Kid's Dealing with Parent's Depression
Find a Conversation
| Wed, 08-25-2004 - 4:16pm |
My daughter just started the 1st grade. Within the last two weeks I have realized I am depressed, I have been acting out with verbal anger towards my husband (and more mildly towards my daughter). I explained to her in a moment of sanity that I wasn't angry with her or anything she was doing wrong, but that mommy was sick and need to see a doctor to help make my (anger, exhaustion, crying, etc...) go away. She seemed okay with that and is giving me extra hugs and tells me often that she loves me.
What worries me is yesterday when she came home from school there was a picture in her backpack, she had colored at school. The sentence at the top said, "Sometimes I am SAD and MAD." Under it she had drawn a picture of a rainy day with a stick person with black curliques all around it, it also looked like red flames on the top of its head. I asked her if this is how she feels and she said no, but how can I be sure? I worry so much about myself and getting better but I am seriously worried about how this is affecting my daughter. I wonder if seeing a counselor would help but we live in a rural area and the only "mental health" available is for juvenile delinquents.
My mother suffered from severe mood disorders when I was growing up and I can remember how much it hurt to see my mom "lose it." On the flip-side my mother never admitted she had a problem or sought treatment. It wasn't until after she passed away and I saw myself following her patterns that I realized there ever was a problem.
So how do your children handle your depression? Any suggestions on

Welcome to the board.