Seeing your child suffer in any way is a harrowing experience for any parent. Mental illness in children can be particularly draining due to the mystery surrounding it, and the issue of diagnosis at such a tender age. Depression and Your Child gives parents and caregivers a uniquely textured understanding of pediatric depression, its causes, its symptoms, and its treatments. Serani weaves her own personal experiences of being a depressed child along with her clinical experiences as a psychologist treating depressed children. Current research, treatments and trends are presented in easy to understand language and tough subjects like self-harm, suicide and recovery plans are addressed with supportive direction. Parents will learn tips on how to discipline a depressed child, what to expect from traditional treatments like psychotherapy and medication, how to use holistic methods to address depression, how to avoid caregiver burnout, and how to move through the trauma of diagnosis and plan for the future. Real life cases highlight the issues addressed in each chapter and resources and a glossary help to further understanding for those seeking additional information. Parents and caregivers are sure to find here a reassuring approach to childhood depression that highlights the needs of the child even while it emphasizes the need for caregivers to care for themselves and other family members as well.

Depression is a widespread condition affecting approximately 7.5 million parents in the U.S. each year and may be putting at least 15 million children at risk for adverse health outcomes. Based on evidentiary studies, major depression in either parent can interfere with parenting quality and increase the risk of children developing mental, behavioral and social problems. Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children highlights disparities in the prevalence, identification, treatment, and prevention of parental depression among different sociodemographic populations. It also outlines strategies for effective intervention and identifies the need for a more interdisciplinary approach that takes biological, psychological, behavioral, interpersonal, and social contexts into consideration. A major challenge to the effective management of parental depression is developing a treatment and prevention strategy that can be introduced within a two-generation framework, conducive for parents and their children. Thus far, both the federal and state response to the problem has been fragmented, poorly funded, and lacking proper oversight. This study examines options for widespread implementation of best practices as well as strategies that can be effective in diverse service settings for diverse populations of children and their families. The delivery of adequate screening and successful detection and treatment of a depressive illness and prevention of its effects on parenting and the health of children is a formidable challenge to modern health care systems. This study offers seven solid recommendations designed to increase awareness about and remove barriers to care for both the depressed adult and prevention of effects in the child. The report will be of particular interest to federal health officers, mental and behavioral health providers in diverse parts of health care delivery systems, health policy staff, state legislators, and the general public.

Although generally considered adult disorders, anxiety and depression are widespread among children and adolescents, affecting academic performance, social development, and long-term outcomes. They are also difficult to treat and, especially when they occur in tandem, tend to fly under the diagnostic radar. Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents offers a developmental psychology perspective for understanding and treating these complex disorders as they manifest in young people. Adding the school environment to well-known developmental contexts such as biology, genetics, social structures, and family, this significant volume provides a rich foundation for study and practice by analyzing the progression of pathology and the critical role of emotion regulation in anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and in combination. Accurate diagnostic techniques, appropriate intervention methods, and empirically sound prevention strategies are given accessible, clinically relevant coverage. Illustrative case examples and an appendix of forms and checklists help make the book especially useful. Featured in the text: Developmental psychopathology of anxiety, anxiety disorders, depression, and mood disorders. Differential diagnosis of the anxiety and depressive disorders. Assessment measures for specific conditions. Age-appropriate interventions for anxiety and depression, including CBT and pharmacotherapy. Multitier school-based intervention and community programs. Building resilience through prevention. Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents is an essential reference for practitioners, researchers, and graduate students in school and clinical child psychology, mental health and school counseling, family therapy, psychiatry, social work, and education.

The pioneering work of the authors has resulted in the widespread recognition that childhood depression is an all-to-common psychological reaction to environmental stress and genetic heritage. Here they offer guidance for parents, teachers, and counselors and cover recent advances in treatment.

Until the early 1980s, there was no official diagnosis for depression in children. But children can, and do, become depressed. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health now estimates that 2.5 million youngsters under eighteen have experienced clinical depression--and the real number may be higher still. "Help Me, I'm Sad" discusses how to tell if your child is at risk; how to spot symptoms; depression's link with other problems and its impact on the family; teen suicide; finding the right diagnosis, therapist, and treatment; and what you can do to help. For parents who have—or suspect they may have—depressed children, here is practical, easy-to-understand information from a compassionate and trustworthy source.

This timely, authoritative volume provides an integrative review of current knowledge on child and adolescent depression, covering everything from epidemiology and neurobiology to evidence-based treatment and prevention. From foremost scientist-practitioners, the book is organized within a developmental psychopathology framework that elucidates the factors that put certain children at risk and what can be done to help. Proven intervention models are discussed in step-by-step detail, with coverage of cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and pharmacological approaches, among others. Special topics include sex differences in depression, understanding and managing suicidality, and the intergenerational transmission of depression.

Discusses what life was like for children and their families during the harsh times of the Depression, from 1929 to the beginning of World War II.

Every day can be an ordeal for families struggling with the difficult, moody, "impossible" behavior that may point to childhood depression or bipolar disorder. Effective help for kids does exist, but it often requires a customized combination of medication, therapy, coping skills, and support. From esteemed clinician and researcher Dr. Mary Fristad and fellow treatment expert Dr. Jill Goldberg Arnold, this indispensable book explains how treatment works and what additional steps parents can take at home to help children with mood disorders--and the family as a whole--improve the quality of their lives. Explained are why symptoms look so different (and can be so much harder to manage) in children and teens than in adults, how to find the right doctor or therapist, and how to help kids develop their own "coping toolkits." Bursting with practical tools, FAQs, and examples, the book covers everything from dealing with medical crises to resolving school problems, sibling conflicts, and marital stress.

Raising Depression Free Children

This book is a practical and authoritative guide to diagnosis and treatment of child and adolescent depression in various clinical settings, health care systems, and cultures. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based precepts for treatment. The contributors address current controversies surrounding the potential risks of medications in children and discuss other biological treatments and psychotherapies. Key take-home points are listed at the end of each chapter. Flow charts and tables summarize treatment recommendations, and tables summarize evidence of effectiveness and quality of evidence. Also included are lists of other resources for clinicians, patients, and families.