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The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living with Depression and Manic Depression

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From the best-selling author, Mary Ellen Copeland, comes the Second Edition of The Depression Workbook. Learn to practice the latest research-based self-help strategies to relieve depression and address other mental health issues including how to:


Take responsibility for your own wellness Use charts to track and control your moods Find helpful care providers Build a system of mutual support Increase self-confidence and self-esteem Use relaxation, diet, exercise, and light to stabilize your moods Avoid conditions that can worsen your symptoms. A new chapter guides readers through developing your own plan for managing symptoms and staying well. This process, known as the Wellness Recovery Plan (WRAP), was developed by a group of people who experience depression, or manic depression and/or have other mental health concerns and who now report that this plan helped them relieve their symptoms and improve the quality of their lives.

This edition is updated in all areas including new medical and holistic perspectives and extensive lists of helpful resources and Web sites that will assist you in your journey to wellness. By letting you share more than a hundred case stories and empowering you with the most current therapeutic strategies, The Depression Workbook, Second Edition will give you insight, energy, and hope.

334 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

17 people are currently reading
415 people want to read

About the author

Mary Ellen Copeland

45 books30 followers

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5 stars
76 (39%)
4 stars
50 (26%)
3 stars
45 (23%)
2 stars
13 (6%)
1 star
8 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for H.A. Fowler.
Author 6 books34 followers
December 18, 2009
I only got to read it because I took it out from the library, but I still found a lot of good advice and sound information. I'm hoping to get my own copy so I can work all of the exercises. A great, active resource for those struggling with mood disorders.
Profile Image for David.
9 reviews
November 14, 2020
Many people will be familiar with the name Mary Ellen Copeland, author, educator and mental health recovery advocate in the USA, in relation to her WRAP methodology - the Wellness Recovery Action Plan.
Here she applies it and other strategies solely to the condition of depression and bipolar depression. As someone who has had bouts of depression in the past I found this book informative and practical to follow and to put into practice.
Profile Image for Breanne Christian.
246 reviews3 followers
December 18, 2025
This book is full of tips and information on depression with areas to journal your feelings and to make a plan to try to get better. It has a lot of information and gives examples of people who feel the same way. There are a bunch of resources at the end to check out to further your reading. Every activity is well worth the time it takes to do. I highly recommend
Profile Image for Mandi.
554 reviews37 followers
August 26, 2017
helpful, practical, and applicable. I will definitely be using some of the strategies in this book. however, it's sadly out of date... still recommending audio cassettes. I would love a current edition that's informed by all the current research into mood disorders.
Profile Image for Sarah.
814 reviews37 followers
December 21, 2015
This book is one of the best and most practical I have encountered on depression and manic depression (aka bipolar disorder). The workbook offers an overview of manic depression and depression like most other books on the subject, but takes it further than that with chapters full of self-assessments, examples, and solid advice.

Initially, I read the whole book and skipped over the activities, most likely because I was uber-manic and tanked up on breve lattes. Surprisingly, this approach did allow me to retain some information from the text, but it really became helpful after I came down a bit and started going over the book under the watchful eye of my therapist. I then approached The Depression Workbook in bits and pieces and it has been extremely helpful to me. A lot of it is written in lists which appeals nicely to both the manic or depressed brain. It's realistic, well-researched, and worthy of highlighting. Highly recommended.
3 reviews
July 12, 2012
This is a book peppered with anecdotes from the author's life and filled with strategies that range from how to start a support group to daily meditations and relaxations. There is space to write your own experiences. Doing the exercises makes them sink in more. This book can be read from cover to cover or just certain chapters can be used. It's a very practical book and breaks down the strategies it presents so they can be easily implemented.
9 reviews
Want to read
May 9, 2007
Great book, helps my patients and individuals who experience depression whether it be situationally, or life-long to work through their eternal feelings of sadness.
Profile Image for Chelsea Kowal.
161 reviews2 followers
July 12, 2022
Just finished reading my 15th book of the year... great book! I took lots of notes... gave the book 4 out of 5 stars, only because it is way outdated (published in 2001)...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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