Practical Advice for Families

So how does all this new thinking about antidepressants and children add up for your family? If you have a child who takes antidepressants, speak to your healthcare provider to determine how recent developments affect your child's particular course of treatment, if at all. It is not always wise to discontinue drug therapy suddenly, as children can experience side effects and withdrawal symptoms when coming off some medications. At home, you can monitor your child carefully for signs of worsening depression or suicidal thoughts. Also, be alert for personality changes or bizarre, unusual behavior in the child. Seek emergency care if your child mentions suicide. Never allow your child unsupervised access to his or her medication.

Under the care and advice of a healthcare provider, you might want to consider whether alternatives to medication might be effective for your child. Some suggestions:

• Lifestyle changes: Improve sleep hygiene, establish routines, and set realistic expectations.
  
  
• Nutritional changes: Decrease consumption of junk food and eat more healthy foods. Consider cod liver oil supplementation as a source of important Omega-3 fatty acids.
  
  
• Family changes: Sometimes depression in a child turns out to be a response to things in the family system that are upsetting to the child. When a family begins to spend more time together and decreases conflict, depression in a child often diminishes, with or without medication.
  
  
• Psychotherapy: If you can find a well-qualified, warm, caring therapist that you and respect, psychotherapy can be a source of comfort and support.

In today's world, children face increased pressures, less family stability than in previous generations, and decreased community support. Given these social trends, it's no surprise that depression in children is diagnosed more than ever. Families with children affected by depression need to be aware that they might have treatment options in addition to or other than antidepressants that can offer promising results. Given the most recent findings, for some patients, a drug-free approach might be the safest choice.