 Individual School Counseling for Suspected DepressionNine year old, Mary Costa (not real name) was referred toindividual school counseling for suspected depression by her third grade teacher with her mother's permission. Mary's sweet smile and well-kempt appearance belied the rage and depression lurking beneath her exterior. During individual school counseling, Mary's mother said that each time Mary returned from a visit with her father (They were divorced), she would sooner or later go into rages where she would beat up her younger brother, refuse to obey her mother, and fight with her peers at school. This had been going on for over two years. Worse yet was the fact that Mary told her mother she wanted to die. Moreover, Mary refused to do her home work. Mary's mother divorced her father because he used drugs. She suspected he still did and wondered what Mary might be exposed to while visiting her father. Mary's father claimed he'd stopped using drugs. Mary refused to talk about her father with both her mother and during individual school counseling. Secrecy, such as this, at times, could prove a hindrance to future therapeutic success. Hence, I organized for a mental health worker to determine if it was safe for Mary to visit her father. The mental health worker visited the father's home the following week, only to find that he'd skipped town without paying his rent. In individual school counseling, during the following year, Mary reported she'd heard nothing from her father. This only added to her depression, and decreased the possibility of a positive result. Although during individual school therapy, Mary proved sweet, cooperative, and easy to work with, her sadness remained unabated. This lack of improvement was verified with continued misbehavior at home and at school. Moreover, psychological testing indicated she might be depressed. Due to this information, her suicide threat, and the long standing nature of Mary's suspected depression, she was referred to a doctor for a medical evaluation. After speaking with Mary's family, evaluating the information from the school counselor and doing her own physical and mental examination, the doctor decided to put Mary on medication on a trial basis for three to six months. What's more, Mary's teacher enrolled her in a special school program where she could, not only get help during school hours doing her school work, but get help after school with her home work, while waiting for a ride home from her mother. Mary was seen in individual school counseling during this time, and I'd, also, referred her for family counseling through an organization that charged the family on a sliding scale, according to income, since Mary's family qualified for low income support. At first, after commencing medication, Mary showed little or no improvement. However, by the end of the first month, her mother reported that she wasn't fighting as much with her little brother. By the end of the second month, Mary's teacher reported that her misbehavior in school was much reduced. By this time, in individual school counseling, Mary reported in a happier mood. There even appeared to be a twinkle in those once always downcast, sad eyes. Still over the next year there occurred a number of relapses, followed by short term improvements, followed by more relapses into depression and rage. Mary's medication would need to be adjusted and readjusted and different medications tried. Mary's depression would prove to be no easy one to resolve and is still under treatment, with the ultimate result still in question. Long term untreated depression like Mary's, together with possible serious child abuse, can be very difficult to treat due, not only to it's severity, but the early age of occurrence, and the fact that treatment was started late. This is why early treatment, as soon as possible, or "sooner" is emphasized by this website. When in doubt, don't take a chance with your child's future, but refer her to individual school counseling, a medical doctor, psychologist, marriage and family therapist, or to a qualified health care professional in your community. A summary of the main points involved in individual school counseling are: 1. Sweet smiles and, even, good short term behavior can mask serious depression. 2. Depression, where the child misbehaves, is easer to suspect than the hidden type and, therefore, more likely to be treated. 3. The fact that treatment was started late that the father was, perhaps, a contributing factor to the depression that he'd disappeared from Mary's life that the depression proved severe, and had begun early in Mary's life caused the prospects for a positive result to be guarded. 4. Cases like Mary's, often, require a coordinated community effort by teachers, counselors, parents, and doctors to be successful. 5. Financial help is available for those who cannot, normally, afford the usual fees for therapy. 6. More than anything else, Mary's story emphasizes the need for early referral. When in doubt see that your child receives individual school counseling, or, at least referral to the appropriate health care professional.
7. Depression interferes with learning. Read, here, how
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