May 23, 2011
Nine-year-old Tommy** was brought to my office by his mother. He was complaining of deep sadness. His grades in school were falling, he had trouble sleeping at night, his appetite was poor, and he often cried.
Tommy was clinically depressed. His parents were going through a divorce, and no matter how much they tried to reassure him of their love for him, he worried about who would take care of him. Deep down, Tommy also believed he was partially to blame for his parents’ divorce.
Unfortunately, situations like this are not uncommon today, as children and teens are experiencing depression at alarming rates.
Depression can mean different things to different people. For some it’s feeling blue on a rainy day, and for some it’s sadness from deep disappointments in life. Still, for others, it can be a debilitating sense of hopelessness and despair that can leave one unable to function. We all experience some level of depression during our lifetime. It is part of the normal suffering that we all go through. For most people it usually lifts within a couple of weeks. However, when depression won’t seem to go away, or if it prevents one from functioning effectively in life, professional help may be needed.