Proposal for an Education Tool to Address the Educational Gap in Depression among Teenagers

Task description:
Identify an area of specialisation in the health setting which interests you. Using research,
identify a gap in education which has an impact on outcomes. Write a proposal for an
education tool to help close this gap.
Criterion 1:
Identifies an area of specialty within the health setting 50 words 6%
As per World Health Organisation (2018), depression is the primary mental health
condition affecting 300 million people around the world and majority of the individuals
affected with this disorder are teenagers (15 to 22 year old). Hence, depression associated
mental health condition among the teenagers has been chosen as the area of specialty.
Criterion 2:
Relevant research of a high level is used to identify an educational gap within this
specialty area 300-400 words 15%
Depression forms a major and important aspect of mental health and wellbeing, however,
it is the most neglected form of healthcare which requires more discussion and
conversation within communities. Several researches were conducted on depression among
the younger generation as they are prone to discrimination, trolling and differentiation due
to their engagement with social media. It has been seen in the research of Steiger et al.
(2014) that majority of the teenagers who are associated with social media platforms suffer
from mental depression and stress which affect their health and well-being. This is because
they are being trolled or discriminated on public platform that affects their mental stability
and make them prone to depression, and in some severe cases induces self-harm actions.
Therefore, in this aspect, the educational gap was the lack of understanding among younger
generation about correct usage of social media, to maintain their mental stability and peace.
On the other hand, the research of Yoo et al. (2014) despite the better understanding of
mental health and its importance in sustaining wellbeing, there are teenagers who are
unable to visit mental healthcare professionals so that their health could be improved.
There are several barriers that were identified in the research project such as social stigma,
support of parents and influence of peers which affects the mindset of the teenagers
towards accessing mental healthcare facilities and thereby affects them with depression.
Further, in the research of Settanni and Marengo (2015), it was found that proper support is
not being provided to the younger generation, who are combating mental illness such as
depression and therefore, their tendency towards self-harming activities, violence
increases. This ultimately is decreasing their self-esteem and confidence and hence
affecting their abilities which could make them successful in their future ventures.
Therefore, the identified educational gaps which were identified from this aspect are the
understanding of underlying causes of depression and strategies to include support to
tackle problems like social stigma, lack of support and others which drastically affects the
mental stability and peace of the younger generation.

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Rice, S.M., Goodall, J., Hetrick, S.E., Parker, A.G., Gilbertson, T., Amminger, G.P.,
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Schrijvers, D.L., Bollen, J. and Sabbe, B.G., 2012. The gender paradox in suicidal behavior
and its impact on the suicidal process. Journal of affective disorders, 138(1-2), pp.19-26.
Schwartz, S.J., Unger, J.B., Des Rosiers, S.E., Huang, S., Baezconde-Garbanati, L.,
Lorenzo-Blanco, E.I., Villamar, J.A., Soto, D.W., Pattarroyo, M. and Szapocznik, J., 2012.
Substance use and sexual behavior among recent Hispanic immigrant adolescents: Effects
of parent–adolescent differential acculturation and communication. Drug and Alcohol
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Settanni, M. and Marengo, D., 2015. Sharing feelings online: studying emotional well-
being via automated text analysis of Facebook posts. Frontiers in psychology, 6, p.1045.
Steiger, A.E., Allemand, M., Robins, R.W. and Fend, H.A., 2014. Low and decreasing
self-esteem during adolescence predict adult depression two decades later. Journal of
personality and social psychology, 106(2), p.325.
Tandoc, E.C., Ferrucci, P. and Duffy, M., 2015. Facebook use, envy, and depression
among college students: Is facebooking depressing?. Computers in Human Behavior, 43,
pp.139-146.
World Health Organization 2018. Depression. [online] Who.int. Available at:
https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression [Accessed 8 Jan. 2019].
Wright, K.B., King, S. and Rosenberg, J., 2014. Functions of social support and self-
verification in association with loneliness, depression, and stress. Journal of health
communication, 19(1), pp.82-99.
Wright, K.B., Rosenberg, J., Egbert, N., Ploeger, N.A., Bernard, D.R. and King, S., 2013.
Communication competence, social support, and depression among college students: a
model of facebook and face-to-face support network influence. Journal of health
communication, 18(1), pp.41-57.
Yoo, W., Namkoong, K., Choi, M., Shah, D.V., Tsang, S., Hong, Y., Aguilar, M. and
Gustafson, D.H., 2014. Giving and receiving emotional support online: Communication
competence as a moderator of psychosocial benefits for women with breast
cancer. Computers in human behavior, 30, pp.13-22.
Criterion 3:
Analysis of impact of educational gap undertaken 200-300 words 25%
World Health Organisation (2018) defines health as a cumulative result of physical as well
as mental health as it imparts holistic health and wellbeing within patients. More than 300
million people in the world are affected with depression and it is one of the leading causes