Treatment for childhood depression

Depression can also affect children. There are symptoms that indicate that the child may be depressed such as sudden mood swings, tantrums from any cause or high level of anxiety. The parents are the most suitable to detect if the child may be suffering from a depression process, but it will be fina

The psychologist Silvia Álava, tells us what is the treatment for childhood depression, how the psychologist acts to tackle the problem and what kind of techniques he uses.

How depression is treated in children

1. What does the psychologist do to treat childhood depression?

What we psychologists do to treat childhood depression is always fundamental collaboration with parents. The first thing we ask parents is to observe and record what the child does, what he does not do, the things that draw our attention.

In a second moment we sit down with those parents and we comment on those records that they have done one by one and we are observing and we are seeing what could happen to that child to establish very well what is the cause of the behavior that is what what is maintaining it and what is much more important. Tell parents exactly what they have to do in those situations. In the end it is about establishing a baseline.

But then it is also important to work with the children. And you have to work with children because techniques, sometimes self-control, sometimes you have to work with sadness. We must also work with those thoughts that can be more negative. And what will always be fundamental to working with children is that the popes know exactly the techniques that we have worked so that they can remember them.

2. What kind of techniques are used to treat childhood depression?

The treatment of depression for both children and adults, cognitive-behavioral therapy, is shown to be the most effective treatment available. It is even more effective than a drug-only treatment. What do we do in this type of therapy? As we dismantle the ideas and behaviors that are maintaining that depression and we teach the child, we teach the 'popes' to equip them with tools to deal with those ideas that can be presented that generate greater anguish, or those situations that they may worry more.

3. When are more drugs used in the treatment of childhood depression?

The use of drugs in the treatment of childhood depression is something that is not usual. It is true that in some cases it is necessary, it is used in very specific cases, they are always cases of greater severity, they are cases that refer to mental health, and in many cases they are usually another series of comorbid disorders that cause and are there along with depression and that's why they may need medication. But I already say that there are very few cases.

4. When is depression generated from a hormonal problem?

It is important when we see that a child has depression problems, go to the doctor, go to the pediatrician. Why? Because the first thing is always to rule out a physiological cause of depression. If there is a physiological cause, if there is a hormonal problem then that child if he may need a pharmacological medication then in psychology we always say that in order to rule out something somatic it is important that first the physiological cause is discarded. Then the doctor tells us that there is nothing physiological so that we can get to work.