Understanding Depression: What We Know and What You Can Do About It

Rating:
Summary: A Biased View on Treating Depression.
Review: "Understanding Depression" is a clear and concise view of the illness through the eyes of "a psychiatrist who has seen in consultation, teaching, research, and treatment settings some 8,000 people-with clinical depression and manic-depressive illness."
Dr. DePaulo of John Hopkins University has written a cogent book at what it means to suffer from depression/manic-depression and its possible causes. However, he advocates the use of traditional and cutting-edge medication as the cure for most people throughout the book, while only offering 9 pages regarding alternative treatments.


Rating:
Summary: I don't understand
Review: After I had seen a therapist and progressed through weeks of beneficial treatment, I set out on my own to search for more helpful information. I was going to buy this book in the bookstore; I had in hand, but declined to purchase it. After borrowing it from a library and giving it a closer look I am mighty glad that I didn't waste my money. Because this book basically offered me nothing I didn't already know or already understood about my depression experience. Nor did it present anything I was remotely interested in because its subject content is extremely broad, including all manifestations of severe depressive disorders, treatments and medical occupations mostly irrelevant to me. Needless to say, I ended up skimming chapters from start to finish.

This massing of material gives it a textbook feel. Made even more evident in how the author remains rather speculative or skeptical; basically sticking to proven facts, dwelling immensely on history, boring statistics and the biological science of depression to a point of near confusion. The author seems to play it safe and skirts the edge with no clear expression on any strongly opinionated side of issues like those concerning "alternative" treatments. Mainly remaining on neutral ground and bouncing back 'n forth. The author also goes the long, descriptive and complicated way about saying very little and is extremely repetitive. What surfaces continuously is how the author claims that what we know and understand about depression is actually very diminutive and not really clear. Though this is true and certainlly what we know now is a lot more than what we knew twenty years ago. But actually all of this got to be quite draining. Also not to mention how the book seems to present no real strong sense of what a common person afflicted with depression can do about it other than what they probably have conventionally done already.

The book is contradictive and inappropriately titled. To me it seems written more so for those studying in a professional, specialized and advanced field significant to technically improving depressive illnesses. Plus the author dwells quite a bit on his own method of practice. I was quite dissatisfied and unimpressed with this book and would not recommend it, especially not to someone currently struggling through a severe depression of any kind.

Rating:
Summary: an Excellent Resource
Review: If you're looking to learn about depression, this is an EXCELLENT book to begin with. DePaulo does a great job of explaining what depression is (and isn't) and what we do and don't know about it.

He explores the causes of depression and he's not afraid to say when something isn't 100% certain. The truth is, they're still learning so much about the causes of depression that I'm very suspicious of anyone who claims to know exactly what causes it or how best to treat it.

Also, the book reads well.. his writing style is very conversational. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is trying to understand what depression is and the options one has in dealing with it.

Rating:
Summary: A Lot of Information Here on Depression
Review: There is a pretty good overview of the popular treatments for depression. But nothing new here.For better help in getting out from under depression I recommend the book Depression is a Choice by A. B. Curtiss.

Rating:
Summary: A good overview of depression
Review: This is one of the most thorough books on depression that I've read. I don't agree with one of the other reviewers who stated that those who are very familiar with depression may not learn too much from this book- it covers so much territory that novices and experts alike will surely learn quite a bit. The quality of writing is quite high, though some sections could possibly have been shortened. The organization of the book is pretty straightforward and intuitive, and I found this to be a smooth and easy read. My biggest criticism is that I would have liked to see the author open up a little more with more insider tips and idiosyncratic findings, rather than tending a little more toward reserved generalities. Nonetheless, the book is still quite detailed and well worth reading if you're interested at all in the subject of depression. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

Rating:
Summary: A good overview of depression
Review: This is one of the most thorough books on depression that I've read. I don't agree with one of the other reviewers who stated that those who are very familiar with depression may not learn too much from this book- it covers so much territory that novices and experts alike will surely learn quite a bit. The quality of writing is quite high, though some sections could possibly have been shortened. The organization of the book is pretty straightforward and intuitive, and I found this to be a smooth and easy read. My biggest criticism is that I would have liked to see the author open up a little more with more insider tips and idiosyncratic findings, rather than tending a little more toward reserved generalities. Nonetheless, the book is still quite detailed and well worth reading if you're interested at all in the subject of depression. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".