Adams Media - Depression: A troubleshooting guide for parents

Most people have felt sad, blue, and generally unmotivated at some point in their life. When asked what was wrong, inevitably theyd say, Im depressed, or My life is so depressing, or Ive had the most depressing week. The way in which they dealt with those emotions varied depending on the circumstances. Some laid in bed watching movies, waiting for the depression to go away. Others ate or drank their way through it. Still others got busy, thinking if they could just get their mind off of their depression, theyd be fine. Eventually, the depression would lift and things would go back to normal.

That wasnt depression; that was the blues, a few days of feeling yucky and a few days spent medicating ones self in the best way you knew possible. The word depression has been bantered about so much that it has lost its meaning in most contexts. It is now used to describe anything that feels unpleasant.

Real depression is devastating. It feels as if it is going to last forever, and it rarely just goes away. Those who have been through it will tell you that its a long, slow road to recovery. Only through the identification of it as an illness and its subsequent treatment can most people overcome it.

According to the World Health Organization, by the year 2020, depression will rank second as the cause of a loss of healthy years in ones life (number one is heart disease). While most parents do not want to think its true, the prevalence of depression among children is growing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, most research is focused on the treatment rather than the prevention of depression.

How can the amount of people suffering from depression be reduced? It seems obvious that you would start with your children. While much depression is hereditary and related to problems with brain chemistry, a child who has had a parent with depression is not necessarily destined to become depressed. Depression can be prevented in many cases.

There are myriad things you can do to help prevent your children from becoming depressed or to treat those who are already suffering. It is a teaching process, and it involves much hands-on parenting. No one expects parents to know intrinsically how to do this, but it can be learned and passed on to your children.

Since depression prevention programs are still few and far between, you, as the parent, must become the first major team player in the prevention and treatment of your childs depression. Part of your work requires that you become as educated as possible about the causes, risk factors, and chemical factors that can cause depression. Youll also need to acquire healthy parenting skills that will prepare your child to become resilient, self-reliant, and emotionally flexible. These are the skills that your child will need to not only beat depression but also to have a successful, happy life.

If youd like to learn more about depression, check out The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Depression , available in print (978-1-59869-264-8) and eBook (978-1-60550-261-8) formats.

To think that your child is depressed is a scary prospect. Sometimes it seems that the more you read and research about depression, the more daunting and overwhelming it becomes. Yet knowledge is power, and when it comes to mental illness, it is better to know too much than not enough. By getting a thorough understanding about childhood depression, you will be prepared to make the best decisions designed to meet your childs individual needs.