Feeling Good (Signet) [Paperback]

David D. Burns (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet | Publication Date: August 1, 1981

The good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procastination, low self-esteem, and other "black holes" of depression can be cured without drugs. In "Feeling Good, " eminent psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Signet (August 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451135865
• ISBN-13: 978-0451135865
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,931,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David D. Burns, M.D., a clinical psychiatrist, conveys his ideas with warmth, compassion, understanding, and humor unmatched by any other writer in the self-help field. His bestselling Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy has sold more than three million copies to date. In a recent national survey of mental health professionals, Feeling Good was rated number one--from a list of more than one thousand--as the most frequently recommended self-help book on depression. His Feeling Good Handbook was rated number two in the same survey.

Dr. Burns's entertaining teaching style has made him a popular lecturer for general audiences and mental health professionals throughout the country as well as a frequent guest on national radio and television programs. He has received numerous awards including the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology Through the Media Award from the Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology. A magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College, Dr. Burns received his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is currently clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is certified by the National Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An aid to dealing with automatic negative thoughts, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Paperback)

I found this book to be a wonderful addition to antidepressants and psychotherapy. After about a year of being on antidepressants and dealing with some deep lifelong issues, my therapist recommended this book to me. It is _not_ a substitute for professional help for people who are suffering from a clinical depression. I wouldn't have been able to make use of it totally on my own without the help of therapy and medication to deal with the bleakest parts of my depression.

But once I was on the road to being emotionally healthier, this book was an additional guide, and I would count it among the most influential books I have ever read. I can say that it changed my life, my outlook on life, and my ability to enjoy life.

I recommend this book highly for anyone who is at a point where they are ready (and able) to seriously look at their own thought processes and how they contribute to their moods and attitudes.

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful for anyone who's felt depression, December 10, 1999

By 

Brian M. Allison (Mobile, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Paperback)

I'm not a person who's used to giving 5* reviews for books; it happens too frequently to give accurate pespective.

However, this is an excellent book. I've had moderate depression for ten years. This book gives the effefcts of depression and practical, long-term ways to deal with it. It gives you an inside perspective of how depression affects the way you look at the world.

The thesis of this book is that by changing the way you interpret events, you can change your mood.

If you give this book two weeks and stick to it for six months, you will experience a significant improvement in your level of happiness.

The writing is very well done and explanatory. You will develop automatic techniques that change and improve your attitude. I highly reccommend this bookm and its siblings by Dr. Burns.

32 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars good for mild depression, AWFUL for major depression, September 27, 2006

By 

panthera (College Park, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feeling Good (Signet) (Paperback)

I read this in '95, in the midst of much analytical/CBT therapy + drugs. I'm better now, but still fuming from the memory of reading this book. The title is appropriate, because it makes no reference to clinical depression.

This book can help anybody - depressed or not - recognize faulty thinking. People who are mildly depressed will benefit greatly from it.

People w/ major depression will only be infuriated. Most severely depressed people have already exhausted themselves trying to correct their thinking. If that's all it took, it wouldn't be real depression, it would be dysthymia.

Dr. Burns does sufferers of depression a real disservice by perpetuating the notion that depression can be "lifted" or "cured" through rigorous mental vigilance. It makes us look like lazy whiners who really just need to straighten up, be diligent about our mental outlook. No wonder there's a stigma associated with depression!

CBT is great for anyone who is capable of functioning from day to day. But it's not effective for severe bouts of major depression.

This type of book might make you feel less suicidal--because you'll feel homicidal instead!