Question:
Anybody here on behalf of a depressed child? My child is
almost 6 and she's been depressed and highly anxious for about 3 years
now, and somewhat depressed for the year prior to those 3. Her dad has
abused her several times and we are currently in a custody evaluation to
determine what his visitation should be. She just started imipramine; she's only been on it for 3 days so of
course there's nothing to notice yet. I am posting hoping to find other
parents or relatives or friends of children who are depressed and/or
being treated with an antidepressant, just to compare notes and stuff
like that.
Answer:
The best cure for her depression would be for her not to see her dad again
until he's had a lobotomy and a rodeo-style castration & she is old enough
to be taught to use an uzi correctly; however, that was not your question. Imipramine is generally the ad used for kids because it has the fewest
side effects & is arguably one of the weakest of the tricyclic
antidepressants. myself, i'm no big fan of giving small children
psychotropic drugs before their brain has finished physically growing
because the neurosynaptic pathways are still being laid; on the other
hand, 6 y.o. kids have been attempting and completing suicide more and
more frequently these days. I'd watch her very closely for unusual lethargy, loss of interest in
activities, regression in motor skills, failure to advance in school,
hyperactivity, unusual aggression towards peers, self-destructive behavior
including unusual risk-taking or disregard of danger, and anything that
seems off-kilter to you as her mother. if any of those things occur, get
her off the meds immediately; don't let her dr. try & convince you it's
just acting out due to the abuse. if she is self-aware enough to be able to conceive of suicide as a means
of ending her emotional pain, she'll be able to act out that pain in very
specific ways. sudden behavior changes are going to be due to the
medication. I assume she's seeing a therapist with all this
