How will depression affect my child at school?
The effects of depression on the school day will start before your child even makes it to school in the morning. The decreased energy your child feels during depression will make getting out of bed, combing his hair, and putting on clothing an exhausting thing to even contemplate. In addition, even the thought of interacting with others at school while depressed is enough to make his stomach churn. Absences during depression may be one of the biggest hindrances to learning.
Even if your child is able to force himself to school, he may not be ‘available’ for education. Your child may lay his head on the desk and even sleep in class. Depression messes with your child’s motivation. If he is able to keep his eyes open in class, he may simply stare at his work. Mental fog and lack of concentration make thinking and school work a chore. Slowed reaction time and a feeling of heaviness can make getting out school supplies and sharpening a pencil tasks that consume half of a school period. As your child tries to focus on the teacher’s lecture, what he hears may sound much like the teacher in Charlie Brown cartoons, a bunch of sounds but no coherent words. During depression, the brain just isn’t able to sort out the information in a way that is understandable and beneficial to the student.
As your child switches between states of low and high energy, school officials are sometimes confused. They may feel that your child is choosing to be lazy in one class period and disruptive in another when in fact these periods may coincide with switches between the mood states. Make sure to talk to each teacher and give them information to help them understand bipolar disorder.
Excerpt from The Childhood Bipolar Disorder Answer Book published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Copyright 2008 by Tracy Anglada and Sheryl Hakala All Rights Reserved