 Children have lots of questions when someone in
their family becomes ill. When that illness is depression, it often becomes a secret
that nobody talks about. To help children of depressed parents understand their parents'
disorder, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has just published the
first storybook of its kind in Canada, called Can I Catch it Like a Cold? A story
to help children understand a parent's depression.
Research conducted by the CAMH indicated that children have many questions about
their parents' depression. When they do not have answers, children tend to come up
with their own, which can be incorrect and scary. Can I Catch It like a Cold?
explores children's questions through the story of Alex, an 8-year-old boy who
cannot understand why his father cries alone and does not attend Alex's soccer games.
Alex discovers that his father is depressed, and through the help of family, friends,
and mental health professionals, Alex gains a greater understanding of depression
and stops feeling so alone and confused.
The first in a series of storybooks produced by CAMH to explain mental health
to children, Can I Catch It like a Cold is written for children aged 5 to
9 years old. It is intended for use by parents, extended family, teachers and mental
health professionals who want to address the impact of depression in children's lives.
Copies of Can I Catch it Like a Cold? is available from the Centre
for Addiction and Mental Health at 1-800-661-1111 (or 416-595-6059 in Toronto) for
$9.95 each or at local bookstores. Also available from CAMH is a public information
brochure (free in Ontario) that accompanies the storybook, called "When a parent
is depressed: What kids want to know."
Information on addiction and mental health issues can be obtained by calling CAMH's
24-hour Information Line at 1-800-463-6273 or in Toronto at (416) 595-6111.
A Brief Excerpt....
"Hi, my name is Alex and Iím eight.
I used to think my dad was lazy. I got really mad at him all of the time. But then
my mom told me the way he acts is because of depression. Depression is a sickness
in your brain. It changes the way your brain works. When people with depression are
not well, they think and feel and act different from other times. A lot of people
have depression."
Reviews of Can I Catch It Like a Cold?
"[Can I Catch It like a Cold?] provides a good foundation for the
kind of vocabulary that works best in communicating complex ideas to children. The
illustrations are bright and colourful, complementing the story well."
Dr. Barry Dworkin, Ottawa Citizen, May 14, 2002
"What happens with kids when a parent struggles with depression? At the Centre
for Addiction and Mental Health, where they're in the business of helping families
like Alex's, they know kids have a tonne of questions they're too shy to ask. . .
.With that in mind, they've produced this story about Alex to encourage children
ages 5 to 9 to talk."
Helen Henderson, Toronto Star, Saturday, May 18, 2002, p.L4
"Major depression in parents increases the overall risk of offspring for
onset of depressive and other mental disorders and influences patterns of the natural
course of depression in the early stages of manifestation."
Conclusion to a Prospective-Longitudinal Community Study done by
the Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology Unit, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry,
Munich and the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technical University
of Desden, Dresden, Germany. Reported in "Parental Major Depression and the
Risk of Depression and Other Mental Disorders in Offspring,"
Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 59, April 2002, pp. 365 ñ 374.
"Teachers and health professionals will find the book useful in explaining [depression]
to five-to-nine-year-olds."
Debora Dekok, Perth Courier, June 12, 2002
"[Can I Catch It like a Cold?] can be used by parents, families, teachers,
and mental-health professionals who want to address the impact of depression in children's
lives. The book answers key questions such as What is depression? Why does my dad
act the way he does? and What goes on in mom's head when she's not herself? More
specifically, the book addresses, Can you catch depression like a cold?"
"Helping children deal with a parent's depression,"
The Magazine, Issue 40, May 17, 2002
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1-800-661-1111
