Depression: Resources for and about teens

A guide from Families for Depression Awareness

Brochures, books, web sites, videos, conferences and organizations that can help teens and parents of teens with depressive disorders

Books

Depression Wellness Guides (one for teens with depression, one for parents of teens and children with depression). Families for Depression Awareness, www.familyaware.org.

Bipolar Disorder and Depression, by Susan Gold and Linda Zamvil. For pre-teens and teens, four young people describe their struggles with bipolar disorder and depression.

Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won… and How You Can, Too, by Cait Irwin. One teenager tells her inspiring story through vivid words and images.

The Bipolar Child, by Demitri F. Papolos MD and Janice Papolos
For any caregiver experiencing life with a bipolar child, Demitri and Janice Papolos's book will be an indispensable reference guide.

Depression Is the Pits, but I’m Getting Better: A Guide for Adolescents, by E. Jane Garland. Discusses the symptoms and types of depression, how to get help.

Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D, by Lizzie Simon
Simon interviewed six other young successful people with bipolar disorder all between ages 16 and 30 chronicling their stories and asking them for advice on how they cope and deal with parents, coworkers, teachers, and friends.

The Storm in My Brain, by Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (bpkids.org). Easy to understand, colorful booklet that speaks to children about how it feels to have a mood disorder.

The Disappearing Girl : Learning the Language of Teenage Depression, by Lisa Machoian. A former student of esteemed girl expert Carol Gilligan, Harvard researcher Machoian sets out to determine why so many young women seem to emotionally withdraw and to explain how parents and others can help them.

Help Me; I’m Sad, by David Fassler and Lynne Dumas
Discusses how to tell if your child is at risk; how to spot symptoms; depression’s impact on the family; teen suicide; finding the right diagnosis, therapist, and treatment; and what you can do to help.

More Than Moody, by Harold S. Koplewicz, MD
Offers practical advice and guidance to families with children who have depression. Also helps parents distinguish between normal teenage angst and true depression.

Out of the Darkened Room: When a Parent is Depressed: Protecting the Children and Strengthening the Family, by Dr. William Beardslee. Dr. William Beardslee presents his effective program to bolster suffering parents with strong tools for healing; and most importantly, to promote resilience in their children.

Raising a Moody Child, by Mary Fristad and Jill Arnold
This 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.

Videos

Day for Night: Recognizing Teenage Depression, Vanderpool Films
To order: Call (410) 955-5647,www.depressedteens.com

Various videos that you can watch online:
www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Depression/toc_video.asp

Web sites

Families for Depression Awareness
www.familyaware.org
Important tool: Mental Health Family Tree, map out your family history, does depression run in your family, show this to your clinician.

ParentsMedGuide.org
parentsmedguide.org
Helping parents help their kids.

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.aacap.org/, Assisting parents and families in understanding developmental, behavioral, emotional and mental disorders affecting children and adolescents.

TeenScreen Program, Columbia University
www.teenscreen.org/, The Columbia University TeenScreen Program is an adolescent mental health and suicide-screening initiative active in 40 states.

Ulifeline
www.ulifeline.org/, The Jed Foundation's web-based mental health resource providing college students with information, screening, answers to questions and direct access to their respective college's mental health center.

About Our Kids
www.aboutourkids.org/,
The NYU Child Study Center offers science-based, research-driven psychiatric care to children and adolescents with learning, behavior and emotional disorders.

Brochures

Teens Health — Depression: What It Is and What to Do About It.
kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/depression.html

Is It Just a Mood or Something Else? Information on mood disorders for young people,www.dbsalliance.org/bookstore/JustAMood.html.