Is a child’s depression tied to his mother’s depression? In her book, The Ghost in the House: Mothers, Children and Depression, by Tracy Thompson, the author draws from personal experience and many interviews to answer the question whether, and to what extent a child’s depression is influenced or caused by his mother’s depression.
A lively, and well-written excerpt is available at paintedblack.wordpress.com offering hope that a mother can parent through depression. It also inherently acknowledges that a mother’s depression does affect her child’s risk of developing depression. The younger the child at the time the mother experiences depression and the longer its duration, the greater the risk for the child. But it is not a hopeless situation.
I felt this article brought some sunshine to an otherwise bleak subject and brought the book to life in such a way that readers could be assured it would be worth the purchase price.
~~ Danni, NHO moderator
Thanks, Danni, the book made a lot of sense to me, so the more mothers living with depression who read it, the better!