Deborah Serani, PhD,  descended into a debilitating depression as a teenager, attempting suicide at age nineteen. The fallout from this major depressive episode required her to take a medical leave from college in order to recover. Crediting psychotherapy as life-saving, Serani directed her focus to the field of psychology and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Hofstra University in 1982, a Doctorate in Psychology from the Ferkauf School at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1989, and a Post-Doctoral Certificate in Psychoanalysis from the Derner institute at Adelphi University in 2002.  This week, we discuss Dr. Serani’s new book, Depression and Your Child: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers.   

She describes the symptoms of childhood depression, including in babies.  There is a genetic component of depression, which is a neuro-biological illness. So it’s important for families to trace their histories to discover if there is a tendency for depression, which doesn’t mean a child will get depressed, but they could.  Dr. Serani shares her own struggle with depression at a young age, and how she was treated successfully for it. Her experience motivated her to become trained so she could help others living with depression.

Dr. Serani describes physical, cognitive and behavorial signs of depression to watch for and how depression can be treated holistically instead of or in addition to  medication when needed.