Depression Books

I've read many, books from Buddhism, to self help books, to motivational books and so forth. All have something positive to offer, but in dealing with my own depression, nothing has come close to this book - it's like the saying 'free your mind.' I am absolutely astonished at how incredible the information and exercises work. This has been the single most important book for my well being I've ever read. Simply read a few paragraphs and you will understand. This is a highly researched book with concrete information written in the easiest understandable way. Dr.Westermeyer has a gift and he has given this gift to the world and the result for me is happiness and peace! Aside from the funny name and cover art 'which perhaps is a way to lighten up a little on the nature of the subject, it is absolutely a tremendous force. I also believe that anyone can benefit form the information in this book, it just helps get all the negative, toxic junk out of your mind, so you can focus on being happy and living a productive life!

Kicking Depression's Ugly Butt by licensed psychologist Robert Westermeyer is a self-help guide that embraces a "divide and conquer" approach to overcoming depression. Offering strategies based on research in clinical psychology, Kicking Depression's Ugly Butt offers an in-depth explanation of why depression endures, and dozens of techniques to increase personal resiliance against it. Simple illustrations vividly drive home the points and recommendations throughout, and an inset section of laminated coping cards that can be cut and carred in one's wallet or pocket for quick reference when in need round out this plain-talking, myth-busing, highly recommended coping guide.

Written by a professional, licensed, practicing psychologist with a PhD and considerable experience in the field. The author, Dr. Westermeyer, lives in Southern California.

Depression is one of the most devastating mental problems facing our population. Two of my brothers died because of it, through depression induced suicide. It is not uncommon in families, many of whom, like mine, are genetically disposed to bi-polarism (which used to be called 'manic depression.')

We are not talking here about simply 'feeling down' because of some external event, which will go away when the environment changes, but depression. Clinical depression.

I am not so afflicted, but it has impacted me, and I understand how serious it can be. You are not going to talk the afflicted out of it. But there is more than one reason for depression, just as there are multiple clinical approaches to it. It is often addressed today, by licensed, trained professionals like this author, chemically, among other approaches. There are drugs today to uplift the spirits and quell the disease, for it can be the result of disease. It can be a neurosis, or it can be a psychosis.

But, understanding helps, and self-help books, like this one, written by people who know what they are talking about, can be very useful, not only for the depressed person, but for the resource people around them who might aim them at the help they so desperately need. It is important, though, if you have recurrent, serious depression, however, to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

KICKING DEPRESSION'S UGLY BUTT - Tried and True Methods for Outsmarting Depression by Robert Westermeyer, Ph.D. Quick Publishing. 2004. 206+xiii pp. illustrations, charts, removable "coping cards".

Westermeyer writes in a down-to-earth, good-humored style that helps individuals to understand their depression and work their way out of it, thus ending the cycle perpetuating depression and drawing those who suffer from it deeper into it. What Westermeyer's book accomplishes is giving an individual a perspective on depression, thus helping her or him to see that it need not be all-consuming. Once realizing this, an individual can begin to gain control over depression. Along with this perspective, the author relates various proven techniques enabling one to cope with depression, and over time overcome it.
Westermeyer's approach to working with individuals suffering from depression has been introduced to some medical facilities, and the author has been recognized by other professionals in the field for his work in this type of treatment of depression. In Westermeyer's treatment, "patients are expected to practice [the] skills and by so doing, treat their depression." In this innovative and effective treatment, depressed individuals are regarded more as collaborators with the psychologist or other medical professional than as patients in the traditional sense. This largely self-help approach Westermeyer relates is appealing to today's public with an interest in taking charge of their own health problems as well as the medical profession's adjustments to work more closely with patients as individuals who can play a major part in remedying their ailments.
Keeping a journal, analysis of thoughts, social activities, motivation, and ways of keeping depression from recurring are among the topics included to help individuals learn how to get the upper hand on their depression. Westermeyer's well-paced, reader-friendly style is not only instructive, but also encouraging to the reader. It is apparent he is concerned about the reader's depression, and is sympathetically reaching out with advice and techniques he has seen alleviate depression in his own extensive experience. The recognition that the individual is the most important agent in dealing effectively with a depression extends to the inclusion of removable laminated "Cognitive Coping Cards" at the back of the book for an individual to carry with him or her to review in developing the beneficial perspective or refer to when experiencing a severe mood associated with depression.

This book is clear, well-written and very readable. For the first time, I understand the hope my parents must have had when they migrated to Los Angeles in 1957.

Recently, I was speaking to 20-somethings about my mom's yearning to attend high school since here Louisiana hometown did not have a school for her. Slack-jawed, they marveled that someone still alive would have experienced these acts that they thought were in the distant past.

This should be required reading for all Californians.

_L.A. City Limits_ documents the history of black migration to Southern California, starting from the 1920's. Blacks, fleeing racism in the South and other parts of the US, believed that California would be free of these problems.

Although free from the Jim Crow of the South (people could sit anywhere they wanted to on the bus, or be served in most stores without problems), the three big problems blacks ran into in Southern California were:

1. Employment discrimination. Blacks weren't hired, or if they were, were stuck in the most menial, undesirable jobs. White co-workers, and unions were often more of an obstacle to black employment than the companies themselves.

2. Housing discrimination. With few exceptions, blacks were only allowed to move into South Central LA and Watts. A variety of legal and illegal means were used to keep them out of other parts of Los Angeles, or the suburbs. Even nearby cities like Compton and Lynwood would not see that many blacks until later....

(Related to the above was transportation availability--as the suburbs developed, jobs moved there. People in Watts without a car were at a clear disadvantage, as the bus service was inadequate for reaching these suburbs)

3. in Los Angeles, unlike the South or Midwest, Mexicans competed with blacks for the lower level jobs. The level of discrimination they faced, as compared with that faced by blacks, varied (sometimes much less, sometimes a lot more). Throughout the time scale of the book, the author compares the Mexican experience with the African-American one.

The book provides good coverage of the 1920's and 30's, the war years, and all the way up through the 1965 Watts riots and their aftermath. It tends to lose steam, though, when describing events after the mid-70's.

This is a great book. A special book. Here's why:

Josh Sides has given Los Angeles the kind of racial history that Mike Davis brought to bear on our popular image of the city and the kind of countervailing narrative that Chester Himes might have appreciated. This book's detailed look at Los Angeles shows us how the city's racial texture has changed, but it is also concerned to challenge how lazy we have all become in habitually characterizing racial LA as a city that can be reduced to the Watts Riots, OJ, gang violence, and Rodney King. As Sides tells the story, Los Angeles presents with a genuinely American paradox. Its racial story is a narrative of strife and difficulty, but it is also one of success and hope that rivals any other city's in the United States.

This book is perfectly readable, and it leaves you wondering how we can all think more carefully about what is actually happening in America, beneath easy stereotypes and lazy, stock media representations of race.

Well researched, written, accessible, and informative.
Useful to anyone interested in LA history, African-American history, and urban studies. A good book for undergrads, too.

This book is first and foremost a great adventure and coming of age story, but it is also a glimpse into another era in American history. Much like Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Hofvendahl's account takes us back to a time that few living people still remember, and one cannot help but compare and contrast it to the America of today. If you're ready for a little armchair adventuring, this is a great read!

With the folks who came of age during the Depression shrinking in ranks these days this story is so important. Ordinary people led extraordinary lives not because they were thrillseekers so much as they were doing what was necessary to survive and had accidental adventures along the way. This colorful story will captivate you and is a great history lesson as well. I read it during a blizzard and was thrilled that I was unable to go anywhere so I could keep enjoying the story.

Mr. Hofvendahl's reminiscences are the best I've read. Steinbeck traveled with Charley during the final years of the writer's life. Least Heat Moon took to the highways because of a mid-life crisis. Both works were less about the authors and more about observing the land and the people. Even Kerouac's time on the road was less a time of discovery than of social commentary. Not so with Hofvendahl. Here is a young man -- less than two decades into his life -- filled with a desire to experience new things in a pre-war era most of us never knew.

Writing 50 years after the events took place, Hofvendahl's style is crisp. His ability (as an older adult) to convey the youthful enthusiasm of a teenager is wonderful. The work is an observation of people and places, but it is also an account of Hofvendahl's own coming of age.

Taken from one of the era's songs of life on road, "A Land so Fair and Bright" is terrific. Think "Summer of 42" meets "Blue Highways" and you'll get the picture.

Mr. Hofvendahl is a masterful writer who describes an extended summer of his distant youth with a foot-on-the-pavement jolt adorned with powder blue images of a summer sky. The book conveys the fear and cold of a lonely road as well as the warmth of good-hearted people that he met during his travel. It is a grand sequel to his first book, Hard on the Wind, which told of his earlier adventure on a four-masted schooner on the Bering Sea off Alaska's coast.

I was given Eugene Curnow's book for a birthday gift... So, book in hand, I took off for the beach to see what it was all about. Unfortunately for my husband who wanted to take a good nap, he was repeatedly interrupted so that I could read bits and pieces from the book to him. Both He and I were laughing, chuckling, and enjoying what I read. Dr. Curnow is a delightful story-teller, and details a life that is amazing, hilarious, full of action, and poignant. My only complaint is that it ended all too soon!

Gene Curnow has done an excellent job writing scenes from his life as scenes, not just summaries, as we so often see in less competent memoirs. He has obviously studied what it takes to keep reader interest and combines the vivid content of his life with well-honed writing skills to deliver a fast-paced, action-packed, and so very often humorous life story. He is a man who has also thought deeply about life and death and what makes for a life of conscience and integrity. His fine character shines through every page.
As a college literature instructor, I recommend this book for anyone teaching a class around the genre of World War II Veteran memoirs.

I couldn't put the book down. Every chapter was a new adventure. You just don't read the book...you experience it. From the early days at 15, hopping a freight train with his cousin to travel over 1,000 miles to see their grandmother in Oregon to his bone chilling experiences as a Navy medical corpsman attached to the Marines on Iwo Jima.
After the service, he fell in love and was married. Using the GI bill, he went back to school to became a veterinarian. I especially enjoyed the chapter entitled "A Tribute to Spotty".
Like it says at the back of the book, this book is about life. A story that makes you believe that you too can be successful by utilizing the resources that are available. It is truly an inspirational book about life. A book that you cannot put down. This book is memories "that echo from a distant past". It is great reading for all ages.

When reading this autobiography I felt I was there with him at Iwo Jima and suffered along with him. This book is an incredible journey of a life that is filled with adventure and excitement told by an exceptional storyteller. This is a must read for anyone. Eugene Curnow is an exceptional person with a unique grasp of humanity and life. Don't miss reading this one.

I love this little book. I bought one for myself and one of my girlfriends. I carry the book with me every where. If you are single and still praying on the right man you might want to pick this little book up.

I bought this book because I felt I needed to be reminded of God's word for single christians and Kim hit the nail on the head!!! Outstanding job!! I plan to use this in my single retreats!!

Kimberley Brooks captures the thoughts and hearts of singles in her book, "The Little Black Survival Book for Single Saints". This pocket-sized, power-packed book deals with the honest feelings of singles and provides biblical scripture to stand on. Instead of giving in to sexual temptation, grab this book! A great gift for yourself and for others.

The author of this little black book is very open and down to earth. I keep the book in my purse and read whenever I have some spare time or even when I am tempted. She "keeps it real" as well as references scriptures. This is a must hve for any single saint. It would be a great Christmas gift, too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, little book. I picked it up expecting to read a few pages and put it down for later; however, I became so charmed and absorbed I read the entire book in one sitting. It was one of the most delightful afternoons I'd spent in a long time. Bob's keen sense of irony, his wit and his recollection of details make each story in this wonderful book fresh and delightful. I will read it again and highly recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Many of the experiences described by the author rekindled long forgotten memories of my own growing up ... which in many ways paralleled those recalled in "Lone Tree". Perhaps a touch of adversity is is a vital ingredient in shaping our character.

I enjoyed it. Would have liked to see a bit more of Bob's humor come through.

Bob's charm, authenticity, and puns with a punch will delight you.
His nostalgic nuances will transport you back to lazy day times when
a picnic lunch under a huge oak tree was all that mattered. Like a tire swing dangling over the meandering river, his stories sweetly becon to drop you off into cool water memories of days gone by. Move over Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, it's Bob's turn to grin and spin a few yarns!

I checked this book out from the library. When my 8 year old read the title she said, "That's me! That sounds like me!" It spells things out for you, offers advice, and points out things that you didn't realize were being effected. ie: relationship with spouse being effected, being the sibling of a depressed (difficult) child, etc.
Oh, and we bought a sun lamp. Boy did that help her moods!

Not only has this book been helpful but it arrived sooner and in better condition than I had expected.

As a parent if you see any of the lonely, sad or angry behaviors in your child this is a great book to add to the shelf. Reading it early on could help you help your child in getting through these rough and tough times of life. This is a book that I am going to pass around to teachers and relatives to read before bringing it back to my shelf as a reference. It is comprehensive as well as easy to read and understand about what the child and family are experiecing. Let it be an impressive key to help dispell the myths about childhood depression and get them the medical help, and family support they truly deserve. Our child has great frustrations due to learning difficulties so the self-esteem issue is always under fire. It is a daily battle to keep a child like this on the positive side of life.

I've read it cover to cover, and will keep it on the shelf as a reference, and give one to the school, and buy a copy to loan out to friends. When you instinctively know something is wrong for your child, you face these huge questions: Is there something so wrong that he "needs professional help"? How do I explain what is wrong? Are they going to want to give him drugs? Are we doing something wrong at home? This book explains different types of depression and other mood disorders and also describes how various symptoms look in children, and even different at different ages. It explains different types of treatment options objectively so YOU can figure out where to start to understand and help your child. Unexpectedly, it has also explained some parts of my own childhood; didn't change anything for me now, just makes more sense. But MOST importantly, now I think I can help my son.

Este libro te establece y refuerza los hábitos con los que podemos apreder a ser felices, aún pasaNdo tribulaciones y experiencias te puedes mantener feliz para toda la VIDA

CURIOSA... ¡Qué sorpresa !
Jamas habria creido que llegar a la cumbre de la FELICIDAD ES TAN SIMPLE Y QUE SE APRENDE CON UNOS CUANTOS HABITOS SENCILLISIMOS !

ESTE LIBRO VALE MAS QUE EL ORO !

habiendo sido una mujer melancolica siempre, me convencì de aceptar la filosofia de este libro... ¿y que creen?
No solo estoy feliz.. ¡hasta encontré novio y me caso en septiembre !

ES UNA COSTUMBRE... Y este libro establece y refuerza los hábitos con los que podemmos aprender a SER FELICES PARA SIEMPRE !

The audio is relaxing. I listen to it in my car driving to work in the traffic and it takes the edge. I believe in subliminals. You've got to be willing to be open minded though.

I got results from this cd about 1 week of hearing it (but I kept on listening nightly for months- even now). I began just feeling happier. I did not dwell on the negative as much. Worries came up but I knew things would be ok in the end.
People started commenting about me smiling more in about 1 to 2 months of listening. Now about 5 months later, people comment a lot on my sunny diposition and even temper. Considering that I came out of a two month coma years ago, which included heart surgery and a buffet of emotional problems, I would say this subliminal CD is great food for the subconscious mind.

I have been listening to subliminals for years and found this one to work -- not only very well but very quickly. The music is beautiful and I found that within days my attitude and outlook improved and have continued to do so.

When a friend suggested I try this cd, I did, partially to humor her and also with just a little curiosity. I've been stuck in a rut, and not very happy about it, but unable to muster up the energy or motiviation to do anything about this.

I started listening to the cd on my way to work every morning - the music is nice and so I didn't mind giving it a few days trial. After the first morning I found myself walking with a lighter step, more optimistic and less bothered by trivial things. I've taken to listening to it on a regular basis, and have discovered my "old self" again. Even my coworkers who know nothing about this cd have commented on how much happier I am. I've actually taken active steps to improve my social life and meet new friends for the first time in years and am getting the rest of my life organized at last. It seems a little hard to believe, even to me, but I have to credit the cd and the messages buried in it for my improved outlook on life.

I can't explain why this has worked, but it has, and I highly recommend it! Next I'm going to try the fitness and weight loss cd. *g*

The set I got was from 2006 so it is a little dated but the info is the important part. I have been doing the lessions for about a month and I have learned so much about myself and how to change the way we think to be happy and positive. It really works and is worth the money. I was reluctant to shell out the money at first, but it really opens your eyes, and shows you the way out of Anxiety and Depression. Good luck.

I found this program to be extremely helpful. Alot of great information. Covers everything from eating correctly, dealing with obsessive scary thoughts, cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, and dealing with guilt among many other topics. The midwest center also has a free web sites where you can post messages and get helpful hints from others going through the program at www.stresscenter.com. I can't say enough about this program. It really changed my life.

My own personal observations about this program are:

*It's worth the price
*It really works
*It can change your live, as it has changed mine.

I had panic attacks and anxiety in my 20's and bought the tape version of this program in the late 90s. I used it to cure my panic attacks, and learn how to calm anxiety.

A lot of the tips could also be used for depression or anger. In fact, there are individual sections on anger and depression.

I gave my program to a friend after I was done with it, and he enjoyed it, too. It's a really good way to deal with your emotional and social needs, if you have anxiety, depression, or anger, and help someone out when you have outgrown the program yourself.

I've been thinking about buying a copy again, because it seems like it's time to brush up on the essentials. But just looking at the program headers, I can visualize what she said, and I almost don't need to.

No complaints here, it's helped me about 100% through my life, and I'm glad to have been of help to someone else.

Lucinda Bassette's Program is quite impressive. Bassett is the CEO of the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety. She speaks often of her own health situation which prompted the book and she does have guidance from other experts. If you are ordering the set from the company, it varies with cassettes, DVDs, CDs, or Videos. So, if you purchase an item from a seller on Amazon, know what you are getting. The sessions include;

Lesson 1: Symptoms, Causes and Fears
Lesson 2: Six Steps That will Put a Stop to Anxiety Attacks
Lesson 3: Self-Talk, Key to Healthy Esteem
Lesson 4: Expectations, Expect Less & Get More

Lesson 5: Eat & Diet to Rid Yourself of Anxiety & Depression
Lesson 6: Stop Being Angry & Control Your Mood Swings
Lesson 7: Assertive Behavior, Speak Confidently and Gain Respect
Lesson 8: Put An End to What If Thinking
Lesson 9: Get Off the Guilt & Worry Treadmill
Lesson 10: How To Stop Obsessive, Scary Thoughts

Lesson 11: Anx & Dep, The Truth About Medication and Alcohol
Lesson 12: The Courage to Change
Lesson 13: Time Management 12 Steps Toward a Balanced Life
Lesson 14: How To Keep Stress From Becoming Anxiety
Lesson 15: Getting Beyond a Growth Spurt.
Relaxation CD

Each CD has average 20 minutes of Objectives; about 30 min of Group Session and few minutes on Summary.

The Book is very helpful with plenty of text and study guides, insightful information into what lurks behind depression and anxiety. This program will take some comittment, as one didn't get anxiety and depression overnight, the healing will not be overnight.

There are cards that you can carry with you for extra coaching. Many times she does allow patients to speak and sometime it may not be all for you to listen, but these are examples that may always fit someone.

There is a program by Lucinda Bassett that does cover just the ANXIETY if you feel that is something you need to focus on.

I have listened to this as an aid for a few people, and I am impressed by the text and her entire program. ....MzRizz