Overcoming Depression [Paperback]

Paul Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 1999

St. John's Wort, Prozac, psychotherapy, support groups--today's individual suffering from depression has a laundry list of treatments to chose from. For many, Paul Gilbert's self-help manual Overcoming Depression--based on the highly effective technique of cognitive behavioral therapy--will provide a lifeline to recovery and a better future, as a way to understand and thus resist the downward slide of depression, and as a resource to supplement therapy or medication.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which treats emotional disorders by changing negative thought-patterns, is now internationally established as a key method for overcoming conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and eating disorders. The principle behind this form of therapy is that our thoughts have a major impact on our emotions: a person who goes through life thinking "I am unlovable," or "I'll never achieve anything," will find constant evidence to support his or her beliefs. In Overcoming Depression, Gilbert explains the many forms and causes of depression and lays out clinically proven techniques for dealing with this debilitating condition. This book will help people gain insight into problem areas such as perfectionism, shame, anger, and aggression, and how these areas can become exacerbated by depression.
Overcoming Depression illustrates a systematic program of treatment by which people can monitor their thoughts, learn to recognize negative patterns, and challenge them. With step-by-step suggestions, case examples, thought-monitoring sheets, and practical ideas for gaining control over depression, Gilbert offers a course of action for those suffering from depression to change the way they think about themselves and their problems. This is an indispensable guide for those affected, their friends and families, psychologists, and those working in the medical profession.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Gilbert has over twenty years of experience treating depressed people. He is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and Head of Specialty, Adult Mental Health for the Southern Derbyshire Mental Health Trust.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195126882
• ISBN-13: 978-0195126884
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,483,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't just complain in your diary. Use it to help you recover!, September 30, 2009

By 

Nicholas Woebcke "ultimate green" (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques (Paperback)

I am surprised that this fantastic book has only 1 review. I just found it when I was wandering among the bookshelves in a local book store. As a patient living with depression I am not unfamiliar with cognitive behavioral therapy. I tried it for a while to deal with my anxiety but the book I was using back then was a bit too academic, although Overcoming Depression does use some of the same terminology and techniques.

I think one of the worst parts of depression is the shame associated with admitting that you have something wrong with your thought patterns. Ironically, this kind of thinking spirals in on itself and makes your depression worse. I was grateful to the author for pointing out that animals in captivity can also become depressed for many of the same reasons as humans. He points out the biological and evolutionary causes of depression and offers a very convincing approach to untying the Gordion knot of emotions that come with depression. He mentions self-compassion and a whole body (psycho-bio-social) approach to dealing with your depressive mindset.

Of course not everyone relates to the same author the same way and it could just be that my depression fits his therapy better than other authors. But I can say that I found his writing style to be "highly accessible...very readable and extraordinarily useful" as it says on the jacket cover. Using this book with a good therapist and with or without drugs, I think should help a number of people pull themselves out of the quagmire that is depression.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compassionate and intelligent, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Overcoming Depression (Paperback)

I must have looked through dozens of books when I was first diagnosed with depression. This one is absolutely the best. Insightful and caring without being swarmy or condescending (why do so many authors treat people with depression like they are children?). You'll see yourself in this book--I know I did.