Please Don't Cry, Mom

This is an illustrated book, written for elementary school aged children. However, its description of recurrent major depression is so good that the book would be valuable for adolescents and some adults. It is realistic, but ultimately comforting. The story describes a boy's feelings about his mother's depression and her resistance to treatment. Although her depression is affecting the whole family, her husband is reluctant to pressure her into seeking help. Eventually she suggests that she would be better off dead. At that point, her hsuband her husband insists that she must see her psychiatrist Once she accepts treatment, she gradually begins to improve. I like the fact that the mother's improvement is gradual, not a dramatic, overnight awakening. Even after she gets back into treatment, the illustrations suggest some residual depression. However, by the end of the book, she is smiling and beginning to return to her creative photography work. The book describes the importance of family participation in the mother's treatment. The boy attends some of his mother's sessions and is able to ask questions about her illness. The whole process of treatment is much more mysterious for children if they never get to see the psychiatrist and the inside of the office. The parents explain why it is important that his mother take her medication regularly. He is reassued that the depression is not his fault. Ultimately, the boy is able to gain knowledge and a sense of mastery. Since I treat both children and adults, I often see how deeply a parent's depression affects the children. I used to recommend this book a lot, but had stopped doing so because I thought it was out of print. Now that I have found it again, I will be telling people about it.