Other Treatment
Professional counseling is an
important part of treatment for
depression. Lifestyle changes, such as getting regular
exercise and enough sleep, may also help your child recover more quickly and
improve his or her quality of life. Family therapy may be helpful for your
entire family while you are dealing with depression in your child.
Having a child with depression can be challenging and requires
understanding and patience. You should learn as much as you can about childhood
depression and what you and other family members can do to help treat it.
Family therapy can be an effective way to learn the best ways to help.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an effective treatment for a teen
or older child who is severely depressed or does not respond to other
treatment, although this treatment is rarely used for children and teens. Even
though it is an effective treatment for adults with major depression, there are
currently no long-term studies on the safety of using ECT for children and
teens or adults.5
Other Treatment Choices
Professional counseling is an important part of the
treatment for depression. Types of counseling most often used to treat
depression in children and teens are:
-
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps reduce negative patterns of thinking and encourages
positive behaviors.
-
Interpersonal therapy, which focuses on
the child's relationships with others.
-
Problem-solving therapy, which helps the child deal with current
problems.
-
Family therapy, which provides a place for the whole
family to express fears and concerns and learn new ways of getting along.
-
Play therapy, which is used with young children or
children with developmental delays to help them cope with fears and anxieties.
But there is no proof that this type of treatment reduces symptoms of
depression.
Electroconvulsive therapy(ECT), while
seldom used on children, may be helpful for those who either have not responded
to other treatments or whose depression is severe.
Complementary medicines
Complementary medicines
such as
St. John's wort have been used to treat depression in adults. But their
effectiveness in children and teens has not been adequately studied. There is
no evidence that these therapies are safe for use by children or teens.14 Complementary medicines can also interfere with other
medicines, such as antidepressants.
What To Think About
Some symptoms of depression in
children and teens may remain, even with medicine and other treatment.
Depression in young people can be an ongoing problem and may need long-term
treatment with professional counseling, medicines, education about the
disorder, or a combination of these. Early treatment of depression may bring
about the best results for your child.
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has approved the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implant for
treatment of depression in adults. This device may be used when other
treatments for depression have not worked.
A generator the size
of a pocket watch is placed in the chest. Wires go up the neck from the
generator to the vagus nerve. The generator sends tiny electric shocks through
the vagus nerve to that part of the brain that is believed to play a role in
mood.
How well the VNS implant works for children has not been
well studied, and the device is expensive.15