Hi there,

Thanks for writing in.

I'm sure the child psychologist must have thoroughly evaluated and assessed your condition.
So as of now, do continue with the medications.

I would like to know....
Has cognitive behaviour therapy been tried?
Medical conditions which can cause depression.....has it been ruled out by blood tests etc....?

I would also suggest that you sign up for yoga and relaxation classes. Over a period of time, Yoga does wonders for the mind and body.

Hope you feel better soon... :)

Regards,
Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

Hello,
From what you have said I understand that you are suffering from a juvenile depression and that you are on medication since 1 month. At the end of one month you feel there is improvement in appetite, weight, sleep and drowsiness. please try to understand that psychiatric medications work with a lag period and improvement takes some time to take place.now that it is only 1 month since the start of your therapy, this improvement according to me is a good improvement. The fact that you are improving on these drugs clarifies that these drugs are effective for you. usual course of drugs is generally for 8-12 months and you are just in the beginning of the treatment. Please continue to take the drugs. Have confidence in your treating psychiatrist. May be you can request him to add CBT to your treatment which will benefit you a lot.
Thanks. Hope I am able to solve your concerns.

Hello....
Thanks for your query. You have been put on accepted standard medication for management of depression. The sequence of improvement in depression is improvement in sleep, appetite followed by an improvement in activity level followed by an improvement in your thought process. It would take a minimum of 8 weeks for this cycle to complete. Hence, accordingly you are showing improvement on expected lines and you need to be patient. Com pliance to medication is vital for sustaining your improvement. Wishing you early recovery.
Regards
Dr Sundar Gnanavel
Psychiatrist