Depression in children looks different than depression in adults. Depressed children can sometimes appear more irritable than sad. They also may have low energy, may isolate themselves more, and their grades may be declining. If you have seen changes in your child's mood and behaviors it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Consult with your child's physician and discuss treatment options. A combination of therapy and medication is usually the best treatment for depression, however therapy alone may be enough to treat depression if it is mild. Untreated depression can become dangerous for children as depression can cause thoughts about death and suicide.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown to be an effective method of treating depression in children and can offer new hope for their families. It involves helping to change your child's thoughts and behaviors which can reduce depression. Explore cognitive behavioral therapists in your area and find one that has expertise in dealing with children.
Changing Behaviors
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help reduce depression by teaching children new skills. Children with depression tend to have poor problem-solving skills and therapy can help them to learn how to effectively manage problems so that when problems do arise, they can be dealt with efficiently. Also, cognitive behavioral therapy can help increase activity levels in depressed children. By teaching children to become more involved with activities, this can help reduce isolation and improve mood. Scheduling daily "fun" can be part of treatment to help kids to do things they enjoy doing which can boost mood.
Treatment can also include ways to help children identify people they can talk to about their feelings. This can help reduce isolation and help children learn that other people do care about them. If children struggle to identify people they can talk to about their feelings, part of the treatment may involve finding safe people for them to talk to so that they can continue to talk to someone after their therapy ends.
Changing Thoughts
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help children replace distorted thoughts. Children with depression sometimes think thoughts such as, "no one likes me," or, "I never do anything right." By examining how true these thoughts are children can replace these distorted thoughts with more realistic thoughts such as, "I have three friends," or, "I made a mistake and that's okay because I'm learning." Changing distorted thoughts can be very beneficial for children and can be a great lifelong skill to help them ward off future episodes of depression.
Parental Involvement
Cognitive-behavioral therapy usually requires parental involvement in treatment. Children are usually given homework assignments to practice each week and parents can help to ensure that children are doing the practice assignments. Parents can also help to remind children of the skills that they have learned and to reinforce using these skills at appropriate times.
Research has shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy is helpful in reducing depression in children. Children can learn new skills that show them that they have more control over their mood than they may have thought they did. It can also help them to learn how to recognize when their mood is declining in the future and they can utilize their skills to prevent future episodes of depression.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only; it should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his/her health should contact a licensed medical professional.
Amy Morin - null
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