Have An Adolescent Child Depressed Due To Divorce? 2 Tips To Help Them Get Through

If you and your spouse are going through a divorce, this can be difficult on the children no matter what their age is. If you have an adolescent child, however, they are old enough to be affected much more. If your child is showing signs of depression, it is important that you get them treatment as soon as possible before they become much worse. In order to help you, below are two tips to help your child get through this difficult time.

Diagnosing Depression

The first thing you should do is to take your child to a doctor to have them diagnosed with depression. This is to be sure they actually are having this problem or to see if they are having an underlying illness causing their symptoms.

The doctor will first do a physical examination to determine if your child is healthy. The doctor will talk with your teen and ask them many questions about their physical health. This is because physical health problems can be a cause of depression symptoms.

The doctor may also order lab tests to check your teen's thyroid, as thyroid problems can cause depression symptoms.

If all of these tests come out normal and your teen's doctor does not find any health problems, you need to take your teen to a mental health professional for treatment.

Treating Depression

Take your child to a marriage and family counseling service for treatment. This may be done by a psychologist or another type of medical professional. The doctor will first sit down with your child and ask them many questions so they can understand how depressed they are. The doctor will talk with your child alone so your child will feel more comfortable talking about their problems.

The doctor may use psychotherapy, which is also known as talk therapy, to help treat the depression. The therapy will help your child identify and then work through their problems. The doctor will determine what triggers the depression and teach your child coping mechanisms.

You should also consider family therapy. This will help you and other family members to have a much better understanding of your child's depression. This way, you and your other children can help your child at home.

Along with therapy, your child may be prescribed an anti-depressant to help them get through this depression.

The marriage and family counselor can give you many tips to help your family during this trying time.

For more information, contact a resource like Andrea Brandt Therapy.


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