A Parent's Guide for Suicidal and Depressed Teens

"The authors have produced a very readable, extremely well informedand comprehensive book that will add greatly to the knowledge baseof interested parents. This book is strongly recommended."--Stewart Gable, MD Chairman, Department of Psychiatry TheChildren's Hospital, Denver, Colorado You supported and encouragedthem as they grew from toddlers to teens. Now you are confrontedwith one of the toughest challenges you and they will ever face .teenage depression. Adolescence is a period of peaks and valleys.Most teens negotiate these years with relative ease; yet for somethese times are treacherous with countless pitfalls. Whendepression ensues, it can interfere with much of your child'spotential. Clinical depression is now epidemic among Americanteens, and teen suicide can be a deadly consequence. Helping YourDepressed Teenager is a practical guide offering family solutionsto a family problem. This book will sensitize you to the hiddenstruggles of adolescents and assist you in understanding theirmultifaceted problems. The authors are experts in this field andhave helped countless youngsters confront and overcome theirdepressed mood. In a highly readable and gentle manner, they helpyou see behind the "masks" of troubled teens who attempt to hidetheir true feelings. They help you distinguish the subtle andsometimes not so subtle signs that something is seriously wrong.And they help you provide the loving support and assistanceteenagers need to make it through this difficult life passage. Someof the useful information provided: * What families can do to prevent teen depression * How to tell the difference between moodiness and depression * How to read the warning signs of a troubled teenager * How to know when professional help is needed and where to findit * How to choose the right treatment options for your teen

By emphasizing how parents can talk to their children about thoughts and feelings, exploring how children develop negative beliefs about themselves, and teaching parents how to help their children change those hopeless self-perceptions, this book outlines practical methods that parents and children together can use to find solutions to the dark thoughts that plague so many young people today.

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.

From two of the top child and adolescent psychiatrists at The Hospital for Sick Children comes an accessible guide to common mental health struggles, such as anxiety and depression, for any parent wondering how to help their child. Is my child okay? Is she eating and sleeping enough? Is he hanging out with the right people? Should I be worried that she spends all her time in her room? Is this just a phase? Or a sign of something serious? As parents, we worry about our children—about their physical health, performance at school, the types of friends they have, and, of course, their mental health. Every day seems to bring new and expanding issues and disorders and troubling statistics about the rise of mental illness in children and teens. It’s usually obvious what to do for physical injuries like broken bones, but when it comes to our children’s mental health, the answers are much less clear, and sometimes even contradictory. Pier Bryden and Peter Szatmari, top child and adolescent psychiatrists, are here to help. Using their combined six decades working with families and kids—and their own experiences as parents—they break down the stigma of mental health illness and walk parents through the warning signs, risk factors, prevention strategies, and the process of diagnosis and treatment for mental health challenges arising from: –Eating disorders –Anxiety –Psychosis –Sleep Disorders –Substance Use Disorders –ADHD –Autism –Depression –Trauma –Suicidal thoughts and behaviors The most important thing to remember as a parent is that you and your child are not alone. Wellness is a continuum, and there is a lot parents can do to bring their child back to a place of safety. The road ahead isn’t always easy or straightforward, but this guidebook offers essential advice that every parent needs to advocate for their child.