Climbing Out of Depression: A Practical Guide to Real and Immediate Help

by Sue Atkinson

A warm, simple, and practical guide to real and immediate help for those lost in the darkness of depression?written by someone who has experienced it and found a way out.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 17 million Americans suffer from depression. For many of these millions, climbing back out of the pit of gloom seems almost impossible. Depression often leaves its victims feeling paralyzed, numb, and alone. Climbing Out of Depression is a guide for everyone who is looking for practical help.

Unlike clinical books that approach depression from a theoretical, academic viewpoint, what makes this book distinctive is the fact that the author herself has suffered from depression for many years. Atkinson does not write as an expert, or as a depression counselor, but as someone who knows the feelings from close personal experience. Climbing Out of Depression is a handbook to offer immediate help for the mind, the body, and?with the author?s gentle spiritual touch?also the soul. Topics covered in Climbing Out of Depression include the causes of depression; how to take action when life becomes too difficult; dealing with negativity; overcoming fear, worry, and panic; understanding anger; coping with loss; and much more.

Climbing Out of Depression is a tried-and-true tested book that incorporates strategies, tips, and success stories, many of the author herself. Written in easily grasped sections designed to be read for the limited concentration spans that often accompany depression, Atkinson leads the reader through the ?why? of depression and then offers ?how-to? suggestions based on firsthand proven techniques. Reading this book is similar to having a conversation with a compassionate friend, one who has ?been there? and knows what to say and how to help.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Illness, Self Help

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Janette Townend]

A very useful easy read, targeted for those who suffer from depression and those who are interested in finding out more about depression and how they can be supportive. Sue defines all the different types of depression and provides strategies for living with depression, tackling topics such as: Emotions, Managing guilt, Loneliness and Self-esteem... The book and writing is motivational and it offers a gentle honest understanding of depression from a sufferer who writes from her own experience, it is not written from the point of view of a health professional. I would recommend this book to family and other pastoral carers, and sufferers of depression.

[Katie]

I'd have to give it a 3.5. There was a lot of stuff I liked, and stuff I didn't. Which is to be expected in these sorts of books. It was actually refreshing to have an author pretty much state this up front.

It lost the .5 that would have made it a 4, for me for pretty much personal reasons. I don't do well when religion gets brought into self help. I have religious OCD and just a complicated relationship with religion in general. It didn't help that there were so many quotes that mentioned God, or that religion or talking to God was brought up in the book. But again, that's just a me thing.

So yeah, good book. Makes you think and might be helpful to people.

[Heather Colacurcio]

A realistic guide to dealing with depression from a sufferer. Atkinson isn’t overwhelmingly preachy; she offers her experience to help others in an approachable manner, with doable, effective exercises. A guide to return to time and again.

[etherealfire]

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[Legens]

Surely not bad advice, but a lot of it is rather trivial.

[Tracy]

If you or a loved one has depression, you should read this book to assist you in understanding this horrible condition.

[Jaachim]

I was extremely wary when picking this book up, even though the author says from the beginning it's not a book on "ten steps to stop being sad!" Atkinson uses what she's learned from her experiences with depression to help the reader understand what's going on inside them and ways they can cope and get better. In reading this, I found a lot of things that I have done that have made my depression less awful and a lot of encouragements that I've received and given to other depressed people.

Although the author points out depression is not an easy fix and it's okay to struggle with getting better, there are moments where her advice comes across as blaming people who have depression for not doing more to stop being depressed? However, she acknowledges that not all of the advice works for everyone and different people experience different elements of depression, which was refreshing.

I guess where I am mentally made me feel weird about this book? There definitely is a lot of good advice to help someone get healthier but that doesn't mean the depression goes away completely. The title is catchy but maybe indicating that it was how to climb out of a wave of depression as opposed to climbing out of depression forever and ever would have made me feel less odd about the book.

[Jill]

This book has given me a lot to think about. Her analogy works, even if it's not what I would use. I really liked the idea that she just wants to help, to give people a jumping off point. It also helped me see that just existing isn't enough, that on the good days, I can work toward ending the depression.

[wueasa]

"...her book contains a varied menu of hints, quotations and illustrations, not page after page of unbroken text. This is a book to dip into as fits your mood and need, making a dependable guide to the climb."

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[Bob Potter]

The author came at the subject from the perspective of a fellow sufferer of depression. This angle helped confirm some ideas I've had about the subject and also gave me a reinforcing feeling of not being alone.

[Michelle Savin]

This book started out with promise but got gradually more about connecting with god. A concept that further frustrates my existential depression.

[Lisa]

2nd time reading this. Now I remember why I didn't like it; it doesn't help much for depression. It does, however, lightly inform on phobias and forgiving of which I found insightful.