Mind and Body Mysteries

Decoding Persistent Depression #2

by Roger Di Pietro

Decoding Persistent Depression: Book Two - Mind and Body Mysteries is the second book in a series that addresses a vital and compelling question: What if psychological symptoms aren’t necessarily the result of some cause, but personality-based means to achieve goals?
It explores common perceptions of mind-body dichotomy, conscious and unconscious functioning, the role of emotions, defining neurotic characteristics, the diverse origins of problematic perceptions and goals, as well as various symptom functions.
Written as a probing conversation with easy metaphors, guiding questions, and enlightening examples, it’s comparable to therapy or classroom discussion. The information is presented in a way that allows a smoother, more approachable path of discovery.
Patient investigation will enable you to detect, examine, and contemplate illuminating clues – often so subtle as to be easily overlooked – that may bring a telling pattern to light.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Mental Health

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2019

About the author

Dr. Roger Di Pietro, Psy.D. is clinical psychologist in private practice who has authored Early Recollections: Interpretative Method and Application (with Dr. Harold H. Mosak), The Depression Code: Deciphering the Purposes of Neurotic Depression, The Anxiety Code: Deciphering the Purposes of Neurotic Anxiety, the Decoding Persistent Depression book series, and Anger: Psychological Reasons Why It Rises and How to Reduce it.

Reviews

[Adriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mandatory note: I got my copy through Goodreads' First Reads.

So much great information is contained within this book. It sets a light on behaviors and the reasons behind them and it really does present new information that is both useful to know and incredibly enlightening.
However (and this is a pretty major however), it's presented in what is perhaps one of the most annoying voices and writing styles that I've ever encountered. Did you ever have that teacher that, as they were giving the class, was just asking a question and then answering themselves and then constantly making lists of what had just been said? This book is, unfortunately, the written version of that. I hated those classes and I'm pretty sure I didn't learn anything in them. I was just waiting for it to end.
Disappointingly, this is what happened here. I know I read things I would like to remember and that I found useful, but I just could not keep my concentration from wandering. It took me forever to read this book. My mind kept going somewhere else and forgetting that I was supposed to be reading.

I do hope that someone with a better attention span reads this and that it helps them either through their depression, understand their depression, or help someone that suffers from depression. Because the information really is good and should be shared.

[Kate Costello-Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the style of this text is not for everyone, with its “whodunnit” approach and QandA format, the fundamental premise is sound, which is to introduce the Adlerian idea that depression has at its root conscious and unconscious motivations that propel both thought and behavior. It’s a mistake to read this defensively, as Dr DiPietro takes pains to signal the unconscious drivers (and potentially quite decent humanity) of those suffering from dysthymia. Rather, those willing to engage can find here the potential opportunity to intervene in their own challenges in ways That May be uncomfortable but can be simultaneously enlightening and empowering.

[Candra Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book on depression

Reading from the perspective of a psych nurse, I really didn't learn anything I didn't already know. I also felt there were too many examples and explanations in the book. I found if I just read the italicized words and bullet points in the book, I obtained the knowledge of the book without having to read pages of examples and explanations. For someone who know nothing about depression, this would be a good and easily understood book.
I won this book thru a goodreads.com giveaway.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs more and less

This book seems like it is trying to explain everything that has ever happened in psychology, and list every diagnosis in ten words or less. It needs to eliminate 90% of the content and better explain the other 10%. This was way too confusing and information-packed to be able to make sense of it.

#GoodreadsGiveaways

[Ami Kincade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. It took me a little while to get through it and digest it but I would definitely recommend reading it, especially if you're dealing with depression or living with someone who is.

[Karen]

Very helpful. I highly recommend it to anyone who has anxiety and depression.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Won this book on Goodreads). This second book was just as difficult to read as the first one. At times I felt talked down to and others it felt more like a ramble. However, there were some good points made that I could understand and even relate to. Over all an OK read.

[Hil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been so interesting and informative to me