How to Win Over Depression (Paperback)

by Tim LaHaye (Author) "A woman sat in my counseling room and heaved that long and somewhat discouraging sigh I had come to associate with the depressed..." (more)
Key Phrases: imagination screen, counseling room, other temperaments, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Christ Jesus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This classic best-seller, which describes the causes of and cure for depression, has been completely revised and updated to reflect the changes in the understanding and treatment of depression in the last two decades.

From the Publisher
The problem of depression is a skyrocketing crisis in our society today. Dr. LaHaye presents a fresh new approach to overcoming this problem--and writes of its causes and cure. This book points to the true cause of depression, and offers a workable solution for winning over what is rapidly becoming the emotional epidemic of our time.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Revised edition (June 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310203260
• ISBN-13: 978-0310203261
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,575 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wish it were this simple..., August 25, 2000

By A Customer

In short, this book is not the answer for everyone. I wish it was. The premise in this book is that everyone has difficulties, and that depression is basically choosing to have self-pity about one's difficulties. I agree that a depressed person (like myself) is often self-consumed. But while depression can definitely be caused or contributed to by self-pity, there are other causes.

Depression can be very complex and can stem from truly *damaged* emotional and mental processes. If a person has been in a difficult situation for years, especially formative years, they may have picked up many wounds and harmful mental processes along the way. It can take years of counseling to learn to think and feel in a healthy way. In other words, a wound is a wound. Being wounded is not a sin. Wounds need *medicine*, and the more severe the wound, the more medicine it may need. The medicine for depression can be spiritual counseling, psychological counseling, medication, or a combination.

We cannot fix a damaged arm by confessing that the damage is a sin. We cannot fix wounded mental processes, crippled self-image by focusing more on our sinfulness. If you know that you're a sinner and you have a growing relationship with God, and you still deal with wounds and depression, I suggest trying a book by Henry Cloud. He is realistic in helping people deal with past wounds, experience fully God's love and acceptance, and move on.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true cure for depression!, February 26, 2000

By	Jill Wysong "wysongjm" (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

When I picked this book up at a library, I figured it would be like all the other unhelpful books on depression I had read. However, the book was amazing! This book literally changed my life! I had been suffering from depression for 6 years and tried therapy, hypnosis, anti-depressants and had a struggling relationship with the Lord. I knew that the only way I was going to beat the disease was through God, but I didn't know how. I felt that I would be depressed for the rest of my life. The book opened my eyes to that fact that my self-pity was a sin and the root of my depression. The book showed me how to beat the depression by giving me details on how to change my thinking. I have been relatively depression free since reading this book. Try reading this book, it might change your life too!

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars LaHaye should actually understand what he's talking about before he speaks., January 3, 2006

By	W. Steele "Wendy" (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

LaHaye starts out by describing his "experience" with depression. He describes a period of basically self-pity when he had disappointed expectations about the purchase of some property. That is VERY different than what a lot of people experience.

Considering that most mental health professionals describe depression as anger turned inward, saying that someone's depression is due to self-pity is like putting gasoline on a fire.

I had a doctor suggest that I check out resources on depression when I started becoming ill pretty regularly after a prolonged period of stress. Her suggestion was that I may have developed a chemical depression, and I should try a mild anti-depressant to get my body back to where it should be. Well, I figured I'd try a Christian book on depression because I thought I should learn to take care of my body better so I wouldn't end up wearing myself out.

I started reading this book, and went from just being a little tired to completely upset. Before this book, I felt as though my life was going pretty great. Afterwards, I felt horrible because I was inflicting all this on myself and others around me.

After a discussion with someone with actual training in dealing with depression, I realized I just needed to throw this book in the trash.

Ironically, I was a listener of Christian talk radio, and there was a series on depression from the New Life Live guys. Many of the things that LaHaye suggested were completely discounted. Funny, if I recall, LaHaye has no background education in psychology, which I think would be wise before making some of the blanket assertions he made. Also considering that we know there is a genetic component to depression as basically certain people's bodies don't make enough seratonin to be like "normal" people, some people will have much more difficulty being "normal" due to a physical issue.

Sure, this book may be good for someone truly masking anger at others in a passive agressive way as depression. In that case, the person thinks they are depressed because of how mistreated they are...being a victim. That's completely different than real depression, and it's physical results.

I'd find a book by a trained psychologist, and skip this one.