Battling the Blues: the Handbook for Helping Children and Teens with Depression. Kim “Tip” Frank, $24.95

The many ideas in this book represent helpful tools that children and teens can readily employ in the treatment of depressive disorders.

Beyond the Blues: Child and Youth Depression.  Helen Slinger & Maureen Palmer, National Film Board of Canada, $19.95 (DVD, 56 minutes)

Through the personal stories of three youth, this compelling documentary traces the journey of depression, from early signs and symptoms to assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

Beyond the Blues: a Workbook for Teens Who Are Depressed gives teens a collection of exercises designed to supplement professional treatment, whether their feelings of depression are mild or severe, chronic or acute, inherited or situational. Working through these activities will help readers learn techniques that can help them manage their depression and feel positive once more.

Can I Catch It Like a Cold? Coping with a Parent’s Depression.  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, illustrated by Joe Weissmann, $19.99 (ages 6 and up)

When a parent has depression, children have many questions.  Can I Catch It Like a Cold offers reassurance and allays fears for kids who cope with this adult-sized problem.

Coping with an Anxious or Depressed Child. Samantha Cartwright-Hatton, $17.95

Covering practical issues such as diet and routine, as well as more specialized medical information — from the professionals you might encounter to the prescriptions offered — this book is an A to Z guide for parents of anxious or depressed children and will help you maximize your child’s likelihood of a happy, confident future.

The Disappearing Girl: Learning the Language of Teenage Depression. Lisa Machoian, $21.00

Media, peers, and even parents send teenage girls dangerously conflicting messages about what it means to look and act just right and to be good, hip, attractive, and desired. Frighteningly, everyday events can start a teen on a downward spiral. The growing rate of depression in teens is alarming, and parents and adults must understand the difference between "adolescent angst" and trouble … Combining twenty years of research, teaching, psychotherapy, and working with parents, teachers, therapists, social workers, counselors, caregivers, and teens, Dr. Machoian's The Disappearing Girl … explores teen depression, and provides essential guidance for helping the girls we love.

Eight Stories Up: an Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide. Dequincy Lezine, with David Brent, $10.95

Eight Stories Up is both a remarkable memoir and a useful, compassionate guide that will ease the isolation and hopelessness caused by thoughts of suicide.

Handbook of Depression in Children and Adolescents. Edited by John Abela & Benjamin Hankin, $85.95

This timely, authoritative volume provides an integrative review of current knowledge on child and adolescent depression, covering everything from epidemiology and neurobiology to evidence-based treatment and prevention. From foremost scientist-practitioners, the book is organized within a developmental psychopathology framework that elucidates the factors that put certain children at risk and what can be done to help. Proven intervention models are discussed in step-by-step detail, with coverage of cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and pharmacological approaches, among others. Special topics include sex differences in depression, understanding and managing suicidality, and the intergenerational transmission of depression.

This handy guide is designed to give kids the tools they need to work through their depression and self-esteem issues in a way that’s positive and effective. Author Jerry Wilde has used his experience as a school psychologist to create a workbook that is proven effective in giving kids the tools to break out of the rut of feeling bad. Kids will learn:

• How to think differently so they can feel differently
• What causes depression and low self-esteem
• How to stop worrying about what other people think
• Ways to cheer themselves up when they are feeling low
• And much more…!

Michael Rosen's Sad Book. Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake, $7.50

Sad things happen to everyone, and sometimes people feel sad for no reason at all. What makes Michael Rosen sad is thinking about his son, Eddie, who died suddenly at the age of eighteen. In this book the author writes about his sadness, how it affects him, and some of the things he does to cope with it — like telling himself that everyone has sad stuff (not just him) and trying every day to do something he can be proud of … Whether or not you have known what it's like to feel deeply sad, the truth of this book will surely touch you. With honesty, a touch of humor, and sensitive illustrations by Quentin Blake, Michael Rosen explores the experience of sadness in a way that resonates with us all.

Monochrome Days: a First-Hand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Depression. Cait Irwin & Dwight Evans, $10.95

Cait Irwin was diagnosed with major depression at the age of fourteen. In Monochrome Days, she shares her experiences as a young woman who suffered from a crippling depression but was able to recover with the help of a supportive family and expert care. As well as telling her personal story, the book answers questions about symptoms, treatment, medications and how to deal with depression at school and at home. Written for teens, Monochrome Days also provides insight into adolescent depression for family, friends and educators.

My Feeling Better Workbook: Activities that Help Kids Beat the Blues. Sarah Hamil, $19.95; Professional Version with CD-ROM, $29.95

There are many ways to help children who are sad and depressed, and you might not even realize how much you can do to make your child feel better. By working through this book, guiding your child through just one activity a day, you can empower him or her with the skills necessary to overcome sadness and low self-esteem and live an active, joyful life.

My Kind of Sad: What It's Like to be Young and Depressed. Kate Scowen, $12.95

Depression has always afflicted humankind. Yet adolescent depression has only been medically recognized in the past two decades. Daily teen life is tumultuous even at the best of times. So how are you supposed to tell general worries from something more serious?

Navigating Teenage Depression: a Guide for Parents and Professionals. Gordon Parker & Kerrie Eyers, $21.95

First symptoms of depression often occur during teenage years, and it can be a disturbing and confusing time for families as well as the teenager themselves. How can you tell whether it is just typical teenage ups and downs that will pass, or something more serious? How can we reliably identify and support teenagers with depression?

Drawing on insightful personal accounts from teenagers and young adults and based on extensive clinical research, this book explains how to systematically identify different mood disorders and contributing factors; when clinical treatment is required; outlines treatment options and discusses the particular challenges faced by adolescents and approaches to effective management.

The Opposite of Music. Janet Ruth Young, $10.50 (for ages 13 and up)

At first Billy's father just seemed distant, as if he had something on his mind. Then he stopped listening to music, saying it hurt his ears. After a while he stopped eating and sleeping. And after that he just stopped. Stopped being Billy's father and his friend and became someone else — someone who was depressed and withdrawn and wouldn't respond to treatments.

The Opposite of Music is a powerful and realistic debut novel about the lengths a family will go to in order to save one of their own and the strength it takes to learn how to ask for help.

Raising a Moody Child — How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder. Mary Fristad and Jill Goldberg Arnold, $18.50

• Give kids the skills to manage their moods with a personalized "coping toolkit"
• Keep challenging conduct from turning home and school into battlegrounds
• Safeguard your couple relationship when parenting stress mounts
• Make the best treatment decisions, find the right professional help, stay alert to common diagnostic errors

Sad, Sad Seth, the World's Greatest Writer. Jill Bobula, Katherine Bobula & Rob Hall, $16.95 (school-age)

Seth talks about depression with his classmates and his teacher.

Sometimes I Get Sad (But Now I Know What Makes Me Happy). Jane Ratcliffe, $19.95

Childhood depression is much more common than most people realize.  Sometimes I Get Sad tells the story of Sara and her sadness. With the aid of a counselor and a peer group, she learns how to make herself feel better and the skills she needs to manage her emotions.

With sensitive text and warm illustrations, this book opens the door for discussing mental illness with children, especially Bipolar Disorder. A wonderful and practical support for children experiencing the pain and confusion of a parent's mental illness.

Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids, 3rd Edition. Timothy Wilens, $19.50

"A real 'how-to' for anyone whose child is being treated with medication for psychiatric problems. This book empowers caregivers." -Judith L. Rapoport, MD

Straight Talk about Psychological Testing for Kids. Ellen Braaten & Gretchen Felopulos, $18.95

"The best book of its kind I have ever seen" - Edward M. Hallowell, MD

"Provides an exceptional service by distilling complex information into a very readable and pragmatic guide." -Timothy E. Wilens, MD.

• When to seek help and when to wait
• How to prepare your child for a mental health evaluation
• What to ask -and tell- the professional
• How to get needed help and support within the school system
• What to do if you're not satisfied with the diagnosis or advice you receive
• How to weight treatment options to determine what's right for your child

Emily lives with childhood depression. With therapy and medication she learns how to manage her sometimes overwhelming feelings. Her story explains to other children why a child with depression may seem sad or angry and teaches them how to react in a helpful way.

Things to Do When You’re Feeling Blue. Anthony Coccia, Illustrated by Jennifer McLaren, $17.95 (ages 4-8)

Things to Do When You’re Feeling Blue is a positive and gentle reminder for young children that even when you’re feeling sad, there are opportunities to do many things that can make you feel better.

Treating Child and Adolescent Depression. Joseph Rey & Boris Birmaher, $85.50

Treating Child and Adolescent Depression is a practical and authoritative guide to diagnosis and treatment of child and adolescent depression in various clinical settings, health care systems, and cultures.

When Life Stinks: How to Deal with Your Bad Moods, Blues, and Depression. Michel Piquemal with Melissa Daly, $11.95

As many as ten percent of teenagers suffer from clinical depression and large numbers of high-school students report that they have considered suicide. This timely and useful book examines dark moods and mental illness, and gives young people tools for coping, plus advice on when, where, and how to get help.

When Nothing Matters Anymore: a Survival Guide for Depressed Teens. Bev Cobain, $16.50

When Nothing Matters Anymore has already helped countless teens and now, in its newly revised edition, it promises to help even more. With updated information on medications, nutrition, counseling options, resources When Nothing Matters Anymore is a powerful support and tool for change.

Young Misery: a Guide for Parents and Professionals. David Palframan, $21.95

A child and family psychiatrist discusses child and youth depression—how to identify it, and how to cope. A guide for parents and professionals.