Coping with an Anxious or Depressed Child: A Guide for Parents and Carers (Coping with (Oneworld))

177 Pages·2007·0.66 MB·English

by  Sam Cartwright-Hatton

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COPING WITH AN ANXIOUS OR
DEPRESSED CHILD
‘If you are a parent of an anxious child, or you work with anxious
children, then this book will answer all your questions.’
Dr Charlotte Wilson, University ofEast Anglia
‘At a time when access to child mental health services is difficult,
and the pressures on clinicians’ time are higher than ever, this book
will be greatly appreciated both by parents looking for information
and practical advice, as well as by child and adolescent mental
health clinicians looking for a useful resource to recommend to
families.’
Dr James Murray, Research Tutor in Psychology,
University of Surrey
‘Provides parents with many practical ideas about how to cope with
an anxious or depressed child.’
Paul Stallard, Professor of Child & Family Mental Health,
University ofBath
prelims.084 28/11/2006 12:52 PM Page ii
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE COPING WITHSERIES
Series Editor: Steven Jones, University of Manchester
Coping with Bipolar Disorder:
A Guide to Living with Manic Depression
Steven Jones, Peter Hayward and Dominic Lam
ISBN 1–85168–299–6
Coping with Schizophrenia:
A Guide for Patients, Families and Caregivers
Steven Jones and Peter Hayward
ISBN 1–85168–344–5
FORTHCOMING
Coping with Fears and Phobias:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Facing your Anxieties
Warren Mansell
ISBN 1–85168–514–6
Coping with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
A Guide for Patients and their Families
Jan van Niekerk
ISBN 1–85168–515–4
TO ORDER TITLES
All the titles in this series are available direct from the publisher.
Please visit www.oneworld-publications.com to order books online.
prelims.084 28/11/2006 12:52 PM Page iii
Coping with an
Anxious or Depressed Child
A guide for parents and carers
Sam Cartwright-Hatton
prelims.084 28/11/2006 12:52 PM Page iv
COPING WITH AN ANXIOUS OR DEPRESSED CHILD
Published by Oneworld Publications 2007
Copyright © Sam Cartwright-Hatton 2007
All rights reserved
Copyright under Berne Convention
A CIP record for this title is available
from the British Library
ISBN-13: 978–1–85168–482–3
ISBN-10: 1–85168–482–4
Typeset by Jayvee, Trivandrum, India
Cover design by Mungo Designs
Printed and bound by TJ International Ltd., Padstow, Cornwall
Oneworld Publications
185 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AR
England
www.oneworld-publications.com
NL08
Learn more about Oneworld.Join our mailing list to
find out about our latest titles and special offers at:
www.oneworld-publications.com/newsletter.htm
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Contents
Series Foreword ix
1 Is this book for you? 1
Who is this book for? 1
What are anxiety and depression? 1
What this book covers 5
SECTION ONE
2 Are anxiety and depression common in
childhood, and will they grow out of it? 11
How common are anxiety and depression in childhood? 11
Will they grow out ofit? 12
Are anxiety and depression harmful for my child? 12
What is the outlook for my child? 13
3 What causes anxiety and depression in
children and adolescents? 17
Genetics and personality 17
Learning 19
Whose fault is it that my child is like this? 22
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vi Coping with an Anxious or Depressed Child
4 Psychological treatments for anxious and
depressed children 25
Information on different professionals you may
come across 25
How to get help 28
What sort oftreatment will my child be offered? 32
5 Medications for anxious and depressed children 39
Drugs just for anxiety 40
Drugs that work for both depression and anxiety 41
What are the circumstances in which doctors can
prescribe medication for my child? 43
What are the side effects ofthese medications? 44
What should I do when my child wants to come off
medication? 44
Other things to note about medication 45
A note on herbal remedies 45
SECTION TWO
6 A few basics that can make all the difference 49
Diet 49
Sleep 51
Routines 53
Exercise 54
‘Pleasure and Mastery’ 55
7 A stable, safe, predictable(ish) home life 59
The Seven Confident Thoughts 59
Step One – Special Time 60
Step Two – Happy Family Times 62
Step Three – Communicating well within your family 63
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Contents vii
8 Boosting your child’s self-esteem
and confidence 69
Play to your child’s strengths 70
Push them to try new things 72
Making sure your child gets a confidence boost
every week 73
9 On their best behaviour: getting your kids to
do what you want without tears and tantrums 75
Part One:Getting more good behaviour 75
Praise 78
Rewards and bribes 80
The magic ofstar charts 86
10 On their best behaviour: getting your kids
to do what you want without tears and
tantrums 95
Part Two:Getting less bad behaviour and less
anxious behaviour 95
Ignoring 96
Dealing with dangerous and destructive behaviours:
Time Out 101
Dealing with non-compliances:Consequences 105
11 Dealing with fears and worries 111
Fears 112
Worries 119
12 Facing facts 133
Your own state ofmind 133
Marital discord 137
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viii Coping with an Anxious or Depressed Child
13 What schools and teachers can do to help 139
How to get school on your side 140
Who do I talk to? 140
What do I tell them? 140
What about bullying? 147
Who to talk to ifschool are unhelpful 148
A final note – how can you help school to help
your child? 150
14 Rounding up 153
Appendix 155
Index 161
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Series Foreword
This series is intended to provide clear,accessible,and practical
information to individuals with a wide range of psychological
disorders, as well as to their friends, relatives, and interested
professionals.As the causes of emotional distress can be com-
plex, books in this series are not designed purely to detail
self-treatment information. Instead, each volume sets out to
offer guidance on the relevant, evidence-based psychological
approaches that are available for the particular condition under
discussion. Where appropriate, suggestions are also given on
how to apply particular aspects ofthose techniques that can be
incorporated into self-help approaches. Equally important,
readers are offered information on which forms oftherapy are
likely to be beneficial, enabling sufferers to make informed
decisions about treatment options with their referring
clinician.
Each book also considers aspects of the disorder that are
likely to be relevant to each individual’s experience ofreceiving
treatment, including the therapeutic approaches of medical
professionals,the nature ofdiagnosis,and the myths that might
surround a particular disorder. General issues that can also