Depression Treatment from a Child Psychiatrist

Seeing a child psychiatrist can confirm if your child has depression. Kids can feel sad sometimes. But prolonged sadness and hopelessness can be destructive to a child’s development. Bringing your child to a therapist can help the situation. If you want to know more about the different depression treatments for your child, here are the details from a child psychiatrist.

DBT (dialectical behavior therapy)

This is a helpful treatment for depression. A psychiatrist can help young patients to block suicidal attempts with DBT. Managing these intense negative emotions is possible by practicing mindfulness. It can also help develop problem-solving techniques. DBT treatment involves sessions with the parent and child. Both will learn the necessary skills to keep depression symptoms at bay.

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)

CBT helps young patients with sad thoughts. The child and the psychiatrist will help each other in setting goals. Both will catch these negative thoughts. Encouraging the child to take part in activities is one of the techniques as well. The psychiatrist will then observe how these activities affect the child.

The aim is to get the child moving. Physical momentum can help the child to start having positive thoughts. The positivity will come from interacting with others. The child will also feel pleasant from talking to other people.

MBCT (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy)

MBCT can treat depression in teens. The psychiatrist teaches the patient to be aware of the moment. Observing the patient’s feelings and thoughts is important in this treatment. Doing so can help the therapist block the thoughts that trigger depression.

IPT (interpersonal psychotherapy)

Relationships can maintain depression at times. The psychiatrist can use IPT by looking at the child’s relationships. Making these relationships supportive is a priority. The child will learn skills for expressing feelings and handling disagreements. This treatment will last for 12 to 16 weeks. Parents will also take part during some of the scheduled sessions.

Involving the family

A psychiatrist will involve the family when it comes to treating childhood depression. It is important for the parents to understand the meaning of each treatment. That way, they can instruct their child to use the skills they learn during therapy sessions. These reminders can happen several times a day.

The psychiatrist can also give parents some tips on how to interact with a child with depression. This can be a difficult task, especially at home. Kids with depression might try to stay in isolation. They could interpret a caring parental gesture as something critical. Being supportive is important as well. The psychiatrist can help the parent remain positive while interacting with the child.

Medication treatment

A child psychiatrist can prescribe medications to children and teens with severe depression. These medications can also help young patients when therapy is not enough. Sometimes, young patients worry about taking antidepressants. Families worry as well that the medications might change the way the child feels. Parents also worry that the child might develop an addiction to the medications.