies or activities that used to bring joy
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Risky or dangerous behavior
- Change in appetite or weight
- Hurting themselves
- Crying more days than not
- Often staying in room or avoiding social interaction
- Changes in grades, or in peer/family engagement
Available Treatments
At Mindful Health Solutions, we offer the most advanced and effective evidence-based treatments for depression all under one roof. Together, we will find a treatment that helps you finally find relief.
TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, is a safe, non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain. It’s the first and only drug-free therapy to be FDA-approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
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Ketamine Infusion Therapy is an intravenous treatment designed for patients struggling with a number of psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, bipolar depression, PTSD and trauma disorders, post-partum depression, anxiety, and OCD.
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SPRAVATO (Esketamine) is a safe, non-invasive treatment that is thought to create new connections in the brain. It’s the first and only FDA-approved treatment for depression that targets the glutamate system.
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Proper medication management care ensures that you receive the most effective and appropriate medications for depression and other mental health conditions. Our psychiatrists work closely with all patients to monitor and adjust medications as needed.
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Why Mindful Health Solutions?
Our team at Mindful Health Solutions includes a diverse and highly qualified team of psychiatrists and advanced-practice providers who specialize in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating emotional and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. This expert team also includes licensed therapists who specialize in various modalities of child and adolescent therapy as well as family therapy.
We understand the importance of patient-centered care and understand that one size does not fit all when it comes to adolescents and their mental health treatment needs. Patients respond well to the dynamic menu of treatments we offer, which includes traditional medication management as well as cutting-edge alternatives.
Mindful Health Solutions also wants to make treatment comfortable and accessible. If patients are unable to physically come into the office or prefer a virtual appointment, Mindful Health Solutions offers telepsychiatry. This allows patients to get care from wherever they are in the state. We also foster a strong culture of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Our therapists strive to embody a sense of awareness, respect, and humility with regard to cultural differences. And last but not least, we accept most major insurances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes adolescent depression?
Adolescent depression can be caused by many factors and even a combination of factors. If your child or teen is depressed, it does not mean you are a bad parent or did anything wrong. Some of the causes of adolescent depression are, but certainly not limited to:
- Genetics or family history
- Hormones
- Major events or life changes
- Learned patterns of negative thinking
- Early childhood trauma
How can i tell if my teen is depressed?
Adolescent Depression is a challenging, and often debilitating, disease that needs to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to achieve the best results.
To begin the process, it’s important to talk to your adolescent. If they are undergoing stress and/or emotional changes, talk to them about it and observe their methods of coping. Ask your child and yourself these important questions:
- How are they coping with the stress? What coping skills do they have?
- Is their daily routine (sleep, appetite, energy, motivation) being affected in any way?
- Are there changes in grades, peer interactions, or engagement in family activities?
If they choose not to communicate with you about these questions, then ask yourself:
- Are they staying in their room all/most of the day and/or avoiding social interactions?
- Do they cry more days than not?
- Do they have a change in their appetite or weight?
- Are they no longer interested in hobbies or activities that used to bring them joy?
- Are they quick to anger or agitation?
- Do they hurt themselves?
- Are they not taking care of their physical appearance?
- Are they participating in risky behavior?
You could also ask them to complete this Depression Screen.
If the answers to the above questions or if their results from the Depression Screen are concerning, then your radar for depression should be high.
The next step is to seek professional assistance from a psychologist or psychiatrist to clarify the diagnosis. Depending on the diagnosis, the doctor can work with your adolescent to come up with an individualized treatment plan that works for them and their needs. This treatment plan can consist of psychotherapy, medication management, and/or TMS therapy.
A strong support system for your adolescent is extremely important during this process, and the sooner they get treatment, the more likely your adolescent will achieve remission in this episode, which decreases the risk for future episodes as well.
What is TMS and can adolescents benefit from it?
TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. It is a safe, non-invasive, non-medication treatment for clinical depression and other mental health conditions that uses magnetic fields to stimulate the specific part of the brain known to control mood.
TMS is used on people with mental health conditions that have not seen success with medications and/or antidepressants. TMS has extremely limited side effects, especially when compared to traditional medications and antidepressants, so it is also a treatment option for people who may be suffering from side effects while trying to experience relief from their condition.
Many patients find that TMS is an amazingly effective treatment option. The FDA labeled TMS therapy to be marketed as a treatment for clinical depression in 2008. Since then, further studies have shown that it has the potential to treat a wide range of conditions, many of which can be debilitating. Although the Mindful Health Solutions team focuses primarily on alleviating the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression, our clinics also provide treatment for other conditions like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body dysmorphia, memory disorders, and mild cognitive impairment, PTSD, and disorders that result in chronic pain.
TMS therapy is often administered in conjunction with other types of treatment, such as psychotherapy or (possibly continuing) medication management. At Mindful Health Solutions, our expert providers will work with you to create the best treatment plan for your specific needs.
TMS therapy can be a great option to consider for adolescents—generally over 15—if medications or antidepressants have not been working for them. It can also be a treatment option for adolescents if there is concern about them experiencing the side effects of medications or antidepressants.
Is TMS better than antidepressants for adolescent depression?
There are numerous therapies and medications for depression, but very few have received FDA approval for use in adolescents. Only two medications are FDA-approved for use in adolescents. In the realities of clinical practice, multiple medications are used “off-label” (not FDA-approved) for Adolescent Depression, including numerous antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotic medications.
Unfortunately, the use of such medications is often limited by either side effects or lack of response. Adolescents typically have a higher risk of medication side effects compared to adults, and can include:
- Increased suicidal ideation
- Long-term weight gain
- Insomnia
Also, adolescents’ response to antidepressants is inconsistent.
Because of side effects and/or inconsistent responses, adolescents can experience prolonged symptoms without relief. Consequently, adolescents may have to go through multiple treatment options before finding one that might alleviate their symptoms.
To avoid situations such as these and to get adolescents relief sooner, there has been a search for new treatments, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is at the forefront of this movement.
Compared to antidepressants, TMS has very few side effects while also offering highly effective results. One in two patients treated with TMS had a 50% reduction in their symptoms, and after six weeks of treatment, one-third (33%) of patients had no symptoms of their depression or were in remission.