Mild depressions are so insidious that sufferers often don't seek help. They think, "that's just the way I am. There's really not much I can do about it." As Dr. Michael Thase and science writer Susan S. Lang reveal in this wonderful new book, the good news is they can do something about it. Persistent mild depression, which afflicts up to 35 million Americans, can be readily and permanently cured. Thase and Lang show how chronic mild depression can be relieved by learning strategies that help us to recognize negative and distorted thinking patterns that lead to a downward spiral of pessimism. They reveal that a combination of medication and therapy has been shown to be the most effective treatment for mild depression, with an impressive 85% of patients experiencing full relief. They discuss when you should seek help from a therapist and what kinds of therapy seem the most effective (therapies that focus on the here and now seem to work best); outline the safer new antidepressants that are helpful for both mild and severe depressions, detailing each drug's strength and weakness; and examine alternative therapies, including stress management (meditation, relaxation, massage, biofeedback), physical exercise, acupuncture, supplements, and other mind/body therapies. Finally, they provide in-depth discussions of mild depression in children, adolescents, college students, and elderly parents, as well as those with chronic stress. Throughout, the authors use boxed text and charts to make the key ideas immediately accessible and easy to use. Beating the Blues is an inspiring and empowering book, filled with the information and encouragement you need to turn your life around and begin to feel renewed pleasure and joy.

Beating the Blues: New Approaches to Overcoming Dysthymia and Chronic Mild Depression

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Lang, Susan S.

Thase M.D., Michael E.

Mental Health

Oxford University Press

Mild depressions are so insidious that sufferers often don't seek help. They think, "that's just the way I am. There's really not much I can do about it." As Dr. Michael Thase and science writer Susan S. Lang reveal, they can do something about it. Persistent mild depression, which afflicts up to 35 million Americans, can be readily and permanently cured. In Beating the Blues, Thase and Lang show how chronic mild depression can be relieved by learning strategies that help sufferers to recognize and change negative and distorted thinking patterns that lead to a downward spiral of pessimism. They reveal that a combination of medication and therapy has been shown to be the most effective treatment for mild depression, with an impressive 85% of patients experiencing full relief. Thase and Lang also discuss when a person should seek help from a therapist and what kinds of therapy seem the most effective. They outline the safer new antidepressants that are helpful for both mild and severe depressions, detailing each drug's strength and weakness; and examine alternative therapies, including stress management, physical exercise, acupuncture, supplements, and other mind/body therapies. Finally, they provide in-depth discussions of mild depression in children, adolescents, college students, and elderly parents, as well as those with chronic stress. Beating the Blues is an inspiring and empowering book, offering everything a person needs to know in order to overcome mild depression.

The authors of this book are searching for a language common to both mind and brain. This language will develop through innovative clinical activity and our reflections upon it. This book invites the reader to participate in a major initiative of the 21st century: dissolving Cartesian mind-brain dualism. This book will help all mental health clinicians to dissolve their conceptual mind/brain barriers by recognizing the reciprocal influences of psychological and pharmacological interventions. This task is approached by challenging the reader to respond to thought-provoking questions and problematic case vignettes in the following subject areas: combined treatment research, pharmacotherapy during psychotherapy, psychotherapy during pharmacotherapy, the pharmacotherapy-psychotherapy triangle and integrated treatment algorithms. Each of these homework-based sections is introduced by a brief overview. Part I invites the reader to an overview of these many issues. Topics covered include: 1) research in combined treatments, 2) pharmacotherapy during psychotherapy, 3) psychotherapeutic aspects of pharmacotherapy, 4) the pharmacotherapy-psychotherapy triangle, 5) treatment algorithms for combined treatments, and 6) the neurobiology of psychotherapy. With thought-provoking questions and vignettes of problematic cases, the authors invite readers to participate in working out these complicated issues. Part II provides cutting edge information on issues of integrated and split treatment and psychodynamic neurobiology. Answers to the problems are provided at the end of the book. Two additional chapters thoroughly review the research in combined treatments and what is known about the neurobiology of psychotherapy.

Integrating Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy: Dissolving the Mind-Brain Barrier (Norton Professional Books (Paperback))

Beitman M.D., Bernard D.

Blinder Ph.D., Barton J.

Safer M.D., Debra L.

W.W.Norton&Company

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