Metro
Saving Children
Experts at JWF seminar tell how
to detect childhood depression.
RONELLE GRIER
Special to the Jewish News
A
ll children experience mood
swings, but when should par-
ents become concerned? How
do you tell the difference between nor-
mal adolescent angst and actual depres-
sion? When should parents seek profes-
sional help? What about medication?
These issues and more were tackled
by professionals at a Jan. 21 seminar
sponsored by the Jewish Women's
Foundation (JWF) of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit at
the Henry Ford Medical Center in
West Bloomfield.
About 65 women attended the semi-
nar, titled "Understanding Your Child's
Behavior: From Moodiness to
Depression."
Dr. C. Edward Coffey, chair of psy-
chiatry and vice president of Behavioral
Health Services for the Henry Ford
Health System, moderated the program
that featured three Ford professionals.
Dr. Cathy Frank, director of outpa-
tient services, psychiatric education and
forensic psychiatry departments for
Henry Ford Health System, surprised
the audience with these statistics:
• 21 percent of children ages 9-17
have been diagnosed with some type of
mental illness.
• 1 in 10 of these children have
symptoms that are severe enough
to impair them socially and/or
academically.
• Only 1 out of 5 receive treatment.
There are three criteria for determin-
ing when to seek professional help, she
said. They are when the child's symp-
toms are severe, persistent and affect
daily functioning at school, with
friends or within the family.
Some symptoms to watch for are a
drop in grades or change in school
performance, excessive worry or anxi-
ety, persistent nightmares, change in
eating or sleeping habits, extreme
moodiness and, in teenagers, drug or
alcohol abuse and inappropriate sexual
behavior.
"All children experience negative
thoughts, feelings and reactions," said
Dr. Wiley C. Rasbury, "but if the fre-
quency, duration and intensity of these
reactions increase, if kids don't snap
back easily from minor disappoint-
ments, then professional help might
be needed."
Dr. Rasbury said a case of "the blahs"
*When To Seek Help
Parents should seek professional help
if one or more of these symptoms
are severe, persistent or impair aca-
demic and-or social functioning on
a daily basis.
• Frequent sadness, crying
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Increased irritability, anger or
hostility
• Difficulty with relationships,
loss of friends
• Low energy, loss of interest in
things previously enjoyed
• Numerous complaints about
physical symptoms such as
headaches or stomachaches
• Major changes in eating or
sleeping habits
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2005
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• Drop in grades or school
performance
• Thoughts or expressions of
suicide or other
self-destructive behavior
• Recurring nightmares
• Excessive worry or anxiety
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Sexual acting out
• Threats or efforts to run away
.
The Washington, D.C.-based
American. Academy of Child &
Adolescent Psychiatry has a Web site
with information dedicated to
helping families understand develop-
mental, behavioral, emotional and
mental disorders affecting children
and adolescents: ww-w.aacap.org or
call (202) 966-7300.
Drs. C. Edward Coffey, Olu Osoba, Wiley Rasbury and Cathy Frank, all of Henry
Ford Behavioral Health Services, with Francee Ford, Jewish Women's Foundation
event chair, and Beverly Liss, JWF president.
could be a sign of depression, as can
persistent anger and irritability.
"Often kids who act out are diag-
nosed as being oppositional, when
often they're depressed," he said. "A
child's behavior relates to his perception
of himself, other people and the world
in general."
Parents Have Great Impact
Dr. Rasbury emphasized that parents
aren't automatically the cause of their
children's problems, but that they can
be very powerful agents for change.
Childhood depression can have a
genetic basis; it can also be brought
on by other factors such as major
stress or trauma.
"How we help our children handle
trauma and stress is important; our
overall behavior as parents has a great
impact," he continued.
"Keep in mind that children general-
ly will do as well as they can. They are
not out to get you, even though it may
seem that way at times."
He added that it is important that
children who have a lot of difficulty
with school have other activities in
their lives that can make them feel suc-
cessful.
"Parents who are concerned should
talk first to the child, then to his
teachers and the family pediatrician,"
he said.
"Expert help is available if you need
it. Knowing how your child thinks,
feels and believes is the key to under-
standing.
"Medication can be helpful, but it
shouldn't be the sole source of treat-
ment, it doesn't teach us to think or
develop better coping skills," he added.
According to Dr. Olu Osoba, once
there is a diagnosis of depression,
treatment options include therapy —
particularly cognitive behavioral thera-
py — medication, or a combination of
the two.
"Sometimes if there are no real risk
factors, we take no initial action other
than monitoring the child," he said.
If therapy is recommended, Dr.
Osoba advised parents to ask questions,
such as what type of therapy will be
used, how long it will last and what
results the family can expect.
Addressing the recent publicity fol-
lowing the FDA warning that antide-
pressants could increase the risk of
suicide for teenagers, Dr. Osoba said
that untreated depression carries a
higher risk of suicide than the use of
medication.
"The potential benefit must be
greater than the potential risk," he said,
"but medication should be used very
carefully with children because they
can't always describe their symptoms if
they have an adverse reaction."
He added that side effects are gener-
ally fewer and milder in children
because they tend to break down drugs
faster than adults do, due to healthier
kidneys and livers.
The audience left with a folder of
handouts and a lot of food for thought.
"I have three teenagers; and I
thought I'd been exposed to this topic
before, but this went several steps fur-
ther," said Ann Mandelbaum-Mann of
Franklin. "It was a great program."
"This was much more comprehensive
than any program I've ever attended;
there was a lot of valuable information
for parents of young children," said
Florence Binder of Beverly Hills, a
retired teacher.
Francee Ford, a JWF trustee,
chaired the program. JWF chair
Beverly Liss introduced the speakers.
The JWF was established in 1999 by
Federation as a grant-making and
educational organization dedicated to
expanding opportunities for Jewish
women and girls. Its goal is to
empower women as philanthropists,
decision-makers and leaders.