Good Mood (Paperback)

~ Julian L. Simon (Author), Albert Ellis (Foreword), Kenneth Colby (Foreword) "The term 'depression' means to psychiatrists and psychologists a continued state of mind with these central characteristics: 1. You are sad or 'blue'..." (more)
Key Phrases: mood ratio, benchmark state, benchmark situation, Values Treatment, Self-Comparisons Analysis, Rotten Ratio (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Julian Simon was depressed for 13 long years, living each sad day under a black cloud of sadness and pain. Except for occasional brief episodes, he was continuously conscious of being miserable, constantly preoccupied with his own worthlessness, and held back from suicide only by feelings of duty towards his family. A dedicated scholar, quick-witted, erudite and curious, Simon consulted psychiatrists and psychologists of several schools, and read widely and critically in the psychological literature, desperate to find some therapy that would banish his depression. Eventually he began to find help in the writings of cognitive therapists like Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis, and Martin Seligman, authors who argue that emotional problems often arise from specific habits of thought which can be changed. Applying his newly-gained insights, Simon cured his own depression within weeks, and has remained depression-free for the past 18 years. From his own experience and analysis, he has made innovative contributions to the cognitive approach, resulting in his own distinctive technique, which he calls Self-Comparisons Analysis. Simon argues that depression ultimately results from negative self-comparisons, comparisons we all make continually between the state we think we are in and a hypothetical benchmark state - the state we believe we ought to be in. Sadness and depression arise from too great a contrast between the perceived actual state and the benchmark state. Self-Comparisons Analysis yields many fruitful techniques which can be employed to improve the perceived actual state and reduce the demands of the benchmark state. These techniques should interest depression sufferers, their loved ones, therapists, and psychologists. Simon has also developed an interactive computerised program for combatting depression which provides psychotherapy in the form of instruction/dialogue in everyday language. The disk is available free of charge to purchasers of "Good Mood".

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Open Court Publishing Company (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812690982
• ISBN-13: 978-0812690989
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #258,119 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, January 20, 2000

By	Jeane Smith (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

The premise of Simon's theory is that depression is due to our tendency to compare ourselves to others, how we used to be, what we hope to be, etc. It sounds simplistic, but the book is actually very comprehensive. Rather than making generalizations about all depressed people, he details many different methods and combinations of methods so that you can choose the ones that will work for you.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical techniques for curing your own depression., December 12, 1998

By	Adam Khan (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent overview of the practical insights of cognitive science. And Simon adds a genuinely original contribution to the field: The idea that all our depressing thoughts spring from our universal tendency to compare ourselves or our circumstances to someone or something else. If the comparison is good, we feel good; if it is bad, we feel bad.

Of course, if you look at your own life in an overly negative or pessimistic way, your comparison may turn out worse than it really is, making you feel bad unnecessarily. And if you decide you're helpless to improve your state, that will make you depressed. From the simple idea of comparison, all the different modes of cognitive science are clarified and fit into the larger picture. Simon normally writes on economics. He wrote this book because of his own personal struggle with depression.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book., January 7, 1999

By	K.M. Colby M.D. ([e-mail]) (Malibu, CA) - See all my reviews

The book Good Mood represents an excellent scholarly but readable description of a successful therapy that helped Julian Simon in his struggle to relieve his own depression of 13 years.

The Amazon description omits mention of the book's accompanying software, the program Overcoming Depression, developed by MAIW. This program is based on advances in cognitive science and artificial intelligence.