Rating: 
Summary: Probably the Best Book Aimed at Depression but Too Long
Review: This is a book by David Burns, a psychiatrists who has treated many depressed patients. The book starts out with a special test you can take to see if you are depressed.After this test, he shows you some basic concepts on how your depression starts. To answer, the depression starts because you have irrational beliefs that cause you to interpret events as being bad without really thinking about what you are thinking. For example, if lets say your teacher screams at you, you might get depressed because you think you're a worthless, horrible, person who doesn't deserve to live. This belief causes you to feel depressed instead of just disappointed or frustrated. So, CBT(Cognitve-Behavior Therapy, this books type of therapy)attmepts to make you realized how back your beliefs are by making you draw columns where you state your irrational belief then describe what kind of an irrational belief it is and then write what kind of belief you should have instead. The book has many charts and pictures of techniques of taking away your irrational thoughts such as overgeneralizing things and all-or-nothing thinking. This book was voted best book on self-help depression a person can buy by over 100 psychologists in the"authoritve guide to self-help books"( I recommend you read it.) My problem with the book is that it was too long. It was just to long. The book is about 665 pages long. For goddsake, make it atleast 200 pages. I couldn't finish the book, I just skimmed and got a lot of information from that skimming. The book, if short could have been better in the sense that it wouldn't sometimes be so confusing on what means what. Basically, the book needed to be shorter but the content was very good.
Rating: 
Summary: From a clinical psychologist...
Review: It can be scary to belief that you yourself can actually do something about depression. We may like to think that we are awfully complex beings with no true answers to help us change the situation we find ourselves in. That the reasons for how bad we feel are deeply buried within ourselves (guess where that dysfunctional belief comes from?). That we have no conscious access to the source of depression. Or we may prefer to consider ourselves as a melting pot of chemicals hidden under our skull, making us biologically predestined to live our lifes according to whatever nature has given us. Why this resistence to an approach that has proven to be very effective in numerous scientific publications? Maybe we love to feel special, and maybe we fear we will not be once we become fully consciously aware of our thoughts. Maybe we fear the responsibility that we can actually do something about how we feel. Whatever the case may be, cognitive therapy is not about positive thinking. It is about replacing illusion with fact and what is so scary about living in truth? It might be more beautiful than you think.
Rating:
Summary: A Lifesaver
Review: Dr. Burns' book, "Feeling Good", will help you do just that. If you have depression, you will see your image clearly in this text.I have found myself wondering if Dr. Burns wrote this book with me in mind. I will read a section and then think to myself, "Sounds good, but that can't possibly work for me because...", only to find the first line of the next section saying, "You are probably thinking that although this sounds good, it can't work for you because..."!I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to rise above depression.The text is easy to understand and full of examples. There are practicle practice exercises and notes of encourangement along the way. Best of all, reading this book has helped me to realize that they way I think can make a difference in the way I feel.I hope this has helped you make a decision about Dr. Burn's book. A psychologist recommended that I read this book, saying that it is highly regarded. I agree!
Rating:
Summary: This book pulls me out of depression every time
Review: Surrering from depression in the form of extreme self-criticism, I used this book 10 years ago, following the exercises. It was the ONLY thing which saved me from the hell I was going through. Dr. Burns' tone is firm yet loving. His exercises let you face the demons which haunt you by gently encouraging you look at them and confront them. It gives you back your personal power. Also, the chapter on anger is the best treatment of the subject I have ever read. I pulled the book off the shelf again this week after going through a difficult time, and it worked again to pull me out of the depression. I strongly recommend this book. It is just full of support and insight for understanding the true meaning of self-worth. Thank you Dr. Burns.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful for anyone who's felt depression
Review: I'm not a person who's used to giving 5* reviews for books; it happens too frequently to give accurate pespective. However, this is an excellent book. I've had moderate depression for ten years. This book gives the effefcts of depression and practical, long-term ways to deal with it. It gives you an inside perspective of how depression affects the way you look at the world. The thesis of this book is that by changing the way you interpret events, you can change your mood. If you give this book two weeks and stick to it for six months, you will experience a significant improvement in your level of happiness. The writing is very well done and explanatory. You will develop automatic techniques that change and improve your attitude. I highly reccommend this bookm and its siblings by Dr. Burns.
Rating:
Summary: Great book! My Psychologist recommends it!
Review: I started therapy a few months ago after having been diagnosed with depression. My doctor recommended that I read Dr. Burns' book. I was skeptical at first. I wasn't sure how this book could help me. But I was willing to try. Once I picked it up I could almost not put it down. It has been an incredibly useful aid for my journey out of depression. As I read through it I found the examples to be incredibly reassuring. However, I think that the exercises are the most useful part of the book. The exercises have been the ammunition in my personal fight to conquer depression. This book has helped me change my life in a wide variety of ways.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE FOR ALL PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION
Review: YES MEDICATION IS STILL NEEDED BUT WHEN THATS GONE,THE STEPS LEARNED IN THIS BOOK COULD HELP PREVENT RELAPSE OF DEPRESSION .COGNITIVE THERAPY WORKS.
Rating:
Summary: Pactical and very effective.
Review: The list of the ten "cognitive distortions" on pages 40-41 is worth the price of this book. I have memorized them and use them almost every day to catch myself making mistakes in my thinking when I'm angry or disappointed, or sad, or peeved, or whatever. Memorize that list. It's not hard to do. And then when you catch yourself making one of those mistakes, you instantly feel better, because the "cognitive distortion" warped your view of the world in a way that made you have more negative emotion than you needed to have. This is different than positive thinking. It's different than trying to make yourself believe something positive you don't believe. This is clearing up the illusions you have that make you feel bad. It is practical and is very effective. Another book that deals very well with this is Self-Help Stuff That Works by Adam Khan (Youme Works; ISBN: 0962465674). Great references too. Each chapter ends with a very useful principle. I heard this guy on the radio. Pretty sharp.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and easy to understand
Review: I should have read this book a long time ago. It is very easy to read and you can relate to the situations that are presented by Dr. Burns. A truly enlightening and uplifting book. If you feel depressed, give this book a try and see what it can do for you.
Rating:
Summary: Not a suicidal day more, drug free, and happy
Review: I went to a doctor in November and begged for pills because I was living day by day, not knowing when I would finish my life. I had been in therapy for a year and had been depressed since late childhood. I thought I was just that way and I would have to depend on meds for the rest of my life. Determined not to do so, I read Feeling Good in February and follwed the exercises. By July (1 year earlier than treatment was scheduled to last) I stopped medication and practiced my newly learned skills from this book. It was tough at first but I have been successfully off the medication and happier than ever for over two months. This book is great. The way you think and speak does determine your mood. Try it! Six bucks can change, and save your life forever.
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