Depression in Parents

Serious depression may affect one in five US parents.
In a special series, the Los Angeles Times (3/15, Elias) reports that "evidence is mounting that growing up with a depressed parent increases a child's risk for mental health problems, cognitive difficulties, and troubled social relationships," problems that continue into adulthood. Currently, "serious depression affects about one in five American parents, and 15.6 million children live with an adult who has had major depression in the last year, according to government data." But, "studies suggest...that changing destructive parenting practices and teaching children good coping strategies can make a big, positive difference in kids." In a related article, the Los Angeles Times (3/15, Elias) provides "resources with information on depression and how to reduce the effect of a parent's depression on children."
Report calls for screening, greater access to care for depression. The Los Angeles Times (3/15, Elias) reports, "Not only should parents and children be screened more routinely for depression, they also need access to care, says last year's report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine on the effects of parental depression." John Williams, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at Duke University, believes that "adult primary care and pediatricians' offices could be convenient places for screening, but such screening happens infrequently," partly due to the lack of an insurance reimbursement code that would allow physicians to "get paid for it."