Depression and Parenting: What You Need To Know

June 20, 2017 - Mental Health - 0 Comments

No one chooses a life of depression. It is a mental disorder that needs to be managed before it affects your family life. Most people who suffer from depression don’t take action to heal, but little do they know that their mental condition might be affecting their family’s quality of life and influences their children.

Parenting is a difficult job requiring you to balance your children’s needs amongst your personal needs and the myriad of issues facing you. It requires you to devote a lot of time managing your schedule, your resources, and the support your child needs.

For people with a mental illness such as depression, these tasks can seem enormous requiring huge amounts of energy and can be amplified by your child’s demands. Most of the time, your family life is compromised because of the chronic symptoms you feel affecting your day-to-day living.

Growing Up with Depressive Parents

Depression treatment is what you need if you want to raise your children to their full potential. Children who grew up with depressive parents have a greater risk of developing the same condition in their later years. It can lead to other problems such as addiction, risky behaviors, and antisocial activities.

Depression among the family becomes a vicious cycle disrupting the way both parents and children live their lives. Studies have also shown that parents who have chronic depression often find it hard to bond with their infants and develop motivation for parenthood.

Children who grew up with a depressive parent are unhappier and tend to isolate themselves from other children. They are more demanding, difficult to comfort, can be passive, and difficult to feed or put to sleep. The problem can also manifest itself later in life as they have higher tendencies to develop drug and alcohol addiction in order to manage the symptoms of depression.

Why Seeking Treatment is Important

Depression treatment is the most powerful way to stop the vicious cycle from running in your family. It will enable you to act solidly to improve your children’s lives and contribute to their mental and emotional stability.

Children are still developing psychologically,

and depression in parents can make them feel lonely, become confused and blame themselves. As every child needs to feel loved and seeks the attention of their parents, it’s important to recognize

the impact depression in parents can have on their development. Seeking treatment for depression is not just addressing the way you feel and how you perceive things, but also more on how you are able to function as a good parent towards your children.

Ultimately, being a parent is not just about you and how you feel, but also encompasses how your children will grow up to be adults and how your depression can have an impact on their future lives. Seeking treatment is the only solution to thwart those negative thoughts and emotions so you can become the parent you want to be.

His and Her Houses offers industry leading Mental Health treatment programs. We were founded in 1994 and we base our programs on five key principles: commitment, honesty, integrity, respect, and service. These five principles guide us in all that we do and all the care we provide. Contact us today to see how we can help you or your love one at (888) 376-7268.