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We’re talking about coping with difficult situations this week on Health Watch. Recent research conducted at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas found that parents — particularly mothers — can have a serious impact on their children if they don’t deal with their own problems.

The study found that children whose mothers were depressed were more likely to suffer from anxiety, mental-health problems and disrupted behaviors, and these problems get worse if the mothers aren’t treated for depression. When mothers got treatment, their children got better, often without actually being treated for their own problems. Dr. A. John Rush, a UT Southwestern psychiatrist, says the study shows that mothers who suffer from depression should seek help, not only for their own sake, but also for the sake of their children.

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^April 2006

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