Can I Catch It Like a Cold?: Coping with a Parent's Depression

In partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Tundra is proud to launch an important series of books for children who have to cope with adult-sized problems.

Young Alex’s father had been a policeman until he began to suffer from depression, perhaps the most common mental health issue we face. Alex’s questions are those that are often asked by the children of parents who have depression: is the parent simply lazy? Does he no longer care? And is it something I can catch, like a cold?

In simple, straightforward language, the book explains what depression is and how it is treated. It also prepares a child for working with a helping professional. And perhaps most important, it reassures a child that he or she is not alone.

Written by Canada’s foremost experts in the field, this is an important book to spur discussion and allay fears of those affected by depression.

Joe Weissmann was born in Austria. He grew up in Israel and then moved to Montreal, Quebec, with his parents. He studied art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Concordia University and has been freelancing ever since. Joe has illustrated a number of books including Mummies, Magic, Three Tales of Adventure, and Mom, The School Flooded. He has taught illustration at Sheridan College and is now living in Millbrook, Ontario, with his wife, two dogs, and three cats.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest health sciences centre devoted to mental illness and addiction. CAMH is a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.