Understanding Depression: A Complete Guide to Its Diagnosis and Treatment

by Donald F. Klein, Paul H. Wender

When Understanding Depression was first published over ten years ago, it quickly became a trusted guide for the millions of Americans suffering from depression. Now the long-awaited revised and expanded second edition of this definitive and readable book is available to a new generation of
those struggling with depression and their families. Informed by up-to-date research on new drugs and treatments for biological depression, the authors again carefully illustrate the importance of accurately diagnosing the disease and using scientific data and tested research methods in treating it.
The book provides the means of evaluating the benefits and disadvantages of both pharmaceutical and psychological treatment of depression and explores the different treatments available. The completely revised medication chapter covers both the old and the new antidepressants and SSRIs, as well as
popular herbal supplements like St. John's Wort. It also focuses on the environmental and hereditary causes of biological depression, about which there are still many misconceptions, even among professionals. The authors include several self-rating tests which readers can use to determine the need
to seek a psychological evaluation.
Using excerpts from patient histories to show their progress from the onset of depression to treatment to recovery, the authors put a human face on the specter of depression. Most of its victims fail to seek help, whether out of guilt or ignorance, and many are misdiagnosed by physicians or
psychotherapists who fail to recognize the symptoms of the illness. Understanding Depression is an excellent source of support, providing a highly informed and readable guide to this much misunderstood disease.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Health, Science

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 1993

Reviews

[Coby Basal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent read for students of psychiatry interested in better understanding biologic depression. The author demonstrates an exceptional and nuanced grasp of psychopathology, especially of biologic depressive disorders. A limitation of this book is that it does not fairly lay out the evidence for and against cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treatment of biologic depression. Current models for treatment of depression support a combination of psychotropic medication (e.g. SSRI, TCA) and CBT for optimal outcomes. Nevertheless, the book is a must read for anyone interested in better understanding biologic depression, and it is a must read for students of psychiatry.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding Depression should be required reading for everyone who has ever known anyone with a clinical depression or depression-related illness (manic-depressive/bipolar disorder; dysthymia; long-term depression; atypical depressionseasonal affective disorder; premenstrual syndrome; etc). It covers the diagnostic requirements of these illnesses - how a depressive disorder differs significantly from a general malaise, and/or from general feelings of sadness/loss/grief. If you have ever told someone with clinical depression or another mental illness (or thought it to yourself, or told someone else) that they ought to be able to just 'snap out of it,' or that you can't understand why they're crying/sad all the time, when it's so beautiful outside and/or when they have so many wonderful relationships or other things going on in their lives ... please, please, please read this book.

If we demystify what depressive illnesses actually are, if we study and learn how they actual affect the minds and lives of those with these illnesses, we can stop being so insensitive to the life-threatening struggles they are facing, and start encouraging them (and/or ourselves) to seek the help and treatment that is available. Readily available! There is NO reason for depressive patients to continue to suffer in silence, or to try to hide their very real illnesses. There is NO shame in seeking treatment, because no one deserves to live life with these disorders, and they are, clearly, medically, biologically, disorders. Stop the guilt and shame associated with mental illnesses.

You can begin by reading this book, about one of the types of mental illnesses that affect literally millions of human beings the world over, from every single race, from every single socioeconomic background you can imagine. This is not a first-world problem. It is a very real issue that we as a human race need to stand up and acknowledge, demystify, and de-stigmatize. NOW.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this for 50% off at a used book store. Final price came out to $2.50 and I think I paid too much. While the book did provide some good info, I didn't really appreciate all the disparaging remarks towards traditional psychotherapy. I understand the benefits and advantages of medical treatment for depression, I just felt the authors had no respect for psychotherpy and made that clear almost ever other page.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

A succinct guide with different examples of the breadth of depressive symptoms. The only beef I have with this is the authors' insistence on separating biological depression vs. psychological depression, as if the latter could be separated and was a lesser threat.