Any advice about how to handle my 10 year old son's bought with depression?

It's slowly beginning to spiral downward.Any advice about how to handle my 10 year old son's bought with depression?
He is SO lucky that you recognize it for what it is. My first depressive episode was at 6; I actually remember it. I'm 42 now.





If your son is typical, he's feeling terribly LONELY no matter how the depression is manifesting, whether it's through anger or sadness. Please repeat until you are blue in the face how much he is loved and that he won't feel this way forever, AND that YOU ARE ON HIS SIDE!





Is this the first time? You seem to recognize it well. Is the pediatrician any help? If yes--get there tomorrow. If not--look up a child PSYCHiatrist (not counselor, not spychologist) that's on your ins plan and get him there ASAP.


If your medical insurance does not have mental health benefits, then get to the Internet or a paper phone book/yellow pages and look up Mental Health or even Suicide Help in your area.


Another option is to talk to your religious leader, or if that's embarrassing, to ANOTHER religious leader in your community. Or ask a trusted friend to do this for you.





You might feel helpless, but you are not. There's little things and big things that you can do. Let him know you know. Help him understand as much as he can, and then be a superhero and spring into action. Get creative if your medical benefits aren't any help.


Contact Big Brothers and Sisters for some guidance. The suicide hotline in your area, or closest large metro area, can be a great source of help and comfort, even if the situation isn't dire.





The spiral will get faster, and he's hurting. You already are looking for ways to be his hero; keep looking, but look closer to home. Your pediatrician is the first phone call, unless it's proven useless already.





You and he will get through this.


Try to remind yourself and your son of all the things that are right with your world.





May God shine his face toward you and grant you peace.





~Kimber


Dallas, TXAny advice about how to handle my 10 year old son's bought with depression?
He is lucky you recognize it for what it is.





Our son had a bout with depression in the summer. He has autism, we had just moved into a new home which he helped to design- I had thought he would transition more easily into it because he had a hand in it all. NOPE! New school, new home, new everything including a new sister- all in less than a year. We called his psychiatrist and he did therapy and put him on Zoloft. In 2 weeks time, we noticed he was getting better. Now, he makes sure he takes it each day because he says he never want to feel so awful again. I don't blame him.





Call your ped. or your insurance and get him set up with an appt. immediately.





Good luck- it is so scary as a parent to see this.
Make sure it isn't the focus of conversations. I have had manic depression since junior high as well as social anxiety disorder. It is always worse when attention is brought to it. By that I don't mean attention as in treatment but family members who ridicule you for something you cant control. Being understanding is one of the best ways to help. But don't let him just sit in a funk encourage him to do things but don't nag. For me it was really helpful when someone said lets do this instead of do you feel like doing this?