Practical, day-to-day ways to manage your depression. Some call it the blues or a storm in their head. William Styron referred to it as "darkness visible." Whatever the description, depression is a disorder of the mind and body that affects millions of adults at some point in their lives. In Take Control of Your Depression, Dr. Susan J. Noonan provides people experiencing depression with strategies to take stock of their mental state, to chart a course toward emotional balance, and to track their progress on the journey to well-being. Writing from her personal experience as both a recipient and a provider of mental health services, Dr. Noonan explains how to obtain care from professionals, outlines what medical options are available, and lists everyday things people can do to feel better. Integrating medicine, psychology, and holistic care while exploring the basics of mental health, she touches on diet, sleep habits, physical activity, and mindfulness techniques. This useful and compassionate workbook, which is specifically designed for people who find it difficult to focus and concentrate during a depressive episode, includes • proven relapse prevention and resilience techniques • targeted cognitive exercises • daily worksheets that can be used to track your progress and response to therapy • the fundamentals of Cognitive Behavior Therapy • advice on dealing with family and friends • guidance from remarkable people on depression • a discussion of how technology and social media can be used to manage well-being • a section on treatment-resistant depression • specialized tips aimed at women, men, adolescents, the elderly, and people dealing with chronic illness The only workbook on depression that combines a discussion of medical options, talk therapy techniques, and established self-help strategies, Take Control of Your Depression empowers individuals to participate in their own care, which offers them a better chance of recovery and of staying well. Praise for Other Books by Susan J. Noonan "This practical and compassionate handbook is perfectly suited to individuals living with depression: in accessible language, it offers firm, specific advice and quick cognitive tests and self-assessment metrics that even those in the deepest of doldrums will find helpful and relevant . . . a valuable volume for those suffering from depression, as well as for loved ones who are fighting the fight by their side."—Publisher's Weekly "From defining a baseline of depression to charting moods and preventing relapses, this workbook is a top pick for any depression sufferer!"—Reference and Research Book News "This practical guide is an important contribution to the growing genre of self-help works on this topic."—Library Journal "This text is a much-needed addition to mental health literature, as depression is stigmatized and few understand how to support friends and loved ones who frequently do not obtain help on their own."—American Reference Books Annual "This book offers useful insight for any health professional working within mental health . . . It is of enormous value to the layperson, hungry for knowledge about how best to interact and help their loved one face the dreadful ravages of depression."—Nursing Times

As a physician who personally suffers from depression, Susan J. Noonan draws on her own expertise and empathy to create a guide for people who suffer from the disease. Explaining the basics of mental health—including sleep hygiene, diet and nutrition, exercise, routine and structure, and avoiding isolation— Managing Your Depression empowers people to participate in their own care, offering them a better chance of getting, and staying, well. Noonan’s depression management strategies draw on the best available educational resources, psychoeducational programs, seminars, expert health care providers, and patient experiences. The book is specifically designed to be highly readable for people who are finding it difficult to focus and concentrate during an episode of depression. Cognitive exercises and daily worksheets help track progress and response to therapy and provide valuable information for making treatment decisions. A relapsing and remitting condition, depression affects nearly 15 percent of people in the United States. Managing Your Depression will bring depression management strategies to people who do not have access to mental health programs or who want to learn new skills. -- Francis M. Mondimore, M.D., The Johns Hopkins Hospital

The Great Depression and the New Deal. For generations, the collective American consciousness has believed that the former ruined the country and the latter saved it. Endless praise has been heaped upon President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for masterfully reining in the Depression’s destructive effects and propping up the country on his New Deal platform. In fact, FDR has achieved mythical status in American history and is considered to be, along with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents of all time. But would the Great Depression have been so catastrophic had the New Deal never been implemented? In FDR’s Folly, historian Jim Powell argues that it was in fact the New Deal itself, with its shortsighted programs, that deepened the Great Depression, swelled the federal government, and prevented the country from turning around quickly. You’ll discover in alarming detail how FDR’s federal programs hurt America more than helped it, with effects we still feel today, including: • How Social Security actually increased unemployment • How higher taxes undermined good businesses • How new labor laws threw people out of work • And much more This groundbreaking book pulls back the shroud of awe and the cloak of time enveloping FDR to prove convincingly how flawed his economic policies actually were, despite his good intentions and the astounding intellect of his circle of advisers. In today’s turbulent domestic and global environment, eerily similar to that of the 1930s, it’s more important than ever before to uncover and understand the truth of our history, lest we be doomed to repeat it.

Depression is the world’s most common mood disorder, and it is spreading like a viral contagion. You can’t catch depression in the same way you catch a cold, but the latest research provides overwhelming support that moods spread through social conditions, defining depression as more a social problem than a medical illness. Our social lives directly shape our brain chemistry and powerfully affect the way we think and feel—and our brains can change for the better with healthy social circumstances as much as they can change with medication. Drugs may address some of depression’s symptoms, but Dr. Yapko convincingly argues that we need to treat depression at its root, by building social skills and improving relationships, in order to halt the spread of this debilitating disorder. Filled with practical exercises and illustrative examples, his groundbreaking plan guides readers to identify key social patterns that reinforce depression so they can learn the skills to overcome depression and even prevent new episodes from occurring. Provocative and controversial as well as prescriptive and hopeful, Depression Is Contagious investigates the social phenomenon of depression’s epidemic-like spread while offering a more realistic road to recovery.

This book represents one of the last contributions of Neil Jacobson to the study of depression. At the time of his death he, Christopher Martell, and Michael Addis had just begun writing. In fact, they had spent several years discussing behavioral approaches to treating depression and had been collaborating on one of the largest clinical trials for depression comparing behavioral activation to cognitive therapy and medication. Preliminary findings suggest that treating depression by helping to activate people (behavioral activation) is just as effective as helping them to change their thinking (cognitive therapy). Behavioral activation is a positive approach to treating depression. Within this framework, the therapist helps clients to see depression not as something inside of them but as a natural consequence of the way they cope with the shifting contexts of daily life. There is no search for mental illness, skill deficits or distortions in thinking. Rather, the therapist coaches the client to engage in activities that will lead to a more rewarding life. This book is arranged in three parts. Part I reviews theories of depression and various treatments for depression, particularly pharmacological treatments, cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. Part II describes the behavioral activation treatment approach and provides ample case transcript material. Part III looks at problems that can arise in therapy and at future opportunities for the use of behavioral activation.

Depression is a widespread condition affecting approximately 7.5 million parents in the U.S. each year and may be putting at least 15 million children at risk for adverse health outcomes. Based on evidentiary studies, major depression in either parent can interfere with parenting quality and increase the risk of children developing mental, behavioral and social problems. Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children highlights disparities in the prevalence, identification, treatment, and prevention of parental depression among different sociodemographic populations. It also outlines strategies for effective intervention and identifies the need for a more interdisciplinary approach that takes biological, psychological, behavioral, interpersonal, and social contexts into consideration. A major challenge to the effective management of parental depression is developing a treatment and prevention strategy that can be introduced within a two-generation framework, conducive for parents and their children. Thus far, both the federal and state response to the problem has been fragmented, poorly funded, and lacking proper oversight. This study examines options for widespread implementation of best practices as well as strategies that can be effective in diverse service settings for diverse populations of children and their families. The delivery of adequate screening and successful detection and treatment of a depressive illness and prevention of its effects on parenting and the health of children is a formidable challenge to modern health care systems. This study offers seven solid recommendations designed to increase awareness about and remove barriers to care for both the depressed adult and prevention of effects in the child. The report will be of particular interest to federal health officers, mental and behavioral health providers in diverse parts of health care delivery systems, health policy staff, state legislators, and the general public.