You Can Beat Depression: A Guide to Prevention & Recovery (Third Edition) - Softcover

It's a disabling condition that affects millions of people each year, causing tremendous emotional distress, interfering with daily living, family life, and work, increasing the risk of physical illness, and sometimes even leading to suicide. However, as I'll make clear in this book, depression is a very treatable condition. Unfortunately, most depressed people are not treated and are unaware of the help that is available.

One of the most painful aspects of depression is the sense of helplessness and powerlessness that depressed people often feel. You may be experiencing it as a sense of being trapped, unable to overcome profound feelings of despair and hopelessness. Concerned friends may try to cheer you up by saying "Things will get better... look on the bright side..." Most of the time such words of encouragement do little to pierce the veil of sadness and pessimism. True hope can only be sparked when you find out about ways to beat depression that make sense to you and that have been shown to be effective.

In this book I'll present to you, in a brief and easy to understand way, several approaches to the treatment of depression for adults and older teenagers. All these methods have solid and sound scientific evidence of effectiveness. The ideas fall into two broad categories: professional treatment and self-help approaches. Many people who are depressed need and can benefit significantly from treatment with a mental health professional. But there is a lot you can do to gain control over your depression on your own, and a self-help approach can pay extra benefits: --You may notice positive results in a relatively short time, since the self-help approaches described here are extremely effective; there is ample research to show that they work. --There is a special sense of satisfaction and power that can be experienced when you are able to do certain things, notice that it makes a difference, and know in your own mind that you are in control and have the ability to combat depressed feelings. Restoring a sense of personal power and increased self-confidence/self-esteem is an important part of overcoming depression. --These self-help approaches can also be very helpful for people who are involved in professional treatment. --As a bonus, once you have learned specific skills for reducing your depression, you have gained tools which will allow you to ward off the recurrence of depression.

Self-help is not a substitute for professional treatment, of course. Apply the insights and ideas you gain from this book, but be sure to get professional help if you need it. Chapters Four and Thirteen will help you decide.

I realize that for many people experiencing depression, even the idea of reading a book can feel like a difficult task. I want to make this process easier and have attempted to write a book that is brief and easy to understand. The first chapter addresses the question, "What is depression?" The following chapters will focus on how to cope and when to seek out professional treatment.

It is my sincere hope that this book will make a difference for you.