text: do you think its right for a mom to take her 2 yr old to a psychiatrist? i know someone who has been going to one for many years.  she has depression problems, and some other mental health issues.  she started taking her daughter when she was only 2 yrs old?  does anyone else think that is odd? a 2 year old child, and indeed a 4 year old child, is a metaphorical sponge. unless there has been a trauma, a valid set of symptoms, or some other really good reason for taking a 2 year old to a psych., then i'm afraid that all it will do is suggest to the child that all problems can be solved by a doc and a pill. not a healthy approach to raising a child to be an autonomous adult. as for inheriting the problems of the mother, these problems are not likely to be diagnosed in a small child ( most inherited depression will show up in older children or adolescents), and if such concerns exist, attentive parenting will tell when the child is in need of professional help. and, if the child is in distress via the environment created by a depressed mother, then the main focus should be to prevent the mother's parenting from hurting the child, rather than treating the child for the damage her mother's parenting is causing.