Children whose mothers are depressed are more likely to suffer from anxiety, mental-health problems and disruptive behavior than those whose moms aren't. And if the mothers don't get better, these kids' problems often become worse, new research shows.
Conversely, however, children whose mothers are successfully treated for their depressive symptoms show significant improvements themselves without any additional intervention or treatment of their own.
The study, available online today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first, large-scale examination of the effects on kids when their mothers are treated for depression and scientifically monitored for a period of time. UT Southwestern Medical Center was one of several national sites participating in the study, which emphasizes the importance of evaluation and treatment of parental depression in an effort to help children and adolescents.
"The bottom line message is: 'Mothers who are depressed, go get treated for your depression. It will help not only you, but your child,'" said study co-author Dr. A. John Rush, vice chairman of clinical sciences and professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern.
About one in 20 teens suffers from moderately severe to severe depression; it is one of the most common disorders of adolescence, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This means that in a high school population of 2,000 teenagers, 100 are likely to have a significant major depressive episode on any given day.
"Depression should not be taken lightly," said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, study co-author and professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern. "For kids' sakes particularly, we should be very aggressive in treating patients, particularly mothers. The more improved care we can provide to depressed mothers, the more benefit to their children."
Part of the largest national clinical trial on treatment for depression, called STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression) coordinated by UT Southwestern and funded by the NIMH the mother-child study included more than 150 pairs of mothers and their children, who varied in age from 7 to 17. The mothers were treated for depression in eight primary-care and 11 psychiatric outpatient clinics across the country as part of the $35 million six-year STAR*D study.
Dr. Rush said mothers were studied rather than fathers because the rate of depression is higher in women than men, particularly in women of childbearing ages. Mothers are also more likely than fathers to bring their children in for assessments.
Children participating in STAR*D-Child were evaluated for depression at the beginning of the study and then reassessed after their mothers had been on antidepressant medications for three months. Many came into the study with significant problems more than one-third had current psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression and/or other disruptive behavior disorders. Almost half had a previous psychiatric disorder.