In any given year, 10 percent of the population - or about 21 million people - suffers from a depressive disorder. Most do not seek professional help although the great majority could find relief with treatment. And that not only causes hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic costs annually from work slowdown and accidents to illnesses and suicides, the wider picture is that depression hurts not only the person at issue, but millions more who are family members or other loved ones. The problem has become so pervasive yet often ignored that a major pharmaceutical company has launched commercials focused on informing the public that depression hurts, everywhere, and can surface not only as psychological aches but also physical pains and illness. This book offers a one-stop source that explains the history, increasing incidence, diagnosis, costs, treatment, and many faces of depression across ages, gender, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic group, and sexual identity. Every chapter includes vignettes and interviews to illustrate the topic and main points. Treatment approaches and success rates are discussed, as are the meanings and myths applied to this common disorder. Current and emerging research, and treatments on the horizon, are also spotlighted.

This 2019 edition of Beyond the Blues contains the most current pregnancy and postpartum resources for prevention and treatment of mental health challenges for all parents. Updated information and research about medications, as well as complementary and alternative options are included. Direct and compassionate, it is required reading for those suffering before or after the baby is born and for all professionals working with them. “An indispensable guide to understanding and treating prenatal and postpartum depression. This book is a gift not only to healthcare providers but also to family and friends of mothers suffering from these devastating perinatal mood disorders.” —Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN Professor, University of Connecticut, School of Nursing Coauthor of Postpartum Depression Screening Scale “In Beyond the Blues, Bennett and Indman offer a compact yet surprisingly comprehensive manual on prenatal and postpartum depression. Readable and practical, they systematically address screening and assessment, finding a therapist, myths about nursing and bonding, and treatment. Interesting and helpful are suggestions for family and friends. For health professionals, there is detailed diagnostic and treatment information. Beyond the Blues is a quick read with an easy-to-handle format. Recommended for consumer health and health sciences collections.” —Library Journal “This book will be of great help for both women and their health care providers, providing information on all aspects of depression in pregnancy and in the post-postpartum, including safety/risk of medication therapy.” —Adrienne Einarson RN Assistant Director, The Motherisk Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada “Take prenatal vitamins for the baby, but for the long-term health of the mother, this is a must read for both her and her doctor.” —Timothy A. Leach, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. OB/GYN, San Ramon Regional Medical Center, John Muir Medical Center

Based on the latest scientific findings, a comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and treatment of teenage depression. Each year thousands of American teenagers are diagnosed with clinical depression. If ignored, poorly treated, or left untreated, it can be a devastating illness for adolescents and their families. Drawing on her many years of experience as a pychiatrist working with teenagers, Dr. Maureen Empfield answers the questions parents and teens have about depression, providing detailed information on: *Identifying the different types of depression *How depression is diagnosed *Which teenagers are most at risk *Suicide *The effect of depression on other teenage problems *How depression is treated and by whom *The drugs used to treat teenage depression - what they are and how they work *When a teenager needs to be hospitalized for depression *and more Understanding Teenage Depression provides the latest scientific findings on this serious condition, and the most up to date information on its treatment. The book includes numerous vignettes drawn from Dr. Empfield's clinical practice as well as first person accounts from teenagers who have themselves suffered from depression. Understanding Teenage Depression is a book that anyone who's been touched by this disease - whether parents, teachers, family members or teens themselves - will find invaluable.

This book, in two volumes, focuses on contemporary issues and dilemmas in relation to depression. The aim is to equip readers with an up-to-date understanding of the clinical and neurobiological underpinnings of depression, the clinical manifestations, and the development of more effective treatments. This second volume is devoted specifically to clinical and management issues. Readers will find detailed information on a wide range of frequently encountered and more complicated clinical presentations, with examination of risk factors and links to other conditions. Diagnostic aspects, including progress toward biological classification and the role of neuroimaging, are explored. Current trends in therapy are examined at length, drawing on the latest evidence and covering not only antidepressant medications but also the roles of neurostimulation, combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and complementary and alternative medicine. The companion volume is dedicated to the underlying biomedical and neurobiological basis of depression. Understanding Depression will be an excellent source of information for both researchers and practitioners in the field.

The long-awaited, revised, and expanded second edition of this definitive and readable book is available to a new generation of those struggling with depression and their families.

What does it really mean to be depressed? You know depression as a collection of symptoms-fatigue, listlessness, feelings of worthlessness-and the source of more than a little pain. But depression is also a signal that something in your life is wrong and needs to be healed. Too often, though, we try to cut off or numb our feelings of depression instead of listening carefully to what they are telling us about our lives. Listening to Depression offers insightful ways to reframe depression as a gift that can help you transform your life for the better. Each chapter discusses a different aspect of depression as positive opportunity for growth or change. Depression can be the start of a reorientation in life, a step in the search for meaning, or a chance for letting go of hurtful aspects of the self. It can also be a chance to deal with grief and loss and learn to expand your potential. The book concludes with a section of advice about when it is important to defend against depression and how best to go about it when the need arises.