Depression And Your Child by Deborah Serani

Depression And Your Child

Review Copy

Depression And Your Child – Book Review

Today I’d like to share a very important book with you: Depression And Your Child – A Guide For Parents And Caregivers by Deborah Serani. If you are a parent or caregiver – or someone who works with or interacts with children on a regular basis – I highly recommend that you add this book to your “must read” list!

Depression And Your Child weaves together Deborah’s personal experiences as a depressed child and her clinical knowledge as a psychologist who treats depressed children to bring you both the latest medical and parenting advice!

In the opening chapters of Depression And Your Child, Deborah provides an overview of the normal stages of child development, so that we can began to explore what childhood depression is – what childhood depression looks like – and how childhood depression causes deviations in the norm across a wide spectrum of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional behaviors.

Deborah then goes on to educate us about the various types of pediatric depression and their treatment (both allopathic and holistic). She provides practical advice such as questions to help you determine if your child might be struggling with depression, and vital information such as a medication side-effect checklist for children and adolescents. She even provides tips to help adults parent their depressed children, and to provide hope for their future!

Some of the information in this book may shock you. For instance, did you know that babies as young as six months of age can display symptoms of depression? Or that more children in the world die by suicide each year than by accidents, wars, and homicides, combined? Other information in this book may enlighten you. For instance, one eye-opening section of the book contains 20 Myths About Depression that Deborah debunks! Another contains page after page of High-Profile People who also suffer from mood disorders!

The most crucial information in this book may save your child’s life – or the life of a child you know! Left untreated, depression can spiral into self-injury and suicide. Depression And Your Child helps you to safeguard your children by providing critical information such as “Five Tips For Reducing Self-Injury In your Child” and “Warning Signs And Risk Factors For Youth Suicide”.

Depression And Your Child is an easy-to-read yet comprehensive resource that every parent, teacher and caregiver should read.

This book is timely. I highly recommend it and I rate Depression And Your Child 5/5 stars!

About Deborah Serani

Deborah Serani

Dr. Deborah Serani is a go-to media expert on a variety of psychological issues. Her interviews can be found in ABC News, Newsday, Women’s Health & Fitness, The Chicago Tribune, The Associated Press, and affiliate radio station programs at CBS and NPR, just to name a few. She is a ShareCare Expert for Dr. Oz, writes for Psychology Today, helms the “Ask the Therapist” column for Esperanza Magazine and has worked as a technical adviser for the NBC television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. A licensed psychologist in practice over twenty years, Serani is also an adjunct professor at Adelphi University teaching courses in clinical disorders and treatment and is the author of the award-winning book Living with Depression.

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Depression And Your Child – Book Synopsis

Title:            Depression and Your Child: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
Genre:         Self-Help, Parenting
Author:      Deborah Serani
Publisher:  Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (September 16, 2013)
Pages:         242
Language: English
ISBN-10:   1442221453
ISBN-13:   978-1442221451

Seeing your child suffer in any way is a harrowing experience for any parent. Mental illness in children can be particularly draining due to the mystery surrounding it, and the issue of diagnosis at such a tender age. Depression and Your Child gives parents and caregivers a uniquely textured understanding of pediatric depression, its causes, its symptoms, and its treatments. Author Deborah Serani weaves her own personal experiences of being a depressed child along with her clinical experiences as a psychologist treating depressed children.

Current research, treatments and trends are presented in easy to understand language and tough subjects like self-harm, suicide and recovery plans are addressed with supportive direction. Parents will learn tips on how to discipline a depressed child, what to expect from traditional treatments like psychotherapy and medication, how to use holistic methods to address depression, how to avoid caregiver burnout, and how to move through the trauma of diagnosis and plan for the future.

Real life cases highlight the issues addressed in each chapter and resources and a glossary help to further understanding for those seeking additional information. Parents and caregivers are sure to find here a reassuring approach to childhood depression that highlights the needs of the child even while it emphasizes the need for caregivers to care for themselves and other family members as well.

Depression and Your Child Blog Tour

Depression And Your Child – Excerpt

When you held your child for the very first time, you were likely brimming with pride and joy. Your heart swelling with enormous love, you’re swept away with streams of thoughts for what your child needs in this immediate moment – as well as plans and dreams for the future. You expect there to be wondrous adventures your child will experience, as well as bumps in the road along the way.

And that’s okay, you say, because you know that life isn’t always an easy journey.

But one thing you probably never considered was how an illness like depression could take hold of your child. And why would you? Up until recently, it was never believed that children could experience depression. Long ago, studies suggested that children and teenagers didn’t have the emotional capacity or cognitive development to experience the hopelessness and helplessness of depression.

Today, we know that children, even babies, experience depression. The clinical term is called pediatric depression, and rates are higher now than ever before. In the United States alone, evidence suggests that 4 percent of preschool-aged children, 5 percent of school-aged children, and 11 percent of adolescents meet the criteria for major depression.

Depression and Your Child grew out of my experience of being a clinician who specializes in the treatment of pediatric depression. I wanted to write a parenting book to raise awareness about depressive disorders in children, to teach parents how to find treatment, to offer tips for creating a healthy living environment, and to highlight important adult parenting matters such as self-care, romance, and well-being.

I also wrote this book because I have lived with depression since I was a child. As is the case with pediatric depression, my own depression didn’t hit with lightning-like speed. It was more of a slow burn, taking its toll in gnaws and bites before hollowing me out completely. After a suicide attempt as a college sophomore, I found help that finally reduced my depression. Until then, I accepted the sadness, despair, and overwhelming fatigue as the way my life just was. I never realized, nor did my parents or any other adults, that I had a clinical disorder. I’ve since turned the wounds from my childhood into wisdom and believe that sharing the textures of my experiences will help parents realize what their own depressed child is going through.

More than anything else, I want this book to offer hope. As a clinician, proper diagnosis and treatment can be life-changing and life saving. As a person living with depression, I have found successful ways to lead a full and meaningful life. I want parents and children who struggle with depression to feel this hope, too—and in these pages, that’s what you’ll find.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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5 Responses to “Depression And Your Child by Deborah Serani”

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  1. Dawn Paoletta
    Twitter: breathoffaith
    says:

    Timely for me right now. Thanks.

    • Create With Joy
      Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
      says:

      Dawn, if there is a need, I cannot recommend this resource highly enough!
      I hope you can get a copy and it provides you with whatever information it is you are seeking!

  2. Linda says:

    Thanks for the book review! Your friend, Linda

  3. Nikita says:

    That’s so so sad 🙁

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