Can I Catch It Like a Cold?: Coping With a Parent's Depression

by Centre For Addiction And Mental Health, Joe Weissmann (Illustrator)

In partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Tundra is proud to launch an important series of books for children who have to cope with adult-sized problems.

Young Alex’s father had been a policeman until he began to suffer from depression, perhaps the most common mental health issue we face. Alex’s questions are those that are often asked by the children of parents who have depression: is the parent simply lazy? Does he no longer care? And is it something I can catch, like a cold?

In simple, straightforward language, the book explains what depression is and how it is treated. It also prepares a child for working with a helping professional. And perhaps most important, it reassures a child that he or she is not alone.

Written by Canada’s foremost experts in the field, this is an important book to spur discussion and allay fears of those affected by depression.

Genres: Mental Health, Picture Books, Mental Illness, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Haven Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A wonderful topic to address and a helpful means to start the conversation with. However, I found the narrative a little dry. While it is great to show a happy ending, I think the story would have been more powerful if the character was held in the moment of the emotions of not knowing when his father’s episode ends. I think showing the boy in therapy and talking through feelings that it wasn’t his fault was enough. Finding the right medication can take months and even then there can be waxing and waning. If they were going to show the father getting better at the end I would have preferred a sentence or two on how to prepare/notice signs for an onset for a future depressive episode because these things aren’t always one and done.

I also think if some of the text was broken up more it would be helpful. Some of the pages did a good job of balancing words/pictures but as the book progressed there were more and more almost full page text chunks.

[Rebeca Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Challenges/Issues: Depression
Awards: N/A
Audience: 3rd through 5th grade

A. A child has a father with severe depression, and the child begins to fear he might "catch" it also. It affects the family structure because of the depression.
B. I would use this with a specific student that either is dealing with depression or has a parent with depression. I might use this for older students as assigned reading or full-group reading to better understand what depression is and to teach students how to continue on with depressed people around them.
C. This is very much a mirror book when being used for an individual child. It allows the child to see their own situation reflected in a story to know they are not the only ones going through it.
For students learning about depression or their classmates that deal with that type of situation at home, this is a window book.

[Lauren Krebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little boy concerned about his dad who is battling depression. The boy meets a girl while playing soccer and she explains that her mom also has depression. The girl recommended that the boy should go to a "feelings doctors" and ask more questions. So the boy went to his school counselor and a psychologist and talked about his feelings and asked them questions about depression. This book is great because it provides easy-to-understand answers about depression. I would use this as a read aloud book in my class because depression is a illness that affects so many people. Even if no one in my class directly deals with depression, they more than likely know someone who battles depression. I think this book is best suited for children around 6-12 years of age.

[Madi Ekholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I catch it like a cold? Coping with a parent's depression is narrated by a boy named alex whose father has depression. Alex realizes that his dad is acting weird, and his parents fight a lot about it. Alex meets a little girl whose mother has depression and she tells alex to go see a “Feelings doctor”. His father then also seeks help and starts to act like himself again. This is a bit of a text heavy book but the words are easy to understand. I think this book relates to the set because is shows depression in a different perspective. Not recognizing it in yourself but recognizing it in other people.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text heavy but important to have on hand for kids struggling with understanding struggles of their parents.

[Arin Brutlag · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is narrated by Alex, a boy whose father has depression. Alex notices that his father doesn’t take good care of himself, that he quit his job in fear of being fired, and that he and Alex’s mother have fights because of the way Alex’s dad acts. At soccer, Alex meets Anna, a girl whose mom has depression. She teaches Alex about depression and encourages him to meet with a therapist. Alex talks with his mom about this, and he meets Miss Yee, the school counselor, and Dr. Bean, the therapist; they are both referred to as “feelings doctors”. In the meantime, Alex’s dad has sought treatment and has begun to improve. The book looks at depression in parents from a realistic perspective and uses language that is easy to understand without being overly childish. 32 pages.

Resources: The book includes a small information section for adults, as well as guides on talking about depression and the importance of talking about a parent’s depression.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy is concerned about his father's depression but with the help of his mother, soccer coach, and the school counselor, he is able to get the information and support that he needs.