Out of the Darkened Room: When a Parent is Depressed: Protecting the Children and Strengthening the Family

Rating:
Summary: A much needed resource!
Review: This book is a much needed resource for anyone who's family is dealing with depression or any other mood disorder. An easy and comprehensive read with plenty of helpful advice.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic hope
Review: This book manages to be both realistic and full of hope. The author is a child psychiatrist who has extensive experience helping children and families with a depressed parent, both from his clinical practice and from his research. This dual perspective, combined with his deep compassion, makes this book come alive. He offers a wealth of advice, lessons learnt from and with the families he describes.
A book to be recommended to all who are dealing with a depressed family member and wonder how to help the children.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic Hope
Review: This is a book that is both realistic and full of hope.
The author is a child psychiatrist who has extensive experience with children and families with a depressed parent, stemming from his clinical work and his longitudinal research.This dual perspective, combined with his deep compassion, makes the book come alive. The advice embedded in the book is practical and realistic, meaning that it can actually be followed.
A book to be recommended to all who are dealing with a depressed family member and wonder how to help their children.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Important Book For Families
Review: This is one of those rare books in the mental health field that has the capacity to inspire. It is the story of a lifetime devoted to trying to provide families with one depressed parent with tools that can lead to healthy and successful outcomes for the family.

It could have been better written (parts of it bogged down a bit in the individual family stories) but I think it provides a place to start for a family wrestling with the terrible dilemmas of what to do, what to say to the kids, how to flourish in the face of terrible adversity.

I recommend that families buy one copy for themselves and one copy for a family therapist or other mental health practitioner and then sit down with that practitioner to develop a plan of action.