Depression and coping with a young child

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi doc, i have been diagnosed with depression abt 10 mths ago. howver i stopped after 1 week of using it cos' of several reasonswhich is i feel like in a state of numbness, no feeling or reaction to people, feeli like a robot and also it doesnt make it any better. i had depression right after i brought back my twins, boy n a girl. took baby boy home first cos' hes well enough and a week later baby girl. had no probs with my boy but the girl has been giving me prob from day 1. keep screaming for milk,not crying like normal baby n now that shes 1 n a half yrs old, she refuse to eat. only keeping in her mouth for an hour then swallow it or spits it out and it just get on my nerves everyday. the problem is that i keep slapping her whenever she does that n i really need help in stopping it. why cant she behave like my 2 other kids? tried few ways which doesnt work such as put her in naughty chair till she finish but end up she run away n lie down with mouth full n spits on mattress, carpet,tried saying nice things n give nice stuff, me ignoring her also doesnt work. i know shes a young child but she understands what i say but keep screaming whenever she dont like anything i do or say. i dont have much maternal feelings or care for her i dont want to hurt her till she end up dead or something.. sometimes i feel like im a evil mother but at the same time i wouldnt be so bad as to ignore mty probs so thats why i am trying to reach out to you. currently caregiver is not an option but within 6 mths time might have..so for now i dont know what to do with her.

Dear Fizz: I do understand that treatment medication of depression may leave you feeling sedated, apathetic and in a state of numbness. However, stopping the treatment will only further aggravate the symptoms of depression. I would like you to speak with your doctor/psychiatrist and come up with a reasonable plan that you can adhere to.

Children with depressed parents get stressed out more easily than other children, this is further aggravated if the parent is negative towards the child. Your child may also inherit your depression. This can be reversed if intervened early with effective parenting. You may want to consult your doctor on ways to reduce the stressful relationship with your child. I hope I am able to provide information that is useful to you, take care.