How to help a child suffering from depression

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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.

In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.

No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.

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Last Updated: 08/30/2022

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How to help a teenager cope with depression. Tips for parents: 08 February 2019, 07:07

©Pixabay

February 08, 2019, 07:07

Has your teenage child suddenly become nervous and irritable, or, conversely, sad and thoughtful? What is this, a bad mood? Or is there something more serious behind the odd behavior? nine0005

Most teenagers usually quickly return to their normal state after a sharp change in mood, typical of this age. However, those who experience sadness, doom, or increased nervousness for weeks or even months are more likely to be depressed.

The reasons for it can be very different - a change in the usual environment, a new school, divorce of parents, unrequited love, conflicts with teachers or peers, etc. Stress, rapidly changing hormones and lack of sleep exacerbate the problem. In a state of depression, adolescents are more at risk of rash acts and actions, as well as drug addiction, self-torture and even suicide. nine0005

Depression often causes behavioral changes. Adolescents can avoid society, become easily excitable, withdraw into themselves. Academic performance may also worsen, indifference to studies, previously beloved activities and hobbies appears.

Attentive parents may notice changes in a teenager's condition by how much he sleeps, how much his appetite or concentration of attention. Self-esteem and self-confidence in a state of depression can also decrease. nine0005

The most important thing you can do in these situations is to acknowledge that something is wrong with your son or daughter. It never hurts if you seek the help of a medical professional. The doctor will be able to rule out possible health problems that may be causing depression and will refer your child to a psychologist if necessary.

Depression is considered a disease of the brain. Fortunately, curable. An ever-growing body of scientific evidence in this area supports the neurobiological aspect of depression. Genetic factors and social experiences can lead to changes in brain neurotransmitters, neuroplasticity and neural networks in the brain, and hormonal dysregulation. nine0005

Psychotherapeutic talks and, if necessary, medication are very effective for teenagers. They will become much better if they begin to understand and manage their moods and feelings, learn to think positively and accept themselves without self-criticism and judgment. It has been proven that early detection and treatment of depression can help prevent or minimize its negative consequences.

Meanwhile, parents themselves can also help teenagers cope with depression. nine0027 1. Be honest. Explain to your teenager that depression is temporary and can be managed.

2. Be patient . Help your teen build self-esteem and be more patient with treatment if needed.

3. Encourage good habits . Daily exercise (even walking), proper sleep, outdoor activities, and a healthy diet can help fight depression.

4. Encourage openness. Give your teen space to express their feelings without judgment. If you disagree with his decisions or actions, tell him so.

5. Show family support . Make time for your teen to spend time with family members who support them, especially those who can cheer them up and lift their spirits.

6. Encourage active participation . Make it easy for your daughter or son to connect and spend time with friends. nine0005

7. Talk about friendship . Remind your teen that reliable friends will always be around, and unreliable people should not be friends. Remind them that relationship problems won't last forever.

It is very important that in a crisis situation, parents remain calm and patient and support a teenager who should not feel lonely and abandoned. As a rule, growing up children judge you by actions, not by words, so it is necessary to show teenagers your own positive example, not to judge or deceive them, and also to show unobtrusive care and attention to their problems. nine0005

Material prepared by Almaz Sharman, professor of medicine.
Read other useful articles on health and disease prevention at www.zdrav.kz.

How to help a child with depression - Center for Child Neuropsychology ROST

Adolescence is an important stage in life. At this age, adolescents are characterized by physical, emotional, psychological and social changes. Everyone knows that emotions can manifest themselves brighter, or withdrawal into oneself is possible, often the feeling of anxiety, irritation becomes stronger, often there is increased fatigue, a decrease in learning motivation, possibly excessive aggression towards oneself or others. Usually this condition lasts no more than 1 year and can proceed within the normal range, but often parents, thinking that this is a “transitional age”, do not notice “teenage depression”. nine0005

How do you tell adolescence from adolescent depression?

Depression is a mental disorder. During depression, 3 components are combined:

The emotional component is a violation of mood and emotional reactions, most often the mood is depressed, everything that used to please, now does not bring pleasure.
Cognitive component (thought processes) - the pace of thinking decreases, the ability to concentrate attention, the ability to generally solve some pressing issues, learning motivation decreases. nine0074
Behavioral component: eating disorders - a person may start to eat too much or too little, anorexia or bulimia may occur; sleep disturbance - sleep may disappear or, conversely, the child may sleep non-stop and not get enough sleep.

If this condition continues for more than two weeks, this is an alarming sign and a reason to seek professional help as soon as possible.

Depression is a very dangerous state, because apparently nothing terrible is happening: sad, passive, lethargic, does not think well. But in a situation of worse outcome, this condition can be deadly - with depression, the risk of suicide increases. nine0005

Even simple everyday things, when depression is severe, begin to cause real difficulties. It is sometimes difficult for parents to understand why it suddenly became difficult for a child to go to wash or clean up his clothes, go to the next room for some thing. They write it off as laziness or whims. "Well, it's a transitional age!" The level of strength in depression is really minimal.

Depression is very diverse and has different forms, including atypical ones, with a manic state, when there is a lot of energy, ideas, erratic activity, manifestation of aggression. nine0005

Depression is the most common mental illness and is on the rise. And, of course, there are reasons for this: relations between people have changed, today there are not so many strong positive relationships, more and more often live communication is being replaced by online communication, the pace of life has accelerated, we have begun to expect and demand much more from children, we are focusing on intellectual development, forgetting from the emotional, and yet the ability to express emotions and do it right is a very important aspect of human life.