The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living With Depression and Manic Depression (New Harbinger Workbooks) [Paperback]

Mary Ellen Copeland (Author)

Book Description

Series: New Harbinger Workbooks | Publication Date: September 1992

From the best-selling author, Mary Ellen Copeland, comes the Second Edition of The Depression Workbook. Learn to practice the latest research-based self-help strategies to relieve depression and address other mental health issues including how to: -Take responsibility for your own wellness –Use charts to track and control your moods – Find helpful care providers – Build a system of mutual support – Increase self-confidence and self-esteem –Use relaxation, diet, exercise, and light to stabilize your moods – Avoid conditions that can worsen your symptoms.

A new chapter guides readers through developing your own plan for managing symptoms and staying well. This process, known as the Wellness Recovery Plan (WRAP), was developed by a group of people who experience depression, or manic depression and/or have other mental health concerns and who now report that this plan helped them relieve their symptoms and improve the quality of their lives.

This edition is updated in all areas including new medical and holistic perspectives and extensive lists of helpful resources and Web sites that will assist you in your journey to wellness. By letting you share more than a hundred case stories and empowering you with the most current therapeutic strategies, The Depression Workbook, Second Edition will give you insight, energy, and hope.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It may be difficult for those suffering from depression to add a little work into their day; simply getting out of bed can seem like plenty of work. But if you are newly diagnosed or experiencing moderate problems with depression or bipolar disorder, The Depression Workbook might be a literal lifesaver.

The first section is especially useful to new patients just learning to navigate the signs, treatments, and vocabulary of depression. Clearly written overviews of specific symptoms are coupled with space for you to write in your own thoughts on treatment, prognosis, and your ultimate goals. Checklists and daily planners help to identify both areas of difficulty and positive experiences; later in the book, you'll find charts for tracking medications, diet, and doctor visits.

A full section is devoted to the establishment and maintenance of a support group. Ideas range from open discussions with family members to seeking out volunteer work, and it's this section that may be the trickiest for the depressed to work through. Finding the strength to make new friends may seem impossible at first, but author Mary Ellen Copeland spreads plenty of warmth, encouragement, and personal experience among her directives. --Jill Lightner --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

Endorsement of First Edition: “This book is a lifesaver. This is one of the ‘must have’ books for anyone newly diagnosed with depression or manic depression. It is invaluable in teaching both sufferer and supporter the symptoms and coping skills. This book was monumental in helping me get through a severe depression that lasted nonstop for half a decade. I recommend this book to all my readers, and to anyone suffering with depression or bipolar disorders.”—Bob Olsen, author of the best-selling Win the Battle: The 3-Step Lifesaving Formula to Conquer Depression and Bipolar Disorder

“The second edition of this eminently useful guide offers readers proven and active courses of action for getting and staying on the road to wellness. Mary Ellen Copeland is an author who thoroughly understands depression and manic depression, and the book’s effective techniques and clear organization illustrate her commitment to facilitating real healing. Once again, Copeland has produced one of the very best books on the subject."

—Lauren Dockett, author of The Deepest Blue: How Women Face and Overcome Depression

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Pubns Inc; Workbook edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879237326
• ISBN-13: 978-1879237322
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You've Been Recently Diagnosed - This Book Is A Lifesaver, May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living With Depression and Manic Depression (New Harbinger Workbooks) (Paperback)

This is one of the "must have" books for anyone newly diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder (manic-depression). It is invaluable in teaching both sufferer and supporter the symptoms and symptomatic behavior associated with these brain disorders.

It is also one of the best books I have read for learning coping skills. Coping skills are needed while you are trying to find a treatment to end your suffering. Since that can take weeks, months or even years, coping skills are vital to keep you on track with your treatment efforts - and to help you during times of suicidal ideation.

This book was monumental in helping me get through a severe depression that lasted nonstop for half-a-decade. Now that I have been symptom-free for the last five-years (due to medication), I am able to look back in hindsight to see what got me and my wife, Melissa, through that personal nightmare. This book was one of those lifesaving gifts which got us on track immediately after I was diagnosed. It is a book of which we are most grateful.

I recommend this book to all my readers, and anyone suffering with depression or biplar disorder.

120 of 132 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Helpful for the Severly Depressed or Isolated., October 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living With Depression and Manic Depression (New Harbinger Workbooks) (Paperback)

It's obvious from the other reviews that this book has been very helpful to many people suffering from depression. However, it ended up making me feel even more depressed than I was before. It gives suggestions such as surrounding yourself with things to remind you of why life is worth living, but the severely depressed may be so isolated that they really have nothing to live for. It also suggests a heavy reliance on support from friends and family, and, again, a severely depressed person may no longer have friends or close family members to rely upon. I can imagine that people suffering from mild to moderate depression would be helped a great deal by this book, but for those who are so depressed that they've withdrawn from the world and really have nothing left to live for, this book will only make them feel more depressed, hopeless, and isolated from the world.

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Depressed Person Should Read This Book!, May 6, 2000

By 

Laura J. Kenney - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living With Depression and Manic Depression (New Harbinger Workbooks) (Paperback)

I have recently been diagnosed w/depression & my counselor recommended this book to me. It's great. I love the fact that it makes me take responsibility for my own healing. This book makes the reader an active participant and holds the reader accountable. The workbook exercises are great and extremely thought-provoking. They are helpful and have given me new insights. The text treats people with respect, is never "preachy", and doesn't trivialize the depression. Buy this book!