Conquering the Beast Within : How I Fought Depression and Won . . . and How You Can, Too

Rating:
Summary: A Great Tool for Counselors
Review: A co-worker recommended Cait's book to me. I have since bought two copies, one to give to my 10 year-old client fighting severe depression and one for myself to use with other clients. Co-workers and I have found that children love this book, with its wonderful illustrations and its use of the beast as analagous to depression. Children enjoy creating their own book on depression and the whole process is wonderfully therapeutic. (But even adults will appreciate it!)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent source book for teenagers and young adults.
Review: Cait has done an excellent job of writing about a topic that affects so many lives today. She does not gloss over the hard facts and reality, and yet, she offers hope to all who suffer from depression. Her mother, who was her strong supporter through all of this, shows how important it is for families to assist in the healing process! They are a beautiful example of how committed people can battle depression together and win.

Rating:
Summary: Well illustrated and good insights
Review: Irwin's "Conquering the Beast" features some very nice illustrations but a few appear as if she drew them within minutes. Her advice and commentary on depression are indeed accurate and helpful. Still, Irwin and others who have experienced depression must recognize that anti-depressants do not really "conquer" depression. Although they certainly are a miracle, anti-depressants control and subside the symptoms. One hasn't really "conquered" this horror of an illness until the roots of the illness are finally gone. Nevertheless, I would buy or give this book to any teenager struggling with depression, or even family members of a depressed teen. Often those closest to the patient know little about this illness.

Rating:
Summary: Well illustrated and good insights
Review: Irwin's "Conquering the Beast" features some very nice illustrations but a few appear as if she drew them within minutes. Her advice and commentary on depression are indeed accurate and helpful. Still, Irwin and others who have experienced depression must recognize that anti-depressants do not really "conquer" depression. Although they certainly are a miracle, anti-depressants control and subside the symptoms. One hasn't really "conquered" this horror of an illness until the roots of the illness are finally gone. Nevertheless, I would buy or give this book to any teenager struggling with depression, or even family members of a depressed teen. Often those closest to the patient know little about this illness.

Rating:
Summary: The Grail for Peer Counselors
Review: Ms. Irwin's book definitely is not a technical guide to depression with all its "sub-types," but the diary-like style without a doubt makes the reader connect with her struggle with and eventual victory over the terrors of depression. The book is useful for all ages, as the illustrations draw in the attention of any audience: child, adolescent, or adult. The very personal and individualistic nature of her writing as well as the blunt honesty of her family members who share their thoughts at the end convinces one of her earnesty and commitment. True, it may not give you specific information that a more technical work might contain, but the emotional comfort the book provides more than makes up for it, at the very least as a supplement to those requiring facts or to those who need an immediate "anchor" to sustain hope. The extensive and thorough list of mental health resources at the very end (complete with web addresses for those who are too shy for direct, personal contact) is an invaluable component of the book and supercedes any other list that I've seen in other works concerning mental health.

Rating:
Summary: The Grail for Peer Counselors
Review: Ms. Irwin's book definitely is not a technical guide to depression with all its "sub-types," but the diary-like style without a doubt makes the reader connect with her struggle with and eventual victory over the terrors of depression. The book is useful for all ages, as the illustrations draw in the attention of any audience: child, adolescent, or adult. The very personal and individualistic nature of her writing as well as the blunt honesty of her family members who share their thoughts at the end convinces one of her earnesty and commitment. True, it may not give you specific information that a more technical work might contain, but the emotional comfort the book provides more than makes up for it, at the very least as a supplement to those requiring facts or to those who need an immediate "anchor" to sustain hope. The extensive and thorough list of mental health resources at the very end (complete with web addresses for those who are too shy for direct, personal contact) is an invaluable component of the book and supercedes any other list that I've seen in other works concerning mental health.

Rating:
Summary: says it all
Review: Pictures are worth 1,000 words... A five-inch thick novel written by a leading psychologist could not explain Cait's battle and victory better than her drawings. As I "read" her book, I "saw" what my daughter has been going throught the last few months. Congratulations, Cait. You are the light at the end of our tunnel. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Conquering The Beast Within
Review: The author wrote this booklet and drew the illustrations to help her work through her depression. I'm glad it helped her, but I found it to be an extremely thin and repetitious "don't give up." That's an important message for people suffering through depression, but I found no insights worth holding on to.

Rating:
Summary: Conquering The Beast Within
Review: The words in this book could have been taken out of my heart. My eyes widened as I read because these were my exact feelings. I am way, way past my teen years but what Cait wrote about is what I have lived through the past years. Cait, you have given us a gift with this book. The next time I see my psychiatrist I will give him this book so he can better understand. The pages say what I could never express.

Rating:
Summary: excellent!!
Review: This book deals with the many aspects of depression, from the mild beginnings of self-doubt to the severe "beast" that may require medication and hospitalization. It is written by a teen who dealt with depression. The book has beautiful illustrations and a engaging, straight forward text that does not burden the concentration level (or lack of) of the person dealing with the depression. As an adult who dealt with severe depression as a teenager to a parent who now has a 15 year old daughter dealing with "The Beast" that is depression, this book was a wonderful!! It is also the type of book that you can give to grandparents, friends, teachers ect. for a short, simple but complete look at what goes on in the mind of a depressed teen (even when they seem to have it all together)! I have purchased extra copies to give to the school and relatives who may find what my daughter is going through hard to understand.