Depression Books

In my opinion, there are four post-12-step classics: Marlatt's "Harm Reduction," Peele's "Diseasing of America," Miller & Rollnick's "Motivational Interviewing," and Tatarsky's "Harm Reduction Psychotherapy." My suggestion - buy all four, read all four.

Marlatt's "Harm Reduction" is a historically first (if I am not mistaken) overview of harm reduction paradigm. Peele's "Diseasing of America" is an intense but poignant critique of the 12-step "recovery industry." Miller & Rollnick's "Motivational Interviwing" is a primer on harnessing pseudo-resistance and leveraging motivation for change. Tatarsky's "Harm Reduction Psychotherapy" is a straight-forward harm reduction application book that starts its chapters from a panoramic bird's-eye view and then clinically bomb-dives into the application specifics.

The book consists of 10 chapters, each consists of a nuanced analysis of the issues at hand with a relevant and indepth case study. Like all harm-reduction literature the book bristles with humanistic courage: it meets the clients "really" where they are, it validates the existential and adaptive valence of substance use, it encourages a clinically "libertarian" stance of respecting clients' goals, it bridges harm reduction with psychoanalysis and cognitive-behavioral schools of thought, it humanizes the substance use population by debunking the preconceived notions and assumptions that still bias so many of the front-line substance use providers, and most importantly the book reminds us that harm reduction is nothing new, that, in essence, it is not a new paradigm but a return to the good ol' humanistic, non-reductionistic, non-oversimplifying, client-centered clinical stance.

I remember one of my first practicum sites. I was sharing - no, not an office wall, - a hallway with a Certified Addiction Counselor. This counselor, bless his good intentions, literally yelled and screamed at his clients loud enough for my own clients - across the hallway and behind the tightly shut door - to raise their brows. I don't mean to say that all CACs are like that. But this one - with Orwellian orthodoxy - was toeing a party line of abstinence with the cheer-leading vigor of the Volga bargemen, intoxicated with his own rightseousness...

Tatarsky's book offers the dichotomizing "preachers" of the 12 Steps a humanistic out - by recognizing a whole spectrum of grey in between the black and white extremes of Abuse-Abstinence continuum, substance use clinicians no longer have to yell - in frustration - that anything that isn't white must be therefore black. Tatarsky's book reminds us not to over-simplify the meaning of substance use and illustrates this point particularly well in Ch. 5: "Complex Problems Require Complex Solutions."

Tatarsky's "Harm Reduction Psychotherapy" is about that client-centered therapeutic silence that allows the clinician to tune in to the subtle winds of change that draft in between clients' pseudo-resistence responses.

As such, Tatarsky's book is a rehab for those who run rehabs!


Pavel Somov, Ph.D.
Author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, Nov. 2008) - a harm-reduction application to emotional eating; and author of "Recovery Equation: Motivational Enhancement/Choice Awareness/Use Prevention: an Innovative Clinical Curriculum for Susbstance Use Treatment (Booksurge, 2003).


http://www.eatingthemoment.com/logotherapy-addiction/
http://www.eatingthemoment.com/psychodrama-addiction/
www.drsomov.com

Those of us who struggle to control our own alcohol or drug use, or who live with someone who is trying to cut down or quit, may greet the harm reduction approach, persuasively presented by Dr. Andrew Tatarsky, as good news indeed. A practicing psychotherapist, Tatarsky is concerned with meeting clients "where they live": In the context of drug and alcohol abuse, this entails exploring the meanings these substances hold for the individual user and grounding the therapy in the process of self-discovery---rather than requiring abstinence from the outset, which is the traditional "one-size-fits-all" approach to counseling.

The book describes ten cases, each from a different therapist who practiced "harm reduction" in treating his or her client. Many readers will be both riveted and moved by the experience of peering into these intimate sessions. The stories are well told (if somewhat unevenly written), and their subjects come across as real people. Even more compelling is Tatarsky's framing commentary, which draws out the significance of each case: the complex interaction of personal and social factors that led this particular individual to seek meaning (liberation, escape, validation) in drug use.

As to alcohol abuse, which is a component in most of these case studies, the harm reduction approach is controversial in not prescribing an outcome from the start. It flies in the face of conventional wisdom, which holds that "problem drinkers" (read, alcoholics-in-the-making) lose control after just one or two drinks. The individuals portrayed so appealingly in this book are empowered by their therapists to explore the space between quitting altogether and drinking to excess. About half of them achieve stable moderation; the others discover for themselves that abstinence is the more comfortable and successful route to reducing the harm in their lives.

Readers who are not clinicians but worry about these matters will find fresh insights in this accessible introduction to harm reduction. Personal change is an intensely emotional journey best undertaken in the company of a wise therapist or caring support group. The book should be read by every psychotherapist, social worker, and counselor who deals with problems of substance abuse, directly or indirectly---that would be just about all of them. Then, they might wish to recommend the book to those of their clients who are ready for it. This layperson was able to identify with both clients and clinicians, engaged together in life-changing work.

Andrew Tatarsky and his contributors have brought the honesty, the sympathy, and the efficacy of harm reduction into the treatment of substance users, and it's about time!

"Just Say No" has failed 95% of drug users who seek treatment to have better control over their life and their substance use. It has failed them because drug use is not a disease, and abstinence is not a cure. Men and women (and young men and young women) use drugs for their benefits, although drugs, of all kinds --licit and illicit-- are not without their risks.

However the risk of developing a drug (and/or alcohol) problem does not derive solely from the drug. Tens of millions of people have had positive experiences with alcohol, marijuana, opiates, and psychydelic substances. Doesn't it make sense to identify what internal and what external factors cause a particular individual to suffer from a drug problem, rather than proclaiming drug use itself as a sickness.

Standard abstinence therapies and their institutions function by glorifying guilt, helplessness, and continuous self degradation. Standard abstinence therapy fails the overwhelming majority of people.

Tatarsky's book demonstrates, through well written and sympathetic case studies, another way to help people who have problems with their drug use, and it seems to be a better way. This book can make a huge difference in the lives of millions of people.

This book is wonderful. It gives me a new way to understand my clients struggling with abstinence from using substances. I love the case examples.

This book offers many gifts (not the least of which is lots of laughs!), but what I found so valuable is having my "not-okay-ness" validated and de-shamed (if that is a word.) We all want to be validated, accepted and know that we're OK, no matter what is going on with us. This book does that beautifully. I also like that fact that the author challenges the message that many people get from their church -- e.g. "If you would just have enough faith in God, you wouldn't have these problems". This book makes a great gift as well.

Anyone who struggles to maintain a sense of "OKness," or whose steep climb out of the Valley Low seems hopeless, will want to read Shelley Hussey's book, I'm Not OK, You're Not OK, But That's OK With God. It's an especially great read for those of us who may indeed think we understand the mental traumas others suffer.

In this page turner, the author has bound together a wealth of information with threads of hope, compassion, encouragement, and humor that offers healthy doses of belly-laugh healing. I certainly recommend Ms. Hussey's book and applaud her courage for writing it!

Jane E. Owen
Freelance Writer
Pipestem, West Virginia

The author has a funny, manic style and writes in "grit." I found myself laughing or crying along with her. She reminds us of the truth demonstrated by every crying baby or scared alcoholic or teenager who won't look under his bed after dark. There is little more powerful than a hug, a calm voice at 3 a.m., the strong hand of a loved one, or a conviction that someone or something watches over you and counts the feathers on your wings.

James Brody, Ph.D, Author of Rebellion, Moderator, Evolutionary Psychology Forum, http://www.behavior.net/bolforums/forumdisplay.php?f=14

This book hits the nuttiness nail squarely on the head! Having a brother
who suffers from many of the "cootie-type" idiosyncrasies addressed in "OK," I can affirm the value of humor mingled with patience and understanding in maintaining some degree of personal sanity while fulfilling the caregiver role. Shelley's wit and keen insight helped me know that I am not alone in this struggle and that survival is a real possibility -- a possibility I often doubted.
Ron Furgerson
Pastor
New Life Christian Church
www.newlife4me.com

This book,Ida Early comes over the moutain,is about a triky women. She tells tales that could be ture. She acts like the kid's mom because there mother deid. She brings cheer into the Suttons household. I would rate this book a ten out of 1-10 10 being the best because this book has laghter and exciting moments. The morale of the story is to always be yourself.

Ida Early comes over the mountain is an awsome book!It has a lot of excitement! Now that I have read the first one I want to read the seguel. The morale of the story is that you shouldn't doubt yourself. If I had to rate this book 1-10 I would rateit a 10 because of all the excitment and lessons there are!

"Ida Early Comes Over the Mountain" is a very good book with a lot of action. It is very funny. It is also sad. I would definetly suggest this book to friends. I think the moral to this story is to be yourself and always be nice to your friends. This was a very good book.

Ida Early comes over the mountain is an awsome book!It has a lot of excitement! Now that I have read the first one I want to read the seguel. The morale of the story is that you shouldn't doubt yourself. If I had to rate this book 1-10 I would rateit a 10 because of all the excitment and lessons there are!

Wow. You can flip to any page of this book and be instantly inspired by Sutz's words of wisdom. Even if you're like me and don't have any anxiety, depression, or manic-depression, the book is STILL an inspiration to all human beings. Everyone can benefit from Sutz's keen insight on the human condition, and how to live your life to the fullest. Forget books like "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff"... THIS BOOK is where the real power lies. And if you read it from cover-to-cover, you'll feel as if you're walking along Sutz's entire path of healing with him. Each page is a chapter, filled with a short bit of prose that makes you feel like Sutz is taking you into his warm arms and filling you with joy and feeding you inspiration to last a lifetime.

In each of Neal's small gems one can find a huge amount of knowledge and experience. A simple and extremely heplful book. One can feel a cure with each poem that is read. Read it, read it, and read it again. The book lasts forever. Buy it for everyone you know. It works.

"Kick it with Gusto" is without a doubt one of the most helpful books I have come across on the subject of brain disorders ~ and the main reason is the simple format and thoroughly beautiful content. It is dog-eared and sitting on my nightstand as we speak, ready for me to grab for my daily dose of inspiration when needed. I highly recommend this book to anyone...not just those suffering from brain disorders, but anyone who might need a pick-me-up once in a while ~ and I'd be willing to bet, that is just about all of us. Do yourself a favor and buy this book, you won't regret it.

In addition to being a warm, poetic piece of writing, Kick It with Gusto is above all pragmatic. Its many bits of wisdom and practical advice are presented breifly and lucidly, making the book perfect for those whose concentration is compromised by suffering. Who has the energy to pore over lengthy treatises on the finer points of manic depressive disorder when it's all one can do to get out of bed in the morning? On the surface, much of what Sutz has to say in this wonderful little book may seem too trite or too simplistic to be effective. But take it from me: Kick It With Gusto is helpful. It is accessible. It is often beautiful. And it made me feel just a little bit better, which in my case is saying a lot.

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.

_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 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.

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.

Poetically written and gentle, this book offers an insight into a different way of looking at a "diagnosis."
Holistic and pragmatic at the same time, offering inspiration to those who need it the most.

If you are a self-help aficionado like me who has read hundreds of books, but the result has only been an increase in knowledge about a particular problem, but never finding a clear map through the quagmire of self analysis, this is the book for you! This book is tailored to find what works for you and is free of the "one size fits all" type of advice found in many self-help books. The exercises provided in the book pushed me to go beyond treating my symptoms and expand how I viewed the purpose of my life. The exercises were great at pushing me beyond the typical focus on weaknesses and helped me find my unique strengths and make begin to put them into use.

Around in 2 ways: Depression can be an opportunity to look at your past and present life for clues as to your "slowing or shutting down." Once you find what's out of balance in your life, you can slowly turn your life around, and start anew. Not easy to do, but this book can help. Easy to understand exercises and personal reviews. I highly recommend this book!

This well-written, thoughtful book tackles the issue of how to reorient your thoughts and behaviors to make bouts of depression opportunities for self-growth and discovery. Typically cast as a condition best avoided, Lara Honos-Webb presents a compelling argument that depression is a message from us, to us, and about us; however, you must be open to listening to that message (not always easy to do). As a mental health professional, I particularly appreciate how she argues that re-casting depression as an asset requires both active engagement (e.g., journal writing) on the part of the individual with reverence for the pain people often exhibit during dark moments of depression. If you enjoyed Dr. Honos-Webb's first book, The Gift of ADHD, you will take comfort in her ability to pull away the veil of depression and inject optimism where only pessimism previously resided. This book is appropriate for all adult audiences, though it is probably most useful for those "protecting against" or trying to learn more about themselves before the onset of a depressive episode; that is, before the most troubling aspects of depression have set-in. If you have interest in learning more about what your depression is trying to communicate to you, I highly recommend this book.

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.