Beat the Blues Before They Beat You: How to Overcome Depression [Hardcover]

Robert L. Leahy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Beat the Blues Before They Beat You is a masterful guide by a masterful clinician. It lays out the typical problems of depression and provides clear explanations as to how to solve them. This is a must-read for anyone suffering from depression—and who hasn’t at some point in his or her life?”

— Aaron T. Beck, M.D., Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, winner of the Lasker Award in Medicine

“If you are depressed or vulnerable to depression, this book is for you. Written by one of the world’s leading experts in cognitive behavior therapy, it provides a thoughtful and balanced account of depression and how to overcome it using tried and tested strategies.”

— Christopher G. Fairburn, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, author of Overcoming Binge Eating

“Dr. Leahy is unique in the mental health field in his combination of high rigor, accessibility, and readability to consumers and clinicians alike. His new book, Beat the Blues Before They Beat You, is the epitome of these qualities, and will be of genuine help to those who suffer from depression.”

— Thomas Joiner, Distinguished Research Professor and Bright-Burton Professor of Psychology, author of Why People Die from Suicide

 

“Beat the Blues gives clear-headed, concise, and practical guidelines for tackling the most common problems in depression. Based on the most current research and clinical work, Leahy once again gives you the tools to help yourself overcome your depression. It’s a book that you can pick up and start using today. Empowering, engaging, and enlightening.”

— Allison Harvey, University of California, Berkeley

“Eminently readable and practical, this state-of-the-art book provides compassionate and user-friendly help for beating depression. I highly recommend it both to practitioners and their patients.”

— G. Terence Wilson, Ph.D., Oscar K. Buros Professor of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

 

“This book is sure to provide hope and relief for those suffering from depression. Drawing on well-researched techniques, each chapter is filled with strategies and tools to help conquer a major symptom of depression. The writing is clear and direct, and case examples help illustrate each point. The author also provides tools to monitor whether strategies are helping.  Once again, Dr. Leahy shows his unique knack for translating the best available therapies into effective self-help materials.”

— Sheri Johnson, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

“Dr Leahy has yet again made the most contemporary and effective approaches within CBT accessible to a popular audience. He engages the reader by tagging a scientifically supported approach with commonly reported thoughts and concerns held by people who are depressed. This book illustrates, in true CBT style, how an understanding of one’s own thoughts and feelings can lead to recovery and regaining a purpose in life.”

— Warren Mansell, University of Manchester, UK, author of Coping with Fears and Phobias

“Beat the Blues . . . is an indispensable guide out of the morass for anyone who has ever been depressed.”

— Steven Hollon, Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University

 

Product Description

Over the past year, 16.5 million Americans—1 in 13 adults—of every race, age, and socioeconomic class experienced at least one major bout of depression. These numbers have been steadily rising, and sadly, one third of people who feel the unbearable pain, hopelessness, and self-criticism of depression never seek treatment. If not you, then someone you know most likely hides within these statistics, suffering in silence. The good news is that with effective treatment you can overcome depression—and once you do, you have a good chance of preventing its recurrence.

Beat the Blues Before They Beat You, the follow-up to best-selling author Robert Leahy’s The Worry Cure, outlines the causes, symptoms, and treatments for depression in a clear and easy-to-read manner. Real-life patient stories combined with simple step-by-step instructions help you understand depression. Learn what triggers your moods. Figure out how to defeat feelings of fatigue, loneliness, and hopelessness. Design a plan to develop self-confidence. Determine what treatments—both medication and therapy—are available to prevent relapse. Beat the Blues Before They Beat You is a collection of the most powerful tools in cognitive therapy to help you curb your thoughts and behaviors, so you can begin to feel good again.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hay House; 1 edition (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140192168X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401921682
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #63,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Aging > Depression

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource on Depression, August 11, 2010

By	Dennis Tirch PhD (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beat the Blues Before They Beat You: How to Overcome Depression (Hardcover)

Dr. Leahy's "Beat The Blues" is a fantastically accessible, kind, and engaging read. Beyond this, the techniques outlined here are exactly what an evidence based approach to treating depression would call for. This book is an excellent resource for people struggling with depression, their families, and for the many clinicians out there who could use a trusted guidebook to help their clients reach their therapy goals. Another truly important book from Bob Leahy has arrived, and I highly recommend it.

Be Well,

Dennis

Dennis Tirch PhD,
Associate Director,
American Institute for Cognitive Therapy.
Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor,
Weill Cornell Medical College.
Diplomate and Fellow,
Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, compassionate and effective, September 8, 2010

By	vaughn roche, lcsw - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beat the Blues Before They Beat You: How to Overcome Depression (Hardcover)

I would recommend Dr. Leahy's book not only to clients but to therapists wanting to refine their understanding of depression and their interventions with depressed clients. Each chapter explores a way of thinking common to depressed clients and how that thinking can be changed to relieve distress and make clients more effective in their approach to problems and life in general. I found here, too, some of Dr. Leahy's unique theories on depression. They resonated strongly with my own experience with depressed clients. I had not read of them elsewhere. Dr. Leahy's understanding and ability to articulate clearly and concisely the source and breadth of depression will, I think, help de-stigmatize depression and help the sufferer find self-compassion and belonging. I often cite the World Health Organization's statistics on unipolar depression to help my clients learn that they are not alone, that what they suffer from puts them in the company of good people brought low by a pandemic. Dr. Leahy reassures readers in much the same way. I will recommend this book to clients as a companion to therapy.

Vaughn Roche, LCSW
Diplomate, Academy of Cognitive Therapy