Helpful Information for Coping with Depression

Crisis Options

Go directly to the nearest EMERGENCY ROOM or call 911 if your child is having suicidal thoughts or has made a suicide attempt.

  • UTAH CRISIS LINE: Call 988

    • There may be times in your life or the life of your loved ones where there is a struggle to find ways to manage a difficult emotional situation or life stressor. The Utah Crisis Line, in association with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, is here to provide compassionate support during difficult times and refer anyone in need of mental health services. Callers of any age and with any mental health issue may reach out for help. Multi-lingual services are available.

  • SafeUT Crisis Chat and Tip Line APP (Download in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store)

    • Utah service that provides real-time, emotional support and crisis prevention 24/7/365 to students, parents, and educators. You can chat with a licensed counselor for support or submit a confidential tip right from your smartphone, or call 833-372-3388 to talk about whatever is on your mind.

  • SMR Services: SMR stands for Stabilization and Mobile Response Services. This is offered through the state and is a crisis number. They will send someone to your house in a crisis situation and they will offer support to your child and you. Their number is 833-723-3326 or 988

  • National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255 or 988

Tips and Tricks for Managing Depression in Children and Teens

  • Take Care of Yourself: Meeting basic needs is a large part of managing depression. Allowing and enforcing basic hygiene, a healthy diet and getting the appropriate amount of sleep can make a large impression on our mental health.

  • Schedule Positive Activities: Many people assume that depression is caused by a negative event in life: for kids, maybe this is a move, a divorce, or an experience being bullied. While it’s true that tough life situations can trigger depression, researchers who studied depression found that a lack of positive experiences can also lead to low mood. You can help your child by encouraging activities that are social, fun, or provide a sense of accomplishment.

  • Talk Back to Negative Thoughts: Kids with depression are prone to ruminating: mulling over their negative thoughts over and over again, which makes their sad feelings more intense. Depression often exaggerates and distorts our thinking, making our thoughts too negative to be true. Kids can stop the cycle of ruminating by spotting these overly-negative thoughts, questioning them, and coming up with a more helpful and realistic alternative. This skill is best for kids who are elementary-aged or older. Sometimes it is hard for kids to learn this skill on their own, because it requires them to think about thinking, which is an abstract concept. You can help your child catch himself when he’s thinking something too negative to be true, and encourage him to ask himself questions like:

    • Do I have any proof this is true?

    • What would I tell a friend who had this thought?

    • Is there another way of looking at this?

    • OK, it if really is true, would it be the end of the world

  • Add More Sunshine and Outdoor Activities: There is a theory that sunlight might encourage the body to produce serotonin, a chemical that influences many processes in the body including our sleep, digestion, and mood. For kids, outdoor play is a great way to improve mood and cope with depression. Children who play outdoors get more sunlight, but this kind of play offers all kinds of other benefits, too. A study by the American Medical Association found that “children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier, when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the outdoors.”

Website

  • Nemours Kids Health

    Article to help you determine if your child is experiencing symptoms of depression, what causes childhood depression, and what you should do if you think your child may be depressed.

  • Mental Health Literacy

    Learn about depression, how you can identify symptoms of depression, what to do if you are concerned that someone you know might have depression, what treatment options exist, etc.

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