depression imageMy advice for other kids is get help when you need it. Kids get scared to get help because they don’t think it will be better, and they are scared and may be afraid people will laugh at them.

 

The Depression Experience Journal is a collection of stories and personal experiences from patients and families about what it has been like to live and cope with pediatric Depression. It represents the “collective wisdom” of these families as well as their health care providers.

While it is normal to feel some emotional discomfort associated with reading the stories of families describing their experiences with Depression, we hope that families may learn from the stories of others facing similar experiences.

Visit the Glossary to read definitions for words in bold. Visit our Resources page to learn more about parent and clinician recommended websites on pediatric Depression.


Video Interviews:

Child & Adolescent Stories:

When your depression lifts, and you will get respites, if not total recovery, you will feel a happiness and contentment that people who have never experienced major depression probably don’t know.

An adolescent

Caregiver Stories:

I think it’s important for kids to feel their friends won’t reject them if they know the truth. Sharing the “pain” helps all people; lightens the burden for the afflicted child and hopefully teaches compassion and removes the stigma of mental illness for everyone else.

A Parent

Clinician Insights:

A chronic, recurrent illness such as rheumatoid arthritis can be managed through a combination of medication, stress reduction, and close interaction with a doctor who is flexible in employing different treatments as needed over time. The same is true of depression.

From the book, Out of the Darkened Room by Dr. William Beardslee, a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist


A group of parents and health care providers has reviewed all of these contributions for appropriateness. This Journal was created by the Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Psychiatry.

Acknowledgments

Editor’s note: Please keep in mind that every patient is different, and discussions of alternative treatments, complications, and timelines may not apply to you. Additionally, some families identify medications and treatments that work well for them. The Experience Journals do not endorse specific methods. Each individual is different, and we invite you to discuss treatments with your doctors and nurses to see if they are right for you.