BMC Psychiatry DOI 101186512888-017-13899 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Labelling

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BMC Psychiatry DOI 101186512888-017-13899 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Labelling effects and adolescent responses to peers with depression: an experimental investigation Louise Dolphin and Eilis Hennessy Abstract Background: The impact of iiness labes on the stigma experiences of indviduas with mental heath problems is a matter of ongoing debate Some argue that labels have a negative influence on judgments and should be avoided in favour of information emphasising the existence of a continuum of mental healthVillness. Others beleve that behavioral symptoms are more powerful influencers of stigma than labels. The phenomenon has ecelved lttle attention in adolescent reseach despite the critical importance of the peer group at this developmental stage. This study employs a novel experimental design to examine the impact of the depression label and continuum nformation on adolescents' responses to peers with depressiorn Methods: Partic ipants were 156 adblescents, 76 male, 80 female M- 1625 years SD- 36), assigned to one of three conditions (Control Label Continuum). Participants respond to four audio-visual vignette characters itwo dlinically depressed) on three occasions Outcome measures included judgment of the mental health of the vignette characters and emotional responses to them Results: Neither the provision of a depression label or continuum infommation influenced perceptions of the mental health of the characters in the audio-visual vignettes or partic pants emotional responses to them Conclusion: The findings have impications for the design of interventions to combat depression stigma with adolescents Interventions should not necessarily target perceptions of psychiatric labek, but rather perceptions of Keywords: Labelling, Stigma Gender, Peers stimuli belonging to diferent classes (between-category Some adolescents report that the depression label has a accentuation: BCA), and by increasing the apparent negative eflect on their sense of self and their view of the similarity of stimuli belonging to the same class (within- future, contributing to an illness identity that hinders category assimilation: WCAL a phenomenon replicated recovery [1) Fear o labels and anticipation of stigma is a in numerous object peroeption studies 14, 5). Social py- barrier to adolescents help-seeking 12] However, few stud chologists have also investigated how category labels ies have tried to understand such stigma by investigating structure perceptions of social groups Category labels the adolescent peer group's response to depression labels provide a penceiver with a resource to navigate the social Labels and perception Early perception research [3] established that the applica- tion of category labels distorts the perception of simple objects by increasing the apparent dfferences between for interpreting and integrating social information [6)- However, as with object perception, labels can induce categorical representations that reduce perceived differ while exaggrt ating perceived differences between members of different ences between members of the same group groups [7, 8], School of Psychology, University College Dublin Seiffeld Dublin 4 Dubl eand BioMed Central P D

Explanation / Answer

Etiology of Depression

Biological -

Genetics - evidence from Family, Twin and Adoption studies suggests that Depression is more common in individuals with a family history of Mood disorder/bipolar disorder.

Molecular Genetic studies have also suggested that Depression may be linked with length or serotonin transporter gene promoter. A shorter promoter may lead to depression if associated with life stressors.

Monoamine Theory of Depression - suggests that Depression is caused by a deficiency or reduction of monoamines serotonin, epinephrine and dopamine. Evidence for this theory comes from the fact that various antidepressants increase the reuptake of these monoamines in the neurons and are efficacious in treatment of Depression.

Psychological Theories

Cognitive theory - proposed by Aaoron Beck. Depressed patients characteristically have recurrent and intrusive negative thoughts (‘automatic thoughts’). Beck (1967) proposed that these depressive cognitions reveal negative views of the self, the world, and the future (the depressed patient usually reviews the past in a similar vein). These automatic thoughts appear to persist because of illogical ways of thinking, which Beck called cognitive distortions. These include:

Arbitrary inference, specific abstraction, overgeneralization, all or none thinking and minimization, maximization

Psychoanalytic theory - according to freud just as mourning occurs due to a loss, melancholia or depression occurs due to losses of other kind or an object loss. John Bowlby stated that insecure attachment during Childhood may increase chances of depression later in life.

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