Depressed parents should be treated vigorously ... the impact is not only on them but it's also on their children. |
If you have a depressed mother, you ought to do everything you can to get her better, because there's a double effect. While depression may be a genetic disorder, it has a strong environmental component. And, for a child, a parent's illness is a very strong environmental effect. You want to reduce that effect so that you can have a beneficial effect on the child. |
If you have a depression mother, you ought to do everything you can to get her better, because there's a double effect. |
We always knew that the environment has a very strong effect on the onset of depression. With children particularly, if you can delay the onset for as long as possible or even prevent it, you can do a great service to a child. |
We focused on mothers because depression is more common in women than men, and women are more apt to come for treatment. But we suspect the same with depressed fathers. |
We know that depression and other disorders are brought on by strong environmental stresses. Having a parent with an illness is a big environmental stress. |
We were amazed at these findings, and amazed at how strong they were. |
While depression may be a genetic disorder, it has a strong environmental component. And, for a child, a parent's illness is a very strong environmental effect. You want to reduce that effect so that you can have a beneficial effect on the child. |