Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Drs. Mary Fristad and Jill Arnold have written an excellent book with extremely practical information and strategies for parents of children and youth that struggle with mood problems. The book directly addresses the blame and stigma that these parents feel, yet empowers them at the same time with their message that although “It’s not your fault, but it is your challenge.” Drs. Fristad and Arnold are both experienced clinical psychologists who are known leaders in the field. Their research includes studies in the effectiveness of psychoeducation as an intervention in mood disorders, which gives them great credibility in writing this book. Raising a Moody Child is divided into four parts: 1) Understanding Your Child’s Problems, 2) Treatment, 3) Helping Your Child Cope, and 4) Helping Your Family Live with a Mood Disorder. Part I describes the various mood disorders such as depressive disorders (dysthymic disorder, major depression), bipolar disorder (including type I, II, cyclothymia and bipolar NOS). They describe the process of getting an assessment and the various types of health professionals that might be involved. It might have been nice to see regulatory and sensory processing disorders mentioned (though not mentioned in the DSM-IV yet, these are valid diagnoses under the Diagnostic Classification for Aged 0:3), but nonetheless the authors manage to do a very comprehensive overview of the other comorbid/differential psychiatric conditions. Part II describes principles behind various treatments, as well as specific treatments including medications and psychotherapy. The medication section is excellent, and the authors present a balanced view of the risks and benefits of medications, without causing unnecessary fear about medications. There is no mention of the SSRI controversy, which presumably came after the book was published, yet the content remains valid nonetheless. Part III describes very helpful and practical strategies on how parents can help their child cope at home, school and in general. I found these consistent with parenting programs such as the Incredible Years Program, and Ross Greene’s Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach. A partial list of their strategies includes: 1) Shrug off self-blame and taken action; 2) Be realistic (in setting appropriate expectations, e.g. decreasing them temporarily when the child is truly unable to meet them; 3) Be flexible (with your child); 4) Choose your battles; 5) Solving problems (i.e. figuring out the underlying message/goal of a behaviour, in order to more effectively help the child); 6) Be good communicators with standard; 7) Name the enemy (i.e. externalizing the problem as being separate from the child). There is a nice section on Crisis Management that discusses how to 1) ensure safety in the face of out-of-control behaviour such as violence, and 2) manage specific challenging symptoms of mania and depression (including suicidal ideation). Part IV discusses the effects of a child’s mood disorder on siblings and other family members, and practical strategies to deal with these effects. The only part that I found lacking in the book is that it would have been nice to include more Canadian specific content, during the sections where there are references to the (mental) health care system. Nonetheless, this lack is understandable, given the authors’ American backgrounds. In summary, Raising a Moody Child is an excellent, practical guide for parents faced with the challenges of parenting a moody child, and I would recommend it for every parent of a child with mood problems. Though written for parents, mental health professionals including trainees will find it helpful too in providing a comprehensive template with which to give psychoeducation to families. The book is free of significant production errors.

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