Children Depression Inventory

Children Depression Inventory

Introduction

As we see that the psychological cases within the individuals are increasing and there is no age limit to it, all these problems can start at a really early stage and can go on till later on. Even children these days are getting affected by the psychological disorders. In this assignment we will have a look at the Child depression inventory that is the psychological measure or and instrument that is used to measure the level of depression in children. Children depression inventory is widely used as the problems regarding mental illness is increasing.

Discussion

Purpose of developing CDI

The child depression inventory was first developed my Maria in the year 1992 and it was made because it is a very hard task to diagnose or detect depression in the young children. And the reason could also be because until the 1970's depression disorders was only seen in adults. There was a thought the nervous systems of the children was not capable or mature enough to manifest neurochemical alterations in the functioning of the brain that is linked with depression.

In the year 2002, NIMH (the National Institute of Mental Health) made an estimate that a number of 2.5 percent of children and 8.3 percent of adolescents that are under 18 years of age in the US are suffering from depression. A research was sponsored by the NIMH that 6 percent of children from the age of 9 to 17 yrs were observed to develop depression within a period of 6 months from which 4.9 percent were diagnosed as severe depression. Researches also indicates that adolescents and children are capable of experiencing the arrival of depression at a very early age compared to the previous generations and have more chances of experiencing severing depression similar to that of the adults(Anonymous, 2012).

Precautions

The Children depression inventory also has many drawbacks including that of the self-report measures that are used for the children, because the children don't have the similar abilities like adults to identify, understand the powerful internal emotions. But they do have the ability to alter the answers on the inventory just like adults and the tests are same that will show what they actually desire excluding from what they are really feeling. This activity can be known as the faking good or faking bad that depend on the basis of the answers that are modified by the individual. Because there is an extensive research done on this area it has been found out that there are children with low abilities of reading skills, according to their age that will result in inaccurate outcomes and the diagnosis will also be improper that will depend on the score of the CDI.

But the results of these tests can be only evaluated with the help of a psychiatrist, psychologists or a trained professional and not by a teacher, school nurse or a parent. Because these depressive symptoms have the tendency to fluctuate in children and the adults as well and it is also recommended ...