Breaking Through Depression

When it comes to treating depression, one size definitely doesn't fit all. How do you find the science-based treatment that will work for you? What can you do to restore the fighting spirit and motivation that are so essential for overcoming this illness? Leading psychiatrist-researcher Jesse Wright and his daughter, Laura McCray, a family physician, have helped many thousands of depressed patients discover effective pathways to wellness. Here they describe powerful treatment tools and present a flexible menu of self-help strategies you can try today or turn to in the future. Dozens of easy-to-use worksheets and forms can be downloaded and printed from the companion Web page. Learn proven ways to break the cycle of negative thinking, restore energy and a sense of well-being, strengthen your relationships, and make informed decisions about medications. You can beat depression and keep your life headed in a positive direction. This book shows how.

Twenty to thirty million Americans suffer from some form of diagnosable depression, and their ranks are growing. Psychologist Michael D. Yapko explains that in order to find relief, more than the current episode of depression must be examined. In Breaking the Patterns of Depression, he presents skills that enable readers to understand and ultimately avert depression's recurring cycles. Focusing on future prevention as well as initial treatment, the book includes over one hundred structured activities to help sufferers learn the skills necessary to become and remain depression-free. Breaking the Patterns of Depression begins by translating the clinical literature on psychotherapy and antidepressant medication into language that can be used to enhance an understanding of depression, and to personalize individual cures. Yapko uses a conversational, anecdotal tone that encourages readers to take an active approach to helping themselves. Special sections entitled "Learn by Doing" and "Shifting Perspectives" help develop the skills necessary to manage difficult experiences. Readers learn how to solve problems effectively, anticipate the likely consequences of their actions, think and act in a direct, goal-oriented fashion, balance different areas of their lives, and use self-knowledge to stay out of harmful situations. More realistic and helpful than other depression-management books on the market, Breaking the Patterns of Depression defines what causes depression and, best of all, clarifies what can be done about it. With this knowledge in hand, readers can control their depression, rather than having depression control them.

If you’ve ever struggled with depression, take heart. Mindfulness, a simple yet powerful way of paying attention to your most difficult emotions and life experiences, can help you break the cycle of chronic unhappiness once and for all. In The Mindful Way through Depression, four uniquely qualified experts explain why our usual attempts to “think” our way out of a bad mood or just “snap out of it” lead us deeper into the downward spiral. Through insightful lessons drawn from both Eastern meditative traditions and cognitive therapy, they demonstrate how to sidestep the mental habits that lead to despair, including rumination and self-blame, so you can face life’s challenges with greater resilience. This e-book includes an audio program of guided meditations, narrated by Jon Kabat-Zinn, for purchasers to stream or download from the web. See also the authors' Mindful Way Workbook, which provides step-by-step guidance for building your mindfulness practice in 8 weeks. Plus, mental health professionals, see also the authors' bestselling therapy guide: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book of Merit

Mathilde Monaque developed severe depression when she was just 14. The eldest in a family of six and an exceptionally bright and gifted little girl, the discovery shook her family to the core. Trouble in My Head is Mathilde's tender and illuminating account of her struggle to surface from a disease that could have taken her life. With remarkable sensitivity and lucidity she describes her experience of depression, her days in the teenage hospital and her battle to conquer the disease. Mathilde's perspective as a sufferer of teenage depression is unique. Unlike adult depression which involves feelings of guilt, Mathilde describes teenage depression as a breaking down of certainties, the fear of being oneself, the fear of not loving and of not being loved. Adults and teenagers alike will find inspiration and insight in her touching and remarkable account.

Breaking the Slump is the story of baseball during the 1930s when the National Pastime came of age as a business, an entertainment, and a passion, and when the teams of the American and National Leagues fielded perhaps the greatest rosters in the history of the game. Whether as rookies, stars in their prime, or legends on the wane, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Dizzy Dean, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio all left their mark on the game and on the American imagination in the decade before America's entry into World War II. In one remarkable year, 1934, the entire starting lineup of the American League All-Stars consisted of future Hall of Famers. This surfeit of talent provided much-needed entertainment to a nation struggling through economic hardship on an enormous scale.

About 100 million Americans live with some form of chronic pain—more than the combined number who suffer from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. But chronic pain has always been a mystery. It often returns at the slightest provocation, even when doctors can't find anything wrong. Oddly enough, whether the pain is physical or emotional, traumatic or slight, our brains register all pain as the same thing, and these signals can keep firing in the nervous system for months, even years. In Total Recovery, Dr. Gary Kaplan argues that we've been thinking about disease all wrong. Drawing on dramatic patient stories and cutting-edge research, the book reveals that chronic physical and emotional pain are two sides of the same coin. New discoveries show that disease is not the result of a single event but an accumulation of traumas. Every injury, every infection, every toxin, and every emotional blow generates the same reaction: inflammation, activated by tiny cells in the brain, called microglia. Turned on too often from too many assaults, it can have a devastating cumulative effect. Conventional treatment for these conditions is focused on symptoms, not causes, and can leave patients locked into a lifetime of pain and suffering. Dr. Kaplan's unified theory of chronic pain and depression helps us understand not only the cause of these conditions but also the issues we must address to create a pathway to healing. With this revolutionary new framework in place, we have been given the keys to recover.

When your life looks perfect, but you’re silently falling apart… If you were raised to believe that painful emotions are a sign of weakness, or if being vulnerable has always made you feel unsafe, then you may have survived by creating a perfect-looking life—a life where you appear to be successful, engaged, and always there for others. The problem? You’re filled with self-criticism and shame, and you can’t allow yourself to express fear, anger, loss, or grief. You recognize something is wrong, but you’re not sure what exactly—only that you feel trapped and alone. If this sounds like you, you may have perfectly hidden depression (PHD). With this compassionate guide, you’ll begin the process of understanding your perfectionism, identifying destructive beliefs, and connecting with emotions suppressed for far too long. You’ll also find tangible tips for quieting that critical inner voice, and powerful strategies for coping with difficult feelings. Most importantly, you’ll learn that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. If you’re ready to stop hiding and start healing, this groundbreaking book will guide you—every imperfect step of the way.

“A thorough, up-to-date, and upbeat introduction to current scientific thinking about mood disorders and their treatment. An important resource for patients and their families—and for anyone curious about progress in psychiatric research."―Peter D. Kramer, Listening to Prozac This inspiring exploration of the recent advances in depression research and treatment shares new methods that offer promising paths to wellness. Breaking Through Depression explores how the anatomy of the brain and the biochemistry of nerve impulses play a major role in how we view ourselves and the world. Drawing from his long-term research, Dr. Philip W. Gold makes the case for depression arising at the intersection of genetic vulnerability with stressful, disturbing life experiences that get encoded in our emotional memory. Breaking Through Depression will delve into the interplay between our anatomy and our lived experiences as the key to understanding why there are such individual differences in how we make connections with others, deal with adversity, or recover from trauma. More importantly, Dr. Gold reveals the latest breakthroughs that can heal people struggling with depression, including: The FDA has fast-tracked Psilocybin and Ketamine as anti-depressant treatments, which cause immediate improvement in depressive symptoms. Low-energy lasers have been developed that can stimulate these areas directly and painlessly to relieve symptoms in treatment-resistant patients suffering from major depression. Scientists are developing genetically ‘thumbprinted' antidepressants that can be individually tailored to match a person's DNA increasing their effectiveness. Inflammation in the body and the brain is a prominent component of depressive illness, to the point that anti-inflammatory agents are useful in the treatment of depression. Incredible progress with gene therapy including a treatment overcoming the BDNF gene mutation that interferes with resiliency, promotes vulnerability to depression, and inhibits the capacity of antidepressants to work effectively. These are just a few of the fascinating new developments explored in Breaking Through Depression and the many reasons for hope that Dr. Gold shares in this groundbreaking book.

For the millions who struggle with depression and those who support them--an inspiring exploration of the recent advances and remarkable new methods that offer promising paths to wellness. BREAKING THROUGH DEPRESSION explores how the anatomy of the brain and the biochemistry of nerve impulses play a major role in how we view ourselves and the world. Drawing from his long-term research, Dr. Philip Gold makes the case for depression arising at the intersection of genetic vulnerability with stressful, disturbing life experiences that get encoded in our emotional memory. BREAKING THROUGH DEPRESSION will delve into the interplay between our anatomy and our lived experiences as the key to understanding why there are such individual differences in how we make connections with others, deal with adversity, or recover from trauma. More importantly, Dr. Gold reveals the latest breakthroughs that can heal people struggling with depression, including: The FDA has fast-tracked Psilocybin and Ketamine as an anti-depressant treatments, which cause immediate improvement in depressive symptoms. Low-energy lasers have been developed that can stimulate these areas directly and painlessly to relieve symptoms in treatment-resistant patients suffering from major depression. Scientists are developing genetically 'thumbprinted' antidepressants that can be individually tailored to match a person's DNA increasing their effectiveness. Inflammation in the body and the brain is a prominent component of depressive illness, to the point that anti-inflammatory agents are useful in the treatment of depression. Incredible progress with gene therapy including a treatment overcoming the BDNF gene mutation that interferes with resiliency, promotes vulnerability to depression, and inhibits the capacity of antidepressants to work effectively. These are just a few of the fascinating new developments explored in BREAKING THROUGH DEPRESSION and the many reasons for hope that Dr. Gold shares in this groundbreaking book.