Case Study: Mary Stewart Gonlubol tells Sylvia Thompson how she helps her son, Stephen (11), work through his depression.
'Initially, I spotted it about three years ago. Stephen was losing interest in activities that he previously used to enjoy. He was a very outgoing, happy-go-lucky, cheerful child who slowly began to go downhill. He was bullied at school and he was coming home upset and refusing to go to school. I changed his school but things didn't improve much.
Then, I went to our GP who referred him to the Lucena Clinic. He was at a very low ebb this time last year. He wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. He wasn't eating, drinking or sleeping well and it was hard to motivate him to do things. It was like someone had taken the spirit out of him. He was put on Prozac for five months which did give him a boost. I could see the old Stephen coming back. Then it got to the stage that he said, I don't need to take these tablets any more, I'm feeling stronger now.
He started in St Peter's School in Rathgar, Dublin, last September and we have had great support from the staff there. The children in his class have emotional or behavioural problems. He has also done a programme in which other children with depression participate. This has helped him talk about his feelings, accept that they are part of life and see that he will get through this.
At home, he can still get anxious and fearful over simple things like changes in his daily routine. He finds it hard to relax and trust people. Anyone who is depressed has a negative view on the world and the only way to ease this is by countering it with positive thinking and re-assurance that things will work out well. I usually write a positive word on a chart each day and ask Stephen to write down how this word can work for him and the positive feelings and thoughts he gets from it. Other members of the family join in and lend their support. My husband and I attended parenting classes which were also useful.
I'm patient with Stephen. I understand him and I'm getting more confident and stronger myself when I see the results are good. You have to work at it every day. I would say to parents to watch out for changes in the character of their children and deal with problems as quickly as they can. Go to your GP, get a referral to a clinic - and even if you have to wait a long time for an appointment - don't give up, the support you will get will help you and your child work through the depression."