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One of the cornerstones of helping a depressed child is unconditional love and support from their parents and family members. Remind your child that you are there to talk and help them in any way you can, even if what they say is unpleasant.  Keep in mind that it is important to reinforce your statements about love and support by repeating them to your child often. Even if your child doesn’t believe them, saying them is important. Remind yourself that your child’s inactivity or inability to engage is not because of laziness, but a disease. This can help you be more understanding and supportive of their problems. Avoid telling your child to “snap out of it” at any time. No person would ever choose to be depressed and your child would likely “snap out of it” if they could. Teachers and other educational professionals are there to promote your child’s welfare. Keeping educational professionals in the loop about what your child is experiencing can ensure that they give your child a little extra love and support, too. Remember that educational professionals are also required to keep the information about your child’s depression confidential, so your child shouldn’t have to worry about other students or parents finding out.  Let teachers, administrators, and schools nurses know about any problems at school that contribute to your child’s depression. Also let them know about any medication your child takes and side effects it may cause. Ask teachers to consider giving your child less homework or being more understanding if your child doesn’t finish their homework because of the depression. Regular activity can increase the levels of serotonin in the brain. This can help relieve the symptoms of depression and help your child relax. Encourage your child to do some type of activity every day or incorporate it into the family routine, which can also help to boost your child’s mood.  Allow your child to do any physical or creative activities they enjoy. This could be going for walks, biking, swimming, or even jumping on a small trampoline. Creative activities such as painting or dancing can have similar anti-depressant effects. Tell your child you want to try yoga, tai chi, or qigong together. Some doctors and patients with depression have found these types of relaxing exercises particularly effective against the symptoms of the condition. Poor nutrition can exacerbate depression. Making sure that your child is getting three nutritious meals and two snacks every day can promote their overall well-being and help with the symptoms of depression.  Focus on giving your child a variety of foods from the five food groups of fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, and whole grains. In addition, choose foods with mood-enhancing folic acid such as asparagus. Foods like avocados are high in Vitamin B and can help relieve any stress that is contributing to your child’s depression.  Consider cooking meals together with your child, which gives you some special one-on-one time. Children who are depressed are more likely to use alcohol and drugs. Talk to your child openly about this and give them the support to stop using. You can also help by making sure that any alcohol or drugs you have in your home are locked up. Explain to your child that alcohol and drugs may make them feel better quickly, but will make the depression worse in the long run. Stress because of schoolwork, social situations, or chores can contribute significantly to a child’s depression. Reducing your child’s exposure to things that cause  stress may help relieve symptoms.  Talk to teachers and others at school about reducing homework to help your child cope. Ask if switching classes is possible because of factors such as bullying. Be sure to make similar stress reduction changes at home, too. Give your child fewer or easier chores or help them break them up into manageable parts.  Praise your child for doing things well or even just trying. This can do wonders in helping a child feel less stress. Every person needs enough rest to maintain their physical and mental health. This is especially true for children with depression. Make it a priority that your child gets nine to 11 hours of sleep every night, which may help reduce the symptoms of depression. Let your child take short naps of only 20 to 30 minutes, which can help them feel better.
Offer your child unconditional support. Inform your child’s school. Encourage daily activity or exercise. Feed your child healthy meals. Ensure your child isn’t using alcohol or drugs. Reduce your child’s stress. Promote healthy sleep patterns.