Dealing with Depression: A Commonsense Guide to Mood Disorders

by Gordon Parker

Covering both traditional and alternative approaches to treating depression, this fully revised and updated guide outlines the many different types of depression, including mood swings, clinical depression, and bipolar disorders. Each type of depression is explained fully and is accompanied by suggestions for the most appropriate treatments. Simple descriptions and a user-friendly layout make this guide accessible for those suffering from mood disorders, their families, and the health professionals who care for them. Expanded sections on bipolar disorders and the influence of personality styles on nonmelancholic disorders are included in this new edition, and an online diagnostic test associated with the book encourages confidence in self-diagnosis and in seeking professional care.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Health

204 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Gordon Parker is Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at the University of NSW, Professorial Fellow at the Black Dog Institute, and a renowned researcher and expert on mood disorders. Kerrie Eyers is a psychologist based at the Black Dog Institute, Sydney. Gordon Parker and Kerrie Eyers are editors of the bestselling Journeys with the Black Dog and several other books on depression. Philip Boyce is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, Professorial Fellow at the Black Dog Institute, and an international expert on postnatal depression.

Reviews

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depression is an illness that is oft misunderstood and, despite growing public awareness, is still very much stigmatised. Dealing with depression is a book that coves new ground in understanding the different types of depression, how it affects people, and offers suggestions for management systems through both psychotherapy and medications.

The author, Gordon Parker, is a leading international expert on depression and mood disorders, a Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, and also the Executive Director of the Black Dog Institute. The Black Dog Institute, based in Sydney, Australia, is a not-for-profit organisation and world leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.

The difference between Dealing with depression and other books about depression that I have read is that this book goes beyond the general outlook of categorising people as suffering from either major or minor depression. Instead, Gordon Parker argues for an alternative model, one that is more complex than a time frame. He and his researchers believe that personality types predispose people to developing the various depressive conditions, which are all markedly different. They also suggest that “personality style shapes the clinical depressive pattern, and perhaps more importantly, influences the chance of responding to differing treatments”.

For my full review see: https://sonjaporter07.wordpress.com/2...

[Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, neat book. The chapters are very short, but succinct, so it means that if you just wanted to check up about something, it's easy to do so. It also has a chapter on various types of medication, which are broken down into the various types of depression. It also has chapters on different types of depression, the types of therapies that may be useful, as well as how these types of depression may be presented.

The book itself is very short (barely 120 pages), but it's compact, so good if you just wanted a quick study on depression.

[Chantal Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenges the normal way of looking at depression treatment and offers a counter approach. It deals a lot with thoughts that I've had ever since I set out to define my illness. Fantastic book.