I learned some new things but this did seem to be a huge sales pitch. I ended up believing there was enough information here and studies (some of which I looked into a bit more) to make me think this was the most perfect natural cure for depression. I switched one of my kids to SAM-E after reading this, accompanying it with the recommended B Vitamins and folic acid and it made him ridiculously nauseated and he couldn't stop throwing up. I did some more research and found out that nausea at many levels is a very common side effect but didn't read about that in the book. The book is written from the one-sided view that SAM-E is always a great option and the full side effects aren't represented. We switched back to his other medications and the throwing up stopped. It never hurts to learn about something and try something new but this book didn't represent the cons of SAM-E and we experienced those severely firsthand.
Interesting, but not profound or helpful for the people I support. I would not follow the advice in this book if the person is already on other medication...but it is still encouraging.
If you or someone you know suffers from depression - or if you think you or someone you know may be suffering from depression, I highly recommend this book. Dr. Brown thoroughly explains the causes and treatments (including SAM-e of course) in detailed yet understandable terms. He also discusses the other uses of SAM-e, such as treatment for osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. Very interesting and an invaluable resource for anyone whose life has been touched by depression.
This is basically a 300-page sales pitch. Depression cannot be cured but can be managed. Learning how to manage depression symptoms takes time. Any books claiming to have a shortcut to curing depression (like this one) need to be left on the shelf.