Children whose mothers suffer from depression show improvement in their own psychological symptoms when the mother’s symptoms improve, reports a new study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health worked with 80 mothers as part of the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression – or STAR*D. Since children of depressed mothers are at a higher risk of psychiatric problems, their children between the ages of seven and 17 were also looked at as part of the study.
The children whose mothers underwent early remission had a decrease in symptoms of psychiatric disorders, and their overall functioning improved both at home and at school. Those children whose mothers had a late remission showed some improvement in symptoms but not in functioning. Children whose mothers did not go into remission showed no improvements in either symptoms or functioning, and began showing more outward symptoms, such as disruptive behavior.
"STAR*D was designed to offer a sequence of treatments to patients who didn’t respond to the first, or second, or even third treatment," explained Dr. Myrna Weissman, lead author of the study. "This study shows that remission, even after several months of treatment, can have major positive effects not only for the patient but also for her children."