My 7 year old child takes an SSRI for depression

Worrying is not new for my 7 year old son.

He is intelligent and creative, likes Minecraft and will climb on everything – but he is afraid to walk alone through the house to his room. He has trouble falling asleep, because each little noise turns into a monster in his mind.

Reflection seems to be its default parameter. One evening, I spent 20 minutes to discuss how home insurance works to reassure it that we could buy new toys if our house was burning.

At random, he will feel depressed. It is not uncommon for him to say that he is sad but does not know why or, once, “my heart hurts because he feels broken” for apparently no reason. He is dealing with adult level problems in a body the size of a child, and it is not easy for him (or me!).

When therapy alone did not help, his doctor recommended an ISRS antidepressant medication called Zoloft, the same medication I take for anxiety.

I accepted immediately, never predicting that his reaction to the drug would shock me as much as she did.

I had noticed the signs

As a person who generalized an anxiety disorder and also experienced postpartum anxiety and depression, I was sad but not surprised when my son also received a diagnosis of anxiety.

I had noticed the signs in him for a while, in particular having trouble sleeping, problems to concentrate in class, to live explosive explosions and irritability, and to feel sticky with parents, which the child Mind Institute lists like common signs and symptoms for anxious children.

I wanted to help him as soon as possible, that is why I signed it for therapy sessions twice a month.

Some of the strategies he learned in therapy helped, such as spraying “spray monster” (water with a few drops of lavender oil) around his room to keep bad dreams away and use a special finger counting method to stay calm when he was afraid.

However, he felt anxious or worried “all the time”, according to him, and I knew it was time to explore more options. He still does not know how to attach his shoes, so how could he expect to manage these debilitating anxious feelings without additional help?

In a few days, it was lighter

My second student easily adapted to taking a night pill for anxiety because he was already taking a different daily drug for ADHD. Even if the doctor warned me that it could be a month or more before I started to notice something different, I have already felt a change in a few days.

My stressed boy, always disturbing, subject to fusion, felt lighter. It was as if he were made of helium, floating in the house, laughing, playing with our family dog, letting his little brothers leave first. The minor drawbacks no longer disconnected it. He was happier, quieter and relaxed.

The weight of the world, which seemed as permanent as his left arm, simply fell from his shoulders. He was happier, more silly and more committed with his family, and I couldn’t stop crying. It was as if he had permission to be a child again, and it broke my heart to see how much he had to suffer before.

Medicine has not changed it or gave it a personality transplant. This simply allowed whom he had to float on the surface because waves of anxiety, worries and fear no longer dragged him.

He even started the gentle parent Me. The techniques I had used in the past to help him regulate his emotions right now or to think about his feelings always seemed to be failing. But now he would remove some of these same words, stressing that my tone appeared to be rude.

He would also use them on himself, telling me that he had to take a break and breathe deeply when he was frustrated by his little brother. He now articulates his feelings like a pro and helps others, and it always blows me.

For the first time in years, he is a carefree child and I could not be happier for him.