Mental health articles

Clinical Depression Case Study Luisa was a 12-year-old girl who was one of the clever students in her class.
However, recently she had become less friendly. While she once used to play games in the lunch break, she now spent her time sitting alone in the classroom.
Clinical Depression Case Study Her friends tried to get her involved, teasing her that she must be in love. But Luisa became even more distant from them. Finally, they gave up, thinking she was just being rude. The teacher became concerned when she failed in half her subjects. The teacher called the parents to discuss the poor results. The father did not come. Instead, the mother sat and listened quietly. She said she had no idea why Luisa was not doing well. She felt Luisa had become naughty and was not studying hard enough. But the head teacher noticed that Luisa’s mother was distracted and unhappy. She asked whether there were any problems at home. Then, Luisa’s mother
broke down and cried. Her husband had left her some months ago, and he had now stopped sending money to feed her and Luisa. Luisa had become depressed because of these extreme difficulties in her home. The teacher then spoke to Luisa in private and with her mother to find out about her
feelings and emotions. She suggested to Luisa that she could talk to the teacher regularly. Later, the teacher spoke to Luisa’s friends and asked them to be gentle and sympathetic with Luisa. The teacher spoke to Luisa for 15 minutes every week to find out how she was feeling about her home
situation and to help her organise her studies. Slowly, and with help from her friends, Luisa began to feel stronger and did better in school.

Tags: case study, depression