I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression - Terrence Real - 4 Stars

[Jason]

I read this book because I loved Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship so much.

I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression was published in 1997, and Real's take on male depression seemed cutting edge then, and, at least from my experience, is still not widely accepted.

Real says there are two types of depression. Overt depression which includes Major and Minor Depression, the traditional definitions of depression. This manifests as loss of sleep, loss of appetite, eating too much, loss of interest in things and so on and so forth. The second for of depression is Covert Depression. This is where men (I assume can apply to women) are depressed but are using coping mechanism to keep it at bay. This normally includes some type of addiction, drugs, alcohol, sex, or any other form of addiction, and men, generally externalizes this depression in aggressive behavior towards other. (Women would normally internalize this depression)

Though this book is not engaging as Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship, I found it to be really helpful in analyzing your past and connecting it to your current actions. How you have to move from Covert to Overt depression before you can heal.

This is the type of therapy I thought I was going to receive when I started going.