The PsyCom.Net Book Service presents books on
Depression
Against Depression By, Peter M. Kramer
A decade ago, with his breakaway bestseller, Listening to Prozac, Peter Kramer revolutionized the way we think about antidepressants and the culture in which they are so widely used. Now, he returns with a profound and original look at the condition those medications treat—depression. He asks: If we could eradicate depression so that no human being ever suffered it again, would we?
Depression, linked in our culture to a long tradition of "heroic melancholy," is often understood as ennobling—a source of soulfulness and creativity. Tracing this belief from Aristotle to the Romantics to Picasso, and to present-day memoirs of mood disorder, Kramer suggests that the pervasiveness of the illness has distorted our sense of what it is to be human. There is nothing heroic about depression, Kramer argues, and he presents the latest scientific findings to support the fact that depression is a disease—one that can have far-reaching health effects on its sufferers.
The Bipolar Child : The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood
Disorder
by Demitri F. Papolos MD, Janice Papolos
For any caregiver experiencing life with a bipolar child, Demitri and Janice Papolos's
The Bipolar Child will be an indispensable reference guide. The material is presented clearly,
with lots of helpful charts and lists to aid in receiving proper diagnosis, treatment, and
long-term care. All medical information is relayed with the aim of helping parents to ensure
effective treatment for their children and includes journal-tracking formats to help caregivers
provide accurate information to personal physicians.
Breaking the Patterns of Depression
by Michael D. Yapko
This book has filled me with hope. There is a lot of information to learn, and many new
patterns to develop. But all of that gives me hope for a better future. One of the exercises in
particular has really opened my eyes to why I am currently in a depression. Knowing our
vulnerabilities can explain when we fall into a depression, and can also help us prevent future
episodes! I can't say it enough - buy this book for yourself or for someone you love.
A Brilliant Madness: Living With Manic-Depressive Illness
by Patty Duke,et al.
Patty Duke's book is entertaining because she had a true Hollywood background. Contrary
to some reviews that criticized her writing style, I thought it was clear, warm and easy to
read. The informative chapters are the best I've ever read about manic depressive illness and
the footnotes and research listed are exhaustive.
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness
by William Styron
When this book was recomended to me by a friend and fellow depression sufferer, I was
skeptical. Depression is not easy to describe, even to my psychiatrist. As I started to read,
though, I realized that not only had Mr. Styron managed to share his experience of the nebulous
monster that is depression, but he was able to lead me to a greater understanding of my own
struggles with it.
J. Michael Styevenson
The Deepest Blue: How Women Face and Overcome Depression
by Lauren Dockett, Matthew McKay
I have had more than one bout of clinical depression in my life, and I find that the way
I feel so isolated from others is one of the hardest things to deal with. When I saw this book
I liked the concept, and what I found was that the many different stories from women who deal
with depression were a great help. It's not always easy to find other women who are willing to
discuss this issue with you, so it was a real relief to read their words on the page.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
by David D. Burns
Cognitive Therapy is based on mood modification - a principle one can use on their own
to eliminate symptoms and achieve personal growth. "Feeling Good" is aimed at ridding ourselves
of negative thinking, that which holds us stagnant and inhibits personal growth. Even if you
are on medication for depression, you can still use the principles outlined in this book as a
form of self-help.
The Feeling Good Handbook
by David D. Burns
In both this book and its predecessor ("Feeling Good"), David Burns has done an
excellent job of putting tools into our hands so we can change the feelings and behaviors that
we want to change. The tools in this book that I've found most helpful include (i) instruments
to measure both anxiety and depression, (ii) a "pleasure-predicting sheet," (iii) a daily mood
log to help identify and change unwanted feelings, and (iv) tools to help you overcome
procrastination.
Philip M. Hamilton
How You Can Survive When They're Depressed: Living and Coping With Depression Fallout
by Anne Sheffield
This book has helped me build a life with my depressed partner that is healthy for us
both, a place where I can deal with this illness without giving up my happiness. It has helped
me trust my instincts, set boundaries, campaign for change and keep my love alive even when I'm
angry. Through me, it has helped my partner seek better medical help, treat the family better
and feel more secure that we'll still be there tomorrow.
I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression
by Terrence Real
I am indebted to the author of this book. I took the bold leap of going to a therapist
after years of exaggerated irritability and lack of enthusiasm with my career. I have been
glued to the book ever since it was recommended. The author uses very clear examples of ways
that these negative feelings can originate and fester over time.
Living Without Depression and Manic Depression: A Workbook for Maintaining Mood Stability
by Mary Ellen Copeland
I was diagnosed with depression in 1994. All the help that I found was for short-term
crisis management of my illness. I struggled for years with long-term management. At last I
found this book to help me with long-term management of my illness. It is a wonderful book
bursting with helpful information.
Men and Depression: What to Do When the Man You Care About Is Depressed
by Theresa Francis-Cheung, Robin Grey
A Mood Apart: The Thinker's Guide to Emotion and Its Disorders
by Peter C. Whybrow
A brilliant work that speaks in eloquent and human terms about the gravest aspects of mental
disorders. Dr. Whybrow's book is informative and compassionate and, not the least, thoroughly
engrossing. It is a major contribution to the literature on mental illness.
William Styron, author of Darkness Visible
New Hope for People With Bipolar Disorder
by Jan Fawcett, Bernard Golden, Nancy Rosenfeld
I am 24 and have been bipolar my whole life. When meds and therapy just weren't enough
to help me, I started reading books. This is by far the best, most helpful, informative, and
well-written book on Bipolar Disorder.
Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide
by Kay Redfield Jamison
Dr. Jamison has more words to describe the pain of depression than I thought available
in the English Language. To give words to express the abject misery that a suicidal person
feels is a gift. This alone makes this book worth buying. Dr. Jamison is both a psychologist
and a literary persona.
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
by Andrew Solomon
Depression is the flaw in love. To be creatures who love, we must be creatures who
despair," begins Solomon's expansive and astutely observed examination of the experience,
origins, and cultural manifestations of depression. While placing his study in a broad social
contex-- according to recent research, some 19 million Americans suffer from chronic depression
--he also chronicles his own battle with the disease.
Publishers Weekly
The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Anti-depression Diet and Brain Program
by Andrew L. Stoll
In his book, Stoll, the director of the psychopharmacology research lab at Boston's
McLean Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, suggests that
restoring our body's natural balance of omega-3s may help alleviate (and prevent) many types of
depression--even for those who don't respond to traditional antidepressants.
On the Edge of Darkness: Conversations About Conquering Depression
by Kathy Cronkite
This really is an incredible book in many ways. Cronkite talks about her own depression,
and interviews well-known people about their own depression and that of loved ones. She also
intersperses the interviews with solid information about depression and its treatment.
Prozac and the New Antidepressants : What You Need to Know About Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox,
Wellbutrin, Effexor, Serzone, Vestra, Celexa, St. John's Wort
by William S. Appleton
This is the most reader-friendly, reliable, balanced overview of the field of
pyschoactive drugs that I've been able to lay my hands on. Having been overwhelmed by the
technical and profuse language of the PDR and Merck Manuals, and having been misled by the many
popular books that tout Prozac and its many descendents as surefire "happy" pills, it's
refreshing and reassuring to find a book this clear and discriminating.
Self-Coaching: How to Heal Anxiety and Depression
by Joseph J. Luciani
. Dr. Luciani's methods of "coaching" have allowed me to begin taking control of my
illness and my life. After years of therapists and medications that I never really thought
would benefit, I truly feel I can do this! I will not be letting this book go, I have already
gone back and reread several sections for motivation. I would recommend Self-Coaching to
anyone, no matter how mild or severe your anxiety or depression is, it can change your life.
Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families, and
Providers
by E. Fuller Torrey, Michael B. Knable
I bought several books on bipolar when my husband was diagnosed, and this was the
absolute best for giving me up-to-date information on treatment, medication and everything else
I wanted to know. I felt I knew almost as much as the doctors and could ask informed decisions.
It is not an "easy read", but is full of great information. If someone you love is bipolar, get
this book!
Lisa Garr
This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression
by Karen Kleiman, Valerie Davis Raskin
This book literally saved me. Everyone kept telling me that it was just hormones (and
they do play a big part in post-partum depression) and that it would pass in time. But, after
finally coming to the realization that is wasn't just the blues this book helped me begin to
work through my depression. I can't say enough about how good this book is at describing ways
to work through the problems you experience during post-partum depression.
Understanding Depression: What We Know and What You Can Do About It
by J. Raymond DePaulo
This practical guide for individuals with depression and their families-the only totally
comprehensive book in the market-shows readers how to identify the problem, then directs them
to the various forms of treatment, including medications, psychotherapy, support groups, and
exercise.
Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn't Teach You and Medication Can't Give You
by Richard O'Connor
The author is quick the point out (and he is correct) that this book will not improve or
cure depression by itself. You need professional help for that. Instead, the purpose of this
book (which it magnificently addresses) is to describe what the depressed person and the
depressed person's family and friends need to be doing to provide the maximum likelihood of
overcoming depression. That's a reasonable promise and premise for a book on this important
subject, and you can begin to overcome your ignorance (and the harm it can bring) by reading
this book and acting on its advice.
An Unquiet Mind
by Kay Redfield Jamison
Jamison's book gripped me from the first page. An Unquiet Mind stands alone in the
literature of manic-depression for its bravery, brilliance, and beauty.
Oliver Sacks
When Someone You Love Is Depressed: How to Help Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself
by Laura Epstein Rosen
My lover has recently recognised that he suffers from depression and sought treatment
for it. This book helped me to acknowledge and recognise many of my own strong emotional
feelings, doubts and problems of the past months, that only now I'm realising were partly or
wholly related to his depression and our inability to communicate about it without becoming
overly emotional. It especially stresses the way that these reactions to depression are not
only normal, but that you can put them to your benifit in the fight against depression.
When Your Body Gets the Blues: The Clinically Proven Program for Women Who Feel Tired,
Stressed, and Eat Too Much!
by Marie Annette Brown, Jo Robinson
One of the things I love about this book is that it makes good common sense. Our bodies
need to move; they need sunshine. Staying sedentary and closeted will leave "our bodies feeling
blue". The abundance of research in the book supporting the importance of exercise, nutrition
and sunlight reminds us what we intuitively know: that most of us can make a difference in how
we feel. We simply have to work a bit at it.
When Words Are Not Enough: The Women's Prescription for Depression and Anxiety
by Valerie Davis Raskin
I came across this book when I was pregnant with my first child and taking
antidepressants and still feeling guilty about it. Dr. Raskin explained in clear terms the
effects, risks, and benefits of psychotropic medications for women and allowed me to really
believe that I had made the right decision to continue antidepressants during pregnancy. The
risks of depression were greater than the risks of Prozac and for the first time, I felt that I
had strong support for my decision. I recommended the book to my OB, psychiatrist, therapist,
and many of my friends.
Winter Blues
by Norman E. Rosenthal
Probably the best book on Seasonal Affective Disorder available for the lay person....
Very well written; the case histories read...like short stories....Little sections on the
history of seasonal time and how to decide whether to take medication or how to choose a
therapist show much down-to-earth wisdom.
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