Explaining Depression to a Six-Year Old
"So, you know how it feels when you feel sad?" "You mean like when I fall and hurt myself?"
"Not like hurting yourself, well, not like hurting your body. But something that hurts your mind. Ummm..."
"Maybe when I couldn't find my Ninja Turtle blanket and really wanted it?"
"Kind of like that, yeah. So, it's like feeling sad like that, but all the time."
"Always?"
"Well, sometimes it's all the time, and sometimes it's not. But when it's really bad, it's all the time."
"You should do something you like to be happy. Like play video games."
"I do that sometimes. And sometimes it makes me happy. But a lot of the time, it just distracts me from feeling sad. It's not what will really make me happy."
"You could do the thing that will really make you happy. What is it?"
"Heh, that's a good question. I have a lot of trouble figuring that out myself."
"Maybe you lost something you really like, like my blanket?"
"In some ways I did, yeah. Maybe if I knew what was missing I could try to find it."
"I'll help you look."
"Thanks, buddy. You're helping me just by being here."