14 DAY TRIAL // A new study showed that treating mothers for depression can help their children as well, reducing the risk of developing psychiatric disorders themselves. Consequently, if the mother's depression continues, the risk of such problems for her children increases as well.
Study author Myrna Weissman, a professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University, asserted: "If you have a depression mother, you ought to do everything you can to get her better, because there's a double effect. While depression may be a genetic disorder, it has a strong environmental component. And, for a child, a parent's illness is a very strong environmental effect. You want to reduce that effect so that you can have a beneficial effect on the child."
A sick mother can cause stress for the entire family, often leading children to develop some mental problems. After looking at 151 mothers treated across the U.S. and one child in their families between 2001 and 2004, scientists found that about 30% of the children of mothers who were successfully treated with medication had their problems disappear. Within 3 months of the mother's treatment, an 11% decrease in children's diagnoses and symptoms was noted.
Regarding the mothers who did not have their problems treated, their children's problems increased. Previous studies have shown that the parents' depression can lead to a feeling of anxiety or depression in their children.
Yet, this is "the first study to document prospectively the relationship between mother's getting better and the child's state," Weissman said. "We always knew that the environment has a very strong effect on the onset of depression. With children particularly, if you can delay the onset for as long as possible or even prevent it, you can do a great service to a child."