Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder book cover

Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Author(s): Mary A. Fristad (Author), Jill S. Goldberg-Arnold (Author)

Publisher: Guilford Publications
Publication Date: 1 Nov. 2003
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 260 pages
ISBN-10: 1572308710
ISBN-13: 9781572308718

Book Description

Every day can be an ordeal for families struggling with the difficult, moody, ""impossible"" behavior that may point to childhood depression or bipolar disorder. Effective help for kids does exist, but it often requires a customized combination of medication, therapy, coping skills, and support. From esteemed clinician and researcher Dr. Mary Fristad and fellow treatment expert Dr. Jill Goldberg Arnold, this indispensable book explains how treatment works and what additional steps parents can take at home to help children with mood disorders--and the family as a whole--improve the quality of their lives. Explained are why symptoms look so different (and can be so much harder to manage) in children and teens than in adults, how to find the right doctor or therapist, and how to help kids develop their own ""coping toolkits."" Bursting with practical tools, FAQs, and examples, the book covers everything from dealing with medical crises to resolving school problems, sibling conflicts, and marital stress.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent book that provides parents with thoughtful guidance on how best to navigate this difficult terrain....Few resources present the problem and the solutions as clearly and sensitively....The authors present a 'tool kit' which includes a variety of useful coping strategies and activities....The authors use thoughtful vignettes of when and how to use these strategies with children of different ages and in different situations....Although the book is written for parents, mental health professionals will find the information in this book useful, too, particularly those not experienced in the treatment of childhood mood disorders. The authors have written a book of uncommon wisdom for the real heroes in this difficult journey--the parents who love and care for their moody child."-- "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Book Reviews" (11/1/2003 12:00:00 AM)

"Bipolar illness and depression can derail a child's normal development at any age. With sage advice to parents (and kids) that 'it's not your fault, but it's your challenge, ' the authors provide a roadmap and a toolkit of strategies for families facing these complicated, heritable, and treatable medical disorders. Highly recommended."--Martha Hellander, Executive Director, Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation

"As the mother of two children who have been diagnosed with mood disorders, I found this book invaluable. It is extremely thorough and readable; provides solid, current information; and covers every aspect of life that is affected by these disorders. In short, the book helps families navigate murky and formidable waters. It is a great plus to have such a resource available."--Edna Wright, Bexley, OH

"This is an extremely reassuring and eminently practical book that educates and empowers parents of children with bipolar disorder. Not only does it demystify situations that so often paralyze parents, it moves them to a place where they can become much more effective in helping their ill children as well as their family as a whole."--Demitri F. Papolos, MD, and Janice Papolos, authors of The Bipolar Child

"Until we have a 'cure' for mood disorders, young people, their families, and educators will need informed and sensible ways of understanding and managing them. Raising a Moody Child provides state-of-the-art information interwoven with strategies the authors have developed over the years to mitigate the challenges as well as celebrate the strengths posed by 'moody' young people."--Gabrielle A. Carlson, MD, Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stony Brook University

About the Author

Mary A. Fristad, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Ohio State University, where she is also Director of Research and Psychological Services in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. A distinguished researcher and clinician, she has published over 100 professional articles, chapters, and books on childhood mood disorders.

Jill S. Goldberg Arnold, PhD, is a researcher and seasoned clinician with multiple publications in the area of childhood mood disorders. Previously, she was a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University. She currently maintains a private practice in the greater Philadelphia area.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Raising a Moody Child

Name: Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder
Author: Mary A. Fristad (Author), Jill S. Goldberg-Arnold (Author)
ISBN: 9781572308718

How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder

By Mary A. Fristad, Jill S. Goldberg Arnold

The Guilford Press

Cover,
Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Dedication,
Preface,
Part I UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD'S PROBLEMS,
1. Difficult, Temperamental, Impossible: The Challenge of Raising a Moody Child,
2. What's Wrong with My Child?,
3. Why My Child?,
4. The First Step in Getting Good Treatment Is Getting a Good Evaluation,
Part II TREATMENT,
5. Getting the Big Picture,
6. What Do Medications Offer?,
7. What Should I Expect from Therapy?,
Part III HELPING YOUR CHILD COPE,
8. Ten Principles for Managing a Mood Disorder,
9. Coping Skills for Moody Children,
10. Mood Disorders in the School Setting: What You Need to Know to Help Your Child Cope,
11. Crisis Management,
Part IV HELPING YOUR FAMILY LIVE WITH A MOOD DISORDER,
12. How Mood Disorders Affect Family Life,
13. How Can You Help Siblings?,
14. How to Take Care of Yourself,
Resources,
References,
Index,
About the Authors,
About Guilford Publications,
Discover More Guilford Titles,

CHAPTER 1

Difficult, Temperamental, Impossible

THE CHALLENGE OF RAISING A MOODY CHILD

Kevin is ten. Although the past ten years have been mostly happy and uneventful, his parents say Kevin has always had a hard time handling disappointments and unexpected events. They've learned to warn him about schedule changes to avoid brief, but sometimes explosive, tantrums. The entire family has gotten used to tiptoeing around Kevin whenever things don't go his way.

Academic success has usually come easily to Kevin, although he has always worried a lot about doing well. Kevin tends to be a worrier in general. His parents have learned to keep the television off during the early evening news so that Keving won't worry about things he hears on the broadcast and have trouble falling asleep. He has lots of good friends at school, in the neighborhood, and on his sports teams.

Starting a couple of months ago, Kevin's parents, Bob and Cindy, noticed that their strategies for helping Kevin cope with changes and disappointments (such as giving him advance warning and providing lots of time and space) have not been enough. He cries easily at the slightest disappointment and has been having more frequent and longer tantrums in response to things not going his way. Although he typically enjoys playing games and spending time with the family, lately they have needed to coax him out of his room during the evenings to join the family in watching a movie or playing a favorite game. He has been complaining about stomachaches almost daily. His teacher sent a note home because she was worried about him; her previously eager and efficient student had not been finishing his work. Kevin's parents have tried asking him what's wrong—whether he feels sick, or whether something happened at school or with one of his friends—but he just grunts and seems to be irritated by the questions.

Over the past couple of weeks, Kevin has gone from staying by himself in his room and mumbling sullenly to snapping at everyone, from Mom and Dad to his eight-year-old sister, Abby, and even his beloved dog, Max, who has slept with Kevin since Max was a puppy. One morning when Max jumped up on Kevin to greet him, Cindy was shocked when Kevin pushed Max away and cursed at him.

Kevin has also begun isolating himself on weekends, reluctant to go to baseball practices and games that formerly he had considered the best parts of his week. He also started turning down invitations to play with his friends. Kevin has started worrying so much about doing well at school that he recently begged his mother to let him stay home—he was convinced that he would fail his social studies quiz if he went to school that day.

Bob and Cindy feel paralyzed. For the last couple of months they have tried everything they could think of, from reading the latest self-help books and magazine articles to doing Internet searches, taking a parenting course through their church, and comparing notes with relatives and friends who have kids. Nothing has helped. In fact, things just seem to be getting worse. Bob was distraught when Abby began complaining that her parents favored her big brother over her. Cindy secretly worries that the family tension will cause her husband, who has not touched alcohol in five years, to begin drinking again—a problem that she does not want to recur.

Kevin's parents have always thought of Kevin as "moody," but they're starting to realize that this seemingly benign term that everyone seems to use does not fully capture what they and their son are experiencing. What could they have done to make Kevin so unhappy? What's really wrong with Kevin?

Feeling at the end of her rope, Cindy made an appointment with Kevin's pediatrician, who ruled out medical problems and referred them to a psychologist. The psychologist did a thorough evaluation and diagnosed Kevin with depression. Knowing what was really wrong was a considerable relief for Bob, Cindy, and even Kevin. Kevin wasn't just "moody," and his parents were neither incompetent nor cruel. Like hundreds of thousands of other American children today, Kevin is depressed. Now he is taking Zoloft, an antidepressant, and attending a combination of individual and family therapy focused on helping Kevin and his parents understand depression, how to manage its symptoms, and how to work together to combat the illness. Things are starting to get better.

Kevin has depression, a mental illness. Reading this book will help you get comfortable with the term mental illness and recognize that mood disorders are treatable illnesses. The more comfortable you are with using this and other technical words we introduce in this book, the more you will be able to conquer stigma and to be the best advocate possible for your child.

But what are mood disorders? When we refer to mood disorders, we are talking about two sets of related illnesses: depressive disorders and bipolar disorders. Depressive disorders involve a sad or irritable mood that may last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several years. Bipolar disorders involve alternations between depression and mania, an extremely high mood that can be angry or euphoric. Switches between mania and depression can occur infrequently (e.g., one manic episode during a two-year period) or extremely frequently (e.g., multiple cycles from manic to depressed during a single day). We describe the different depressive and bipolar illnesses in detail in Chapter 2.

Treatment for mood disorders is not, unfortunately, always as straightforward as in Kevin's case. Mood disorders in children are complicated problems. They are not easy to diagnose, in part because the symptoms that children display can look so different from those of adults with mood disorders. For example, children with depression are more often cranky and irritable, whereas adults tend to be melancholy or sad. Adults with bipolar disorder more often experience discrete periods of mania lasting for two to three weeks, followed by a period of depression that might last for several months, whereas children more frequently cycle several times each day between rage, euphoria, and desperate sadness. In addition, in many cases, it can be very difficult to make a diagnosis...

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Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder