Depression study: Treating mom benefits kids

[TexasStooge]

By MACIE JEPSON / WFAA ABC 8

HURST, Texas — Moms, listen to this: One in 20 teens suffers from depression, and your mood may be the reason.

It's disturbing new information from the first large-scale examination of depression in mothers and how it affects their children.

UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas was one of several national sites participating in the study, which suggests aggressive treatment of maternal depression could steer children from a path of mental health problems.

Over the years, clinical depression was leaving the Pollard family of Hurst nearly broken. "When mom's not happy, things get broken," said son Jason Pollard.

"I knew that there was conflict, and that I wasn't being the kind of mom I wanted to be," Julie Pollard said. "I slept a lot—I guess avoidance. And I know I got very snappy with Jason; we fought a lot then."

Pollard thought her sadness was normal. She was laid off from her job; her husband was looking for work; there were medical scares and an alcoholic mother.

Life continued for the Irving schoolteacher, but not until she volunteered to participate in a study on depression did she realize her mood hurt more than just feelings.

"I'm modeling something for him that I don't want him to do," Pollard said. "I tried not to do it in front of him, but kids are very perceptive."

The study looked at 150 mothers and their children. Three months into it, kids whose moms used anti-depressant medication showed an 11 percent decrease in diagnoses of depression.

That compares to an eight percent increase in depression of children whose mothers were not in remission.

"It's likely the mother is more communicative, is more interested, more involved, more able to take care of the children," explained UT Southwestern researcher Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, who co-authored the study.

A year later, Julie and Jason are on anti-depressants, and a mother's dream for her son is coming true.

"I want him to be happy, number one," said Julie Pollard. "I grew up saying I just want a happy family, a stable family."

[beachbum_al]

Yes, I can believe and agree with that. As a mom who deals with depression if I am not medicated it shows and my kids act off of the mood I am in. Plus it concerns them when mom is not feeling herself. And yes they know. They might not say but they act off of it.

[SouthFloridawx]

Mom my dealt with depression when I was a kid and non of us were happy if she wasn't happy. In fact we started getting depressed also.