Depression in Children and Teens…A Primer for Pastors, Church Staff and Christian Parents

Stephen Grcevich, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Key Ministry Board Chairman, developed this series of blog posts for a teaching series conducted from January 16-February 24, 2013. Links to the posts in the series are presented here, along with a list of recommended resources for pastors, church staff, volunteers and parents seeking to serve kids and teens with depression and their families. For additional free resources and support in ministering to kids with disabilities and their families, check out the Key Ministry website.

Depression…Definitions Matter (January 16, 2013)

What Do Kids and Teens With Depression Look Like? (January 17, 2013)

Kids and Depression…What Does the Data Say? (January 21, 2013)

Understanding Depression and Comorbidity in Children and Teens (January 24, 2013)

Are they really depressed, or do they have something else? (January 27, 2013)

Depression…Challenges in serving kids with an episodic disability (January 30, 2013)

What if Mom is Depressed? (February 3, 2013)

Where do I go for help if I think my kid might be depressed? (February 11, 2013)

Cognitive-Behavioral therapy for kids with depression…pros and cons (February 14, 2013)

If this were your kid, would you give them an antidepressant? (February 17, 2013)

Families impacted by depression…How can the church help? (February 20, 2013)

Depression and Faith (February 24, 2013)

Other Resources:

Here are a couple of outstanding blog posts on the topic of depression written by leaders from within the disability ministry community. The first is from Shannon Dingle – Being broken is not always bad. being comfortable is not always good. The second is from Gillian Marchenko – When Mom’s depressed: Addressing depression for the sake of my kids. Both have outstanding blogs…click on the links in the blogroll on the right to check them out!

Here’s an excellent, concise Facts for Families link from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) on The Depressed Child. AACAP has an outstanding Depression Resource Center with links, video, information on related topics and research articles.

Here’s a link to a downloadable parent medication guide on the use of medication to treat depression in children and adolescents, developed by AACAP and the American Psychiatric Association.

Updated January 6, 2018