Some Kids Blame Themselves For Mom’s Sadness. Talking About It Can Help.
Local Audio Posts March 12, 2020 29Growing up, Denton resident Amanda Dolin didn’t understand why her mother spent days crying and struggling to get out of bed. Dolin wondered if she’d done something wrong, and she tried and failed to cheer her mother up. “I knew that she was sick, but as a child, I didn’t have a name for it,” Dolin said. Dolin’s mother was diagnosed with depression, and eventually, she found effective treatment. When Dolin was a teenager, she began seeing a psychiatrist. That’s when it clicked that she wasn’t to blame for her mother’s sadness. “I realized it wasn’t about me,” Dolin said. “It was about her, and that she was truly doing the best that she could.” As an adult, Dolin sought treatment for her own mental illness. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and she’s experienced postpartum depression. For years, she struggled to find her way. “By the time my kids were four and five, I was really stuck in a really bad place, and I didn’t spend any time with them,” she said. “I remember my daughter