Depression Books

A wonderful book in which Franklin D. Roosevelt emerges as a pragmatic and astute politician who manages the government with coordinating regional interests. The book conveys Roosevelt's adaptability to use federalism-a division of power between the federal government and local autonomy or grass roots movements-while implementing a massive restructuring of government to alleviate the Depression. Although Roosevelt had much help from advisers, he enforced the New Deal to reform banking, the Agricultural Adjustment Act to aid farmers, the unconstitutional National Recovery Administration, the Public Works Administration, the National Labor Relations Board and many others. Additionally, the author uses the term pluralism to describe Roosevelt's networking of various interest groups in an attempt to coalesce a coherent fiscal policy. Moreover, this book recognizes that competing interests sometimes precluded a successful outcome for New Deal legislation. Nonetheless, the author gives F.D.R. praise for his cautious approach in conducting foreign affairs and, especially, the United States' entry in World War II. The chapter about Eleanor Roosevelt gives the reader a glimpse into her humanitarian concerns for women and African Americans. The excellent bibliography adds a detailed essay about finding out more on this complex historical figure. This book made me feel as if I actually experienced the years during F.D.R.'s presidency and the outstanding writing added to my reading enjoyment.

We used this book as a college text back when it was first published. Highly recommended not only for the truths brought forth but also for the authenticity expressed by the author--demonstrating everything he was teaching. A most congruent innovator.

Progress & Poverty is the missing puzzle piece for those of us who look around at the combination of magnificent and accelerating technological progress and the increasingly distorted distribution of income and wealth in America, with many people lacking sufficient income to meet their most basic needs, and wonder what went wrong in a country which professes to be dedicated to the proposition that we're all created equal.

The book's subtitle -- An Inquiry in the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth... The Remedy -- describes it beautifully: why we have the ups and downs of our economy, which cause incredible human misery, and why we have increasing poverty at the same time that there is hugely increasing wealth.

And Henry George provides a logical and workable -- even elegant -- remedy, one which will untangle many of the perverse incentives we cope with today: we say we value work, but we tax it. We say we want to promote sales, but we tax them. We say we want to encourage entrepreneurial effort, but we allow huge barriers designed to discourage the person with an idea from being able to execute it. We say we want a society that naturally creates more jobs, but we allow a relative few of us to pocket the funds which would create those jobs. We say we value initiative, but we reward the "dog in the manger" far more than we reward the laborer. We say that urban blight is a bad thing, but our tax code encourages it. We say we dislike urban sprawl, and long commutes, and low wages -- but we've failed to implement the simple tax reform that will correct these ills. We work longer hours than our counterparts in other countries, and have less to show for it. We allow a relative few to own our airwaves, and resell them at higher and higher prices, collecting advertising revenues from all who would run for public office or advertise their products.

If we truly mean to end poverty, to reward initiative, to ensure that the next child born in America is truly the equal of all who are here today, to ensure that our environment is protected for the common good, George's framework for understanding provides the missing puzzle piece.

And as we consider what sort of country we'd like Iraq to be, it is worth considering that if we only give them a constitution without giving them an economic system that considers all people equal, truly equal, we've not accomplished much with the American lives we've lost there.

If we can figure it out for Iraq, with all its oil wealth, maybe we can figure out how to share America justly among Americans, too.

George lays out simply and elegantly what the underlying problem is and how to solve it.

He dedicates the book "To those who, seeing the vice and misery that spring from the unequal distribution of wealth and privilege, feel the possibility of a higher social state and would strive for its attainment." Might you be among those who see and feel, and would strive, if only you could see the source of the problem?

Churchill, Twain, Huxley, Shaw and many others came to see what George was pointing out. Will you?

This one is worth your time!

Get a copy for yourself, and send one to your favorite legislator, be he/she local, state or federal. Then start looking for other Georgists, also known as Geoists. You'll find them a lively group with a vision that might inspire you, too. And it is refreshing to be with people who seek a finer society, not more advantage or privilege -- "private law" -- for their own benefit! --

This book is a great model of psychodynamic therapy for depression without "manualizing" treatment. Terms are clearly operationalized. The book has a strong psychoanalytic focus, which I prefer. As a graduate student in psychology, I recommend this text to other students. My placement agreed with me that it is a good text and purchased it for their library as well.

Karasu explores the current status of psychotherapy for depression, describing the three dominant psychotherapeutic approaches - psychodynamic, cognitive, and interpersonal. They are conceptually different but complimentary with regard to theory, major strategies, goals, mechanisms of change, and advantages and limitations. While cretain forms of depressive illness (e.g., bipolar mood disorder) still respond much better to somatic approaches (e.g., lithium), other types of depressive psychopathology can be successfully treated by psychological means. Karasu presents advantages and disadvantages of each of the three therapeutic approaches.

Problems of a psychodynamic approach are : overuse of catharsis, pitfalls of a regressive transference, and undue priority given to individual dynamics and the dyadic relationships. Its introspective strategy encourages an inward search for solutions as an adaptive alternative to pathological reliance on external sources of esteem. Goals that transcend symptom relief can be useful to strengthen general ego capacities.

A major advantage of cognitive therapy is that the therapist intervenes directly; it is used to interrupt thought patterns and actively help patients learn and practice logical alternatives. Fudamental asset of interpersonal therapy is that it addreses the broader social context of depressive risk and engages family in treatment. But in both of these approaches the highly focused aims may be too restricted, superficial, or temporary: emphasis on current problem areas or recent stresses can camouflage significant long-standing conflicts that need attention, a very direct approach may preempt patient initiative, and brief therapy can prematurely close off deeply concealed issues and allow less time for correcting diagnostic errors of overcoming resistances.

No single therapy is uniformly succesful for all concomitants of the depressive disorder. The therapist must recognize the increasing diversity in the treatment armamentarium for depressive disorders, both within the therapeutic domain and outside its boundaries ( e.g., pharmacotherapy). Maximum therapeutic effectiveness necessitates not only knowledge of one's own theoretical orientation but also an appreciation of what other modalities have to offer.

Karasu shows that it is crucial to take an individualixed approach to meet each depressed individual's needs, using a broad-based but selective shifting and sharing of therapeutic perspectives.
--- from book's dustjacket

Psychiatrists Arieti and Bemporad have authored many articles on depression, and in this book present their views in a single comprehensive format. Their psychodynamic approach to depression emphasizes the roles of cognition and volition in this psychopathology, and dovetails nicely with Beck's cognitive theory of depression and Seligman's learned helplessness model of depression. Especially interesting is the authors' treatment of the relationship between characterological attributes, on one hand, and episodes of accute depression, on the other hand. Arieti's concepts of the dominant other and dominant goal are explicated in detail. Though written primarily for psychotherapists, this book is comprehensible to anyone of average intelligence and sufficient interest.

Library Journal: "Readers have much to gain from the wisdom and insight offered in this book."...Chicago Tribune: "This book is different because Flach doesn't offer simplistic solutions...he tries to help readers rethink how they cope with change."...American Journal of Psychiatry: "Frederic Flach is a thoughtful writer; he addresses his latest book to all who can benefit from new ways to cope with existential problems...his spirit of advocacy, of individual decision, liberates this book and the reader from the time-honored psychological cliches that characterize so many so-called self-help books."...Detroit News: "Our thanks to Dr. Flach for his sensible and inspiring words."

I heartily recommend this book for any gay or lesbian person who is suffering or has suffered from depression--a condition which is not at all rare in our community. The life partner or another loved one of a depressed person will also find a great deal of helpful information. Most of all, I appreciated the fact that this book really is gay specific--it is certainly not just another book on depression with a different cover slapped on the front. The authors are a gay man and a lesbian who work as psychotherapists in San Francisco, and the ways in which aspects of depression can be gay-specific, such as the impact of internal as well as external homophobia, are considered throughout, and always with respect to both men and women. I found that the sections on negative and homophobic self-talk really resonated with me, because it included some of the very statements I have used to malign myself, and I had never seen that in other books I've read on the subject. The case studies of different gay and lesbian individuals are also a strong point of the book; they cover such a variety of life stages and circumstances that almost any gay or lesbian person will find one or more stories that sound very much like their own. There is a tremendous amount of good information about different kinds of medications that can be used for depression, including an interview the authors conducted with two psychiatrists who are also a gay man and a lesbian. The interview offers much more than just a profile of the meds; it really delves deep into a discussion of approaches to medication and addresses some of the concerns one would have before undergoing treatment. The book closes with an excellent chapter entitled 'Befriending the Black Dog', a reference to the term Winston Churchill had for his own struggles with the blues. As the topics and perspectives covered in the book are reviewed, it is put to the reader to bring it all together in her own way, and to do so with courage and compassion.

Finally a user friendly book on a medical illness that doesn't necessitate a medical dictionary for the average person to understand. The questions are from real people who suffer depressive illnesses, and the answers are cocise and clear as if you are Ivan's own patient under his care.

As a mother, teacher and social worker I have had the opportunity to use Kay Hockey's advice in a variety of settings. She offers gentle, easy to follow suggestions for effective interaction with children.
Parents anxious to step out of the cyclical trap of failure and discouragement will come to believe that they CAN learn new skills for raising their children after reading this book.
Kay Hockey's book is a must for all parents and others who work with those in need of guidance and assistance in raising happy, healthy children.