Finding Help for Childhood Depression
If using Depression Coach by yourself does not provide enough improvement, speak with your pediatrician or therapist to find more help. The treatment for depression should consist of the following steps:
- Psychotherapy. Behavioral activation is a treatment that helps children and their families increase the positive experiences in a child’s life to gradually improve their mood.
- Medication management. Medication management should be considered when a child is struggling to remain safe or is consistently unable to meaningfully engage in daily expectations. Additionally, medication can be a second line treatment if a child meets criteria for less impairing elements of major depression and has not responded to psychotherapy.
In addition to your family doctor or current therapist, here are some other resources for finding help.
Treatment Options:
1. Brief therapy and assessment within primary care. Brief therapy and further evaluation is available within Primary Care through Integrated Behavior Health (IBH).
2. Care Coordination (IBH PEDS: formally EMERALD). Adolescents age 12 to 17 (18 if still in high school) that receive primary care through Mayo Clinic Rochester or Kasson may be able to receive care coordination through the IBH PEDS program, if appropriate for their level of symptoms. Interested families should talk with their primary care provider at Mayo Clinic Rochester or Kasson.
3. Specialty Care. Families interested in having a specialty evaluation for mood disorders can be seen in the Pediatric Mood Clinic. Interested families should talk with their primary care provider or call (507) 266-5100 directly to schedule an appointment.
4. External Resources. General mental health resources are available outside of Mayo Clinic. List of providers are organized by region. As individual providers’ practices change between updates, the current lists may contain outdated information.
• Providers in the Rochester area can be found here.
• Providers in the Austin, Albert Lea, Owatonna area can be found here.
5. Professional Organizations. The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy has a website with information to families find information on mental health and treatment. This website can help families search for a therapist in their home area and self-help books.