Dealing with the depressed

[Azure Kite]

You say Bipolar disorder is on your fathers side? Well, take that into consideration then. As said, it really sounds like puberty, but at 10? Thats not right. It sounds like mood swings, but it also sounds like more. First off, make sure she is eating breakfast every morning. A lot of kids skip breakfast in the morning, and thats one of the things that can actually lead to mood swngs, believe it or not.

But I agree with Lawman, get your whole family involved. Everyone needs to know about this, so they can help and so everyone can be aware and help deal with it. Is she really open? Or does she hide her problems? Its not uncommon for girls to NOT want to talk about it. If you can see theres some reason she is so depressed, then you need to fix it. Does she feel left out? Could it be a problem at school?

There is always a next stage to these things. And I'm sorry to say, one of the following stages is thoughts and attempts at suicide. I'm not at all suggesting your sister might suddenly try to kill herself, but if its bad enough, you never know. I am with a particular group mainly for teens, and we have leadership classes. Not sure how it falls into the category of leadership, but we dealt with the hard subject of depression and suicide. There are plenty of reasons you could be depressed.

Blackmail? Pressure by someone to do something? A tough relationship with someone at school? Its strange for this to happen at 10. Usually these things will occur more into the teen years. Thats why I tend to think maybe its more something in the realm of bipolar disorder.

But best of luck with this man. Just try to see if there is a reason she is like this, and then find how you can change it.

 

[B_B_C]

One of my friends deals with her problems by smoking pot. But that is the wrong way.

I would get her meds and maybe get her into pokemon? Maybe a activity she likes will help?

 

[ilikegengar]

Exercise works wonders, like running, swimming laps, dancing, etc. Or try hard work like digging in the garden, walking the dog, raking leaves. . . .

There's a book titled: Potatoes Not Prozac. check out this web site: http://www.littlesugaraddicts.com/

I think changing your diet can reap major benefits. I often think small children misbehave simply because they don't feel well. When you're little and can't put your thoughts and feelings into words, your behavior reflects your mood. I think this can happen at any age.

Best wishes for health,

Nanette