Dr. David Palframan
Creative Bound International, Inc.
www.creativebound.com
PO Box 424, 151 Tansley Drive
Carp (Ottawa) ON KOA 1 LO
800-287-8610
Depression can be a tricky topic, especially within the Christian community where there is often distrust of mental health professionals and skepticism about diagnoses and treatments of mental health disorders. As a counselor and psychologist, I have treated probably hundreds of patients with depression and have seen firsthand the devastation this disorder can produce. Dr. David Palframan, a psychiatrist with 30 years of experience, wrote Young Misery ($19.50) to help parents and loved ones understand what depression is and how it can be treated. Dr. Palframan looks specifically at depression in youth because it can look very different as a diagnosis than what we see with adults. He addresses etiology (causes), differential diagnosis (what other disorders could it be instead of depression), comorbid disorders (other conditions that often go along with depression, such as anxiety), course of treatment, particular concerns (such as dangerous behavior and suicide), and other resources for families dealing with depression.
One of the challenges of depression in children and teens is that many of the symptoms, such as withdrawal and argumentativeness, are often seen in teens who are not depressed, making the diagnosis challenging. Young Misery is written for parents in everyday language with little jargon, which was very refreshing. A parent could gain an excellent understanding of depression in children by reading this short book (110 pages). I thought that Dr. Palframan was very effective in covering many important issues parents need to understand and in encouraging them to take appropriate steps to help their child. The text is not only user-friendly, but also hopeful for both the parent and child dealing with this often-frustrating disorder. He addresses medication and/or therapy in a very balanced and informative manner. I was pleased to see that he discussed issues such as multigenerational depression (where several members of a family tend toward depression) and the effects of poor parental choices on children (such as divorce or parental substance abuse). He also clearly states that children can become depressed even in very healthy, well-functioning, loving families. Although Dr. Palframan discusses suicidal thoughts and behavior, it might have been helpful to discuss treatment options in more detail, as this can be a very frightening, and perhaps fatal, situation. Although this book is not written from a Christian perspective, I think most readers would enjoy its optimism and encouragement. I really appreciated Dr. Palframan's sensitivity toward families who are dealing with the challenges of childhood depression.
Product review by Dr. Anne Margaret Wright, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, October 2007
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