Treating Depressed Moms Helps Kids’ Depression March 15, 2011 -- Children who live with depressed moms are at high risk for depression, but successful treatment of the mother greatly improves the prospects for her child, a study shows.

The study followed 80 depressed mothers and their children over time. It showed that depression symptoms, behavioral problems, and other signs of distress among children tended to correspond with the mothers’ response to treatment.

The women and children were participants in a large trial conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) designed to assess the impact of trying different treatment approaches when initial treatments fail.

“Treatment of depression is trial and error, but many patients give up very early and decide they can’t be helped,” Columbia University professor of epidemiology and psychiatry Myrna M. Weissman, PhD, tells WebMD. “This study showed that improvement is possible even after several unsuccessful tries, and that successful treatment of the parent has a long-lasting impact on the child.”

The study did not included fathers, but Weissman says the findings can probably be extrapolated to depressed dads.

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