It can be difficult to tell the difference between sadness and depression in children and adolescents because they share many common features. For example, a loss of interest in usual activities, sleep problems, body aches and pains, and problems in school or with peers are some of the more typical problems seen in children and adolescents who are either sad or depressed. However, feeling sad is a normal reaction to a loss or an unexpected stressor, such as the death of a grandparent or an impending transition (e.g., moving or changing schools).

For children who are sad, behavioral symptoms are usually time-limited because children typically have the internal resources to manage their feelings and to move beyond their sadness. On the contrary, for children and adolescents who are depressed, these symptoms may last two or more weeks. In other words, they don’t just ‘get over it’.  It is difficult for them to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is also true for children and teens who live with chronic or life threatening illnesses, or those who have experienced significant trauma in their lives.

As a child and adolescent therapist, part of my job is help parents and their children to distinguish between sadness and depression. One critical distinction between the two is the presence of suicidal thoughts and plans. It is also important to determine how long the child has been experiencing these emotional and behavioral symptoms. This is why I place an emphasis on partnering with parents because they often provide useful information. Their observations are critical to understanding a child’s or adolescent’s mood and how the  family functions. After all, children live in families!

Three Effective Treatment Strategies

In my practice, I integrate three effective strategies that help children and adolescents to cope with their depression.

1. Self-hypnosis—a tool used to help children create a shift in their thinking and to manage negative moods
2. Biofeedback—can show children how their bodies react to negative thoughts.
3. Creative Expressive Therapies—depending on the child’s interests, I like to integrate drawing, play, and expressive writing into the therapeutic process

The Treatment Benefits

Helping children and adolescents learn new ways of coping has many positive and lasting effects:

• less family conflict
• increased school attendance
• better academic performance
• more positive social interactions
• alleviation of aches and pains
• improved coping strategies

If you are having a difficult time determining if your child is sad or depressed, make an appointment to partner with me to help your child address their concerns.  Call me at 763-546-5797.

By Harriet Kohen, MSW, LICSW

By David Alter, PhD, LP      

I have been working with a 60 year old woman with a long history of abuse.  One day, she presented with tremors that had developed suddenly.  Her neurologist told her that the tremors could go away as quickly as they came or they could take years to resolve.  She was told to increase the dose of a medication that, at a higher dose, had produced significant dizziness in the past.  We turned to a type of biofeedback, Healing Rhythms, that I have right on my computer.  We focused on using it to induce very deep levels of physical relaxation.  We combined the biofeedback with some specific imagery designed to help her develop a sense of inner calm that would slowly quiet the vibrations (that is, the tremors) in her body. We were both happy to find that she walked out of the office without tremors and with a clear plan for managing them, should they return.

What’s the message?  Healing can occur quickly and in unexpected ways when we put our mind and body in the proper frame. 

Here’s another message:  you can buy right Healing Rhythms from the Books and Products section of our website and heal your own mind and body at home. 

And you can also call Dr. David Alter at 763-546-5797 for an appointment, if you’d like to add some guided imagery to your healing.

One of the most exciting areas in modern medical science involves our deepening understanding of the relationship between brain functioning and our day-to-day functioning. Each month seems to bring new discoveries about how our physical and emotional health can be improved by increasing the health of the brain. Learning to regulate our emotional and physical arousal levels through brain regulation training can make a huge difference in our physical and emotional health. Healing Rhythms is a very pleasant personal biofeedback training program that can teach you to regulate your emotional and physical arousal levels. Healing Rhythms gently trains you to reduce your stress levels, improve your emotional resilience, and to keep your mind clear of distracting thoughts. Check out Healing Rhythms and discover how you can put yourself on the path to improved mental and emotional health.