momma aimee Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 anyone with any good books to suggest on parenting the depressed child? our great PhD did not have anything in the parent lending library that specifically addressed depressed young children (not teens). the books she had (for example: your sensitive child) I have and have read. she suggest i search amazon and she is going to try some lists and see what she can find for me too -- i look on amazon (I HEART amazon) but it is all just a list of titles, i have no direction and no idea what is good or bad or useless. child in question is almost 7 and a boy. he is dx with SPD, ADD, GAD and depression, he is 2 e also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 :grouphug: I don't have any book recommendations. My DD16 was diagnosed with depression when she was 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 i have been searching amazon. but while all the titles sound interesting, and i'd gladly check them out if they were in front of me, i can't just buy a whole list. I am not sure what i looking for. our almost 7 is GAD with OCD leanings. he is on ADD medication and i feel correctly so. he is also depressed -- we are going to get a 2nd Shrink opinion after we move -- but i need something. i don't know what, but i always run to books, they are my soothing toy if you will i hate my baby being sad and mad all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 i have been searching amazon. but while all the titles sound interesting, and i'd gladly check them out if they were in front of me, i can't just buy a whole list. I am not sure what i looking for. our almost 7 is GAD with OCD leanings. he is on ADD medication and i feel correctly so. he is also depressed -- we are going to get a 2nd Shrink opinion after we move -- but i need something. i don't know what, but i always run to books, they are my soothing toy if you will i hate my baby being sad and mad all the time Have you tried using the lending library at your local library? They can often get books that cover a myriad of topics. I would take a list in, that has the title, author and ISBN to see what they can get for you. That way you can peruse them before you buy them (or just borrow them and return). Barnes and Noble will order books into the store for you at no charge and that way you can look it over before buying it. I used to order in 2 at a time, and spend quite a bit of time going over them in store before deciding if I wanted to purchase them. The manager of the B&N was the one who suggested this to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Is he being treated for depression? My DD16 takes Celexa, she used to take Zoloft when she was younger, but it stopped working. When we were struggling to get her RX correct, I had her sit with this lamp. It helped a lot. Her psychiatrist recommended the lamp to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 he is not being treated for it. he just started treatment for ADD -- the depression pre-dates the Add dx and treatment. the depression is either worse or more easy to notice now without the over the top sillyness 24/7. his PhD (who has "dx" the ADD, the OCD and the GAD agrees that he is depressed too --- he is a little me). she can't medicate and the shrink we are seeing right now doesn't want to medicate for depression she feels it would make his ADD worse and interfere with the ADD treatment. we will be seeking a 2nd option, and having the PhD talk to this new shrink as well. i am willing to stop ADD medication and medicate depression and see how the over the top constant sillyness goes. our local lib is TINY. If we had more time i would ILL request the whole list and look at them -- that is what i have done for years and our director is a joy - but we move in 3 weeks. none of the books are here and i do not have time to request them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 he is not being treated for it. he just started treatment for ADD -- the depression pre-dates the Add dx and treatment. the depression is either worse or more easy to notice now without the over the top sillyness 24/7. his PhD (who has "dx" the ADD, the OCD and the GAD agrees that he is depressed too --- he is a little me). she can't medicate and the shrink we are seeing right now doesn't want to medicate for depression she feels it would make his ADD worse and interfere with the ADD treatment. we will be seeking a 2nd option, and having the PhD talk to this new shrink as well. i am willing to stop ADD medication and medicate depression and see how the over the top constant sillyness goes. our local lib is TINY. If we had more time i would ILL request the whole list and look at them -- that is what i have done for years and our director is a joy - but we move in 3 weeks. none of the books are here and i do not have time to request them in. I think your mommy instinct is right. From my limited second-hand knowledge, a psychiatrist will want to treat a mood disorder and get that stabilized before dealing with ADD. I wouldn't discourage you from medication but you should discuss with your psychiatrist any possibility of bipolar disorder either in your child's behavior or family history before starting medication for depression or anxiety. Some can trigger bipolar disorder in children with predispositions. I have one who is prone to to depression so you have all my sympathy. It's so painful to watch. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 I think your mommy instinct is right. From my limited second-hand knowledge, a psychiatrist will want to treat a mood disorder and get that stabilized before dealing with ADD. I wouldn't discourage you from medication but you should discuss with your psychiatrist any possibility of bipolar disorder either in your child's behavior or family history before starting medication for depression or anxiety. Some can trigger bipolar disorder in children with predispositions. I have one who is prone to to depression so you have all my sympathy. It's so painful to watch. :grouphug: i will discuss it, but there is no family history of BI - polar, but lots of family history of depression and GAD. tomorrow i will be calling around looking for a shrink (child) in the area we are headed to (GA) to get a 2nd opinion, and to get a contunation of medication. i hate feeling helpless -- i hate that hugs don't help and i don't know what to DO for him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 I've heard Omega 3 fatty acids help with depression. The SAD light is also effective. I hope you find a child psychiatrist for your DS. I remember how scary it was when my DD was 8 and suffering from depression. It was horrible! I felt helpless and was so worried. She had really bad depression (she was off her Zoloft) her Freshman year of high school, she actually ended up in the hospital. That's when we started homeschooling because her school wasn't understanding at all. Once you find someone for him to see, it can take months, to get the right medication and dosage down. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 My 6.5 year old has severe OCD that is treated with medication. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find books that deal with mental health issues in young children. While I think I own pretty much every book on OCD, I haven't come across many that are helpful for little kids. Most books dealing with mental health issues start with the premise that the person knows it's not normal. For a young child, that's not necessarily true. Dawn Huebner has a series of books called "What to Do When...." I'm not sure if there's one that deals with depression, but it might be worth checking. They're actually workbooks, geared to slightly older kids (9+), but some of the strategies are helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 thanks everyone-- glad to know it is not just me that can't find resources. i mean, not really, but i am at least glad i am not just to stupid i missing them -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 There really isnt much about depressed little kids - when little kids are depressed with no trauma, its just biochemistry. My son was accused by the teachers at school of being adhd, but after several evaluations, we agreed to treat the depression and anxiety first. We started on prozac and switched to celexxa which was good for him. When the school still wanted to treat the adhd symptoms, we ended up with risperdone, which turned out to be a miracle drug for him. Often anxiety and depression at the same time IS bipolar . . . My son wanted to die at age 8. We all agreed it was more important to treat that than the adhd. I'm really surprised that the doc said (and you went along with) worrying about him focusing on school work before worrying about depression. Who could possibly CARE about school work when they are depressed and anxious? definitely go get another opinion. also, your son got super silly on adhd meds and the med doc does not think thats a problem? Sounds really strange to me. How is 24/7 sillies better than the previous symptoms of adhd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 There really isnt much about depressed little kids - when little kids are depressed with no trauma, its just biochemistry. My son was accused by the teachers at school of being adhd, but after several evaluations, we agreed to treat the depression and anxiety first. We started on prozac and switched to celexxa which was good for him. When the school still wanted to treat the adhd symptoms, we ended up with risperdone, which turned out to be a miracle drug for him. Often anxiety and depression at the same time IS bipolar . . . My son wanted to die at age 8. We all agreed it was more important to treat that than the adhd. I'm really surprised that the doc said (and you went along with) worrying about him focusing on school work before worrying about depression. Who could possibly CARE about school work when they are depressed and anxious? definitely go get another opinion. also, your son got super silly on adhd meds and the med doc does not think thats a problem? Sounds really strange to me. How is 24/7 sillies better than the previous symptoms of adhd? There may be a misunderstanding. I think the OP said the 24/7 sillies are now gone with the ADHD medication. And now that they're gone, the depression is more obvious. I agree with you about the bipolar. Someone we know was recently diagnosed with bipolar and it looks nothing like what I thought bipolar was and I was very skeptical of the diagnosis. I thought it would be very dramatic ups and downs, but the manic states can be as mild as irritabilty and difficulty sleeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssruckman Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 I second the bi-polar thoughts. Look into the symptoms in children just to make sure. I am thinking one of mine may be bi-polar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 There really isnt much about depressed little kids - when little kids are depressed with no trauma, its just biochemistry. My son was accused by the teachers at school of being adhd, but after several evaluations, we agreed to treat the depression and anxiety first. We started on prozac and switched to celexxa which was good for him. When the school still wanted to treat the adhd symptoms, we ended up with risperdone, which turned out to be a miracle drug for him. Often anxiety and depression at the same time IS bipolar . . . My son wanted to die at age 8. We all agreed it was more important to treat that than the adhd. I'm really surprised that the doc said (and you went along with) worrying about him focusing on school work before worrying about depression. Who could possibly CARE about school work when they are depressed and anxious? definitely go get another opinion. also, your son got super silly on adhd meds and the med doc does not think thats a problem? Sounds really strange to me. How is 24/7 sillies better than the previous symptoms of adhd? DS is not so depressed he is a danger to himself, just a generally not happy child, he withdraws and he cries and gets mad a lot. as for why we treated ADD first, and not depression / GAD.... his add was (and if untreated is) more out of control-- his ADD silly is much more 'in your face' and also causes him more struggles -- -- it makes his life harder and the family life harder. really when he is not on his ADD medication the depression is "not so strong" and he is over the top silly and fast a lot of the time. his can't function , and thus can't come close to enjoying life, when his ADD silly is out of control. so; what you really 'see' and what really interfere with his life (not his school work, he is here at home, we'll work though that, but life (like going to a doc appt or the store or getting along at park day) is much more the loud / silly / fast of the ADD than the depression. we have known about the depression for a long time, but never felt it 'hit the level of medication' until recently (while on the ADD medication). so it is the inter-play of GAD / ADD and Depression and not knowing where he 'stands' -- we have tried ADD medication and it controls "the silly" as we call it (or ping-pong ball time, or joker mode). but now we see that might not be the best approach. however the shrink is noncommittal on if she 'sees' the depression or not, but won't treat depression in "kids like him". she says. PhD agrees with Depression and works with us on it -- but can't give medication. she notes it is more apparent now that his add is controlled, but says we can't know the depression is worse on the medication or if the silly veil is just removed so we see him better. we are getting a 2nd opinion in i hope Oct after we move. I plan to ask about ADD vs Depression vs GAD. I know no one is going to treat GAD in a 7 year old. but depression vs add, or both. i agree whole heartedly that it is biochemistry -- i deal with depression and have been medicated since 1990 and depressed since kindy or maybe before. i was / am just hoping to find some reading material to support us in supporting him. maybe i just want to hear i am not alone, and other 7 years cry for no reason and tell their parents 'i am jsut not happy, ever, and i don't know why" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma aimee Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 There may be a misunderstanding. I think the OP said the 24/7 sillies are now gone with the ADHD medication. And now that they're gone, the depression is more obvious. I agree with you about the bipolar. Someone we know was recently diagnosed with bipolar and it looks nothing like what I thought bipolar was and I was very skeptical of the diagnosis. I thought it would be very dramatic ups and downs, but the manic states can be as mild as irritabilty and difficulty sleeping. :iagree: I will add bipoliar to the list for the new child shrink after we move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 yeah, sorry, i should have re-read your post again. Good luck getting your kidlet all straightened out, or, you know, at least better functioning! my middle one has been on meds since 9 and we just switched one out over the summer and he's doing much better. the science experiments never seem to end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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