General Information and Self-Help
The suggested reading list describes a number of books that you may find of interest. Some are written by people who have experienced depression themselves and can provide helpful insight on coping and recovery.
Please note that these books do not reflect any views of Forest Laboratories.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Advances in Research and Practice
by Richard G. Heimberg, Cynthia L. Turk, Douglas S. Mennin
The Guilford Press (2004)
In the last decade, a good deal of progress has been made in understanding and addressing
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a prevalent yet long-neglected syndrome associated
with substantial functional impairment and reduced life satisfaction. This comprehensive,
empirically based volume brings together leading authorities to review the breadth
of current knowledge on the phenomenology, etiology, pathological mechanisms, diagnosis,
and treatment of GAD.
Provided are psychological and neurobiological models of the disorder that combine
cutting-edge research and clinical expertise. Assessment strategies are detailed
and promising intervention approaches described in depth, including cognitive-behavioral,
interpersonal, psychodynamic, and pharmacological therapies.
I Don't Want to Talk About It:
Overcoming the Secret of Male Depression
by Terrence Real
Scribner; Reprint edition (1998)
Twenty years of experience treating men and their families has convinced psychotherapist
Terrence Real that depression is a silent epidemic in men. He has found that men
hide their condition from family, friends, and themselves to avoid the stigma of
depression's "un-manliness." He believes that problems that we think of
as typically male, such as difficulty with intimacy, workaholism, alcoholism, abusive
behavior, and rage, are really attempts to escape depression. And these escape attempts
only hurt the people men love and pass their condition on to their children.
This groundbreaking book is the "pathway out of darkness" that these men
and their families seek. Real reveals how men can unearth their pain, heal themselves,
restore relationships, and break the legacy of abuse. He mixes penetrating analysis
with compelling tales of his patients and even his own experiences with depression
as the son of a violent, depressed father and the father of two young sons.
If You Think You Have Depression
(A Dell Mental Health Guide)
by Roger Granet, MD, Robin Levinson
Dell (1998)
How do you know when what you are experiencing is just a bad day or something more
serious? We all have our ups and downs depending on how our day or week is going.
The transition from bad day to rut to clinical depression can be gradual and leave
even the strongest person thinking, "What is wrong with me? I just have to
try harder! Why am I so lazy? Why can't I get out of bed?"
Clinical depression is a medical illness similar to pneumonia that even the strongest
person cannot overcome without treatment. Clinical depression is similar to heart
disease and cancer in that all of us are susceptible. If we have a family history
of one of these illnesses, our susceptibility increases. This explains how some
develop a clinical depression only after extraordinary stressors and others develop
clinical depression seemingly out of the blue. Clinical depression is a very common
illness that affects approximately 3-5% of the population at any one time. There
is a 20% chance of having an episode of clinical depression at some point in one's
life.
Robin Levinson and Roger Granet explore the latest information about depression,
including symptoms and treatments in their easy-to-use and comprehensive If You
Think You Have Depression: A Dell Guide to Mental Health.
The Depression Sourcebook
by Brian P. Quinn, PhD
McGraw-Hill; 2nd edition (2000)
The Depression Sourcebook is a complete guide to understanding mood disorders, including
what can be done to lessen symptoms and alleviate suspected causes. This revised
second edition provides new information on psychotherapy, bipolar disorders, depression
in children and elderly people, medicines, and treatment options such as exercise
and nutrition.
The Depression Workbook:
A Guide for Living with Depression and Manic Depression
by Mary Ellen Copeland, Matthew McKay PhD.
New Harbinger Publications; 2nd edition (2002)
This bestselling workbook provides interactive exercises that help readers take
responsibility for their own wellness and teach essential coping skills, such as
tracking and controlling moods, building a support system, increasing self-confidence
and self-esteem, avoiding conditions that can exacerbate mood swings, and using
relaxation, diet, and exercise to stabilize moods.
A major feature of the second edition is a new chapter that details a step-by-step
process to help readers develop their own plan for managing symptoms and staying
well. The second edition also contains an updated list of resources, including an
extensive list of helpful Web resources, as well as expanded material on specific
treatment strategies and updated resources for mental health professionals.
The Peace of Mind Prescription:
An Authoritative Guide to Finding the Most Effective Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
by Dennis Charney, Charles Nemeroff, Stephen R. Braun
Houghton Mifflin (2004)
Inspired by their work with patients and patient-advocacy groups, the psychiatrists
Dennis S. Charney and Charles B. Nemeroff are on a mission to help everyone get
the best treatment available. Stressing that any treatment must be tailored to the
individual, The Peace of Mind Prescription details the full array of medically approved
drugs and therapies, highlights the latest breakthroughs, and explores future possibilities.
It advocates treating most adults with a combination of psychotherapy and medicine
and confirms the link between serious anxiety and depression and physical diseases.
The authors examine the controversial question of treating children with medicine,
and they provide vital information specific to both sexes and all ages. The Peace
of Mind Prescription arms readers with resources to assess claims made for both
mainstream and alternative treatments. It features inspiring stories of patients
who have overcome their anxiety and depression disorders. Fresh, authoritative,
and empowering, this book is a prescription that can aid everyone in need.
Telling Is Risky Business:
The Experience of Mental Illness Stigma
by Otto F. Wahl
Rutgers University Press (1999)
In this book, Wahl (psychology, George Mason University) examines and summarizes
what mental health patients have to say about their experiences of stigma, with
the goal of increasing public and professional understanding.
Copyright © 2000 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR. All rights reserved.
Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
Evidence-Based Strategies, Tools, and Techniques
by Jayne L. Rygh, William C. Sanderson
The Guilford Press (2004)
This highly practical manual provides evidence-based tools and techniques for assessing
and treating clients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Proven cognitive-behavioral
interventions are described in rich, step-by-step detail, together with illustrative
case examples.
With an emphasis on both accountability and flexibility, the clinician is guided
to select from available options, weave them into individualized treatment plans,
and troubleshoot problems that may arise.
For those clients who do not respond well to CBT alone, the book also offers a chapter
on cutting-edge supplementary interventions that have shown promise in preliminary
clinical trials. Special features include a wealth of reproducible materials—over
25 client handouts and forms, assessment tools, and more—presented in a convenient
large-size format.
Willow Weep for Me:
A Black Woman's Journey Through Depression
by Meri Nana-Ama Danquah
One World/Ballantine (1999)
This moving memoir of an African-American woman's lifelong fight to identify and
overcome depression offers an inspirational story of healing and emergence. Wrapped
within Danquah's engaging account of this universal affliction is rare and insightful
testimony about what it means to be black, female, and battling depression in a
society that often idealizes black women as strong, nurturing caregivers. A startlingly
honest, elegantly rendered depiction of depression, Willow Weep for Me calls out
to all women who suffer in silence with a life-affirming message of recovery. Meri
Danquah rises from the pages, a true survivor, departing a world of darkness and
reclaiming her life.