Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope [Paperback]

Jon G. Allen PhD (Author)

List Price:	CDN$ 52.95
Price:	CDN$ 44.52 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save:	CDN$ 8.43 (16%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Monday, May 28? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.

Product Details

Paperback: 341 pages
Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub; 1 edition (Nov 29 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1585622117
ISBN-13: 978-1585622115
Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 15.8 x 1.7 cm
Shipping Weight: 454 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #816,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Review

"[Allen] masterfully walks through a variety of topics, like genetic predisposition, early childhood development, and stress as contributors to depression.... He gently exposes the patient's responsibility for change as a reason for hope rather than self-blame. Allen uses the most recent research on chronic depression and communicates it in a user-friendly way. The clinician can trust that the volume offers the patient the best available information in a sensitive manner."-- "Doody's Book Review Service", "May 2006"

Product Description

Distilling years of experience in educating psychiatric patients and their amilies about depression, Jon Allen has written a practical book that addresses the challenges depressed patients face on the road to recovery. Allen advocates approaching depression by focusing on the importance of hope, and he helps patients understand depression through two simple ideas:catch-22 and stress pileup. This book conveys how the symptoms of depression impede all the things depressed persons must do to recover, thusdefusing self-criticism while encouraging patients to take satisfaction in mall steps toward improvement. And the concept of stress pileup encompassesa developmental perspective respecting the full range of accumulated biological, psychological, and interpersonal stresses that play into depression. This broad understanding helps patients become more compassionate toward themselves and puts them in a stronger position to make use of professional care.

See all Product Description

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Share your experience with this product with others

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book: For Sufferers and Caretakers Alike, Dec 5 2006

By C. Meier - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope (Paperback)

People who are depressed often have impaired concentration and attention spans. People who are living with or caring for depressed people often have no real clue what the difference is between "ordinary depression" and "clinical depression" and how many kinds of clinical depression there are, etc. This book is written with all these factors in mind. I recommend you read it slowly from beginning to end but if you need to just go to the chapter that addresses what you are experiencing or need to understand the chapters stand alone as well and are broken up into Boldly Headed segments to easily find and re-find the parts of the book one might need to read and re-read over and over to really absorb all the various parts that make up this complex, widely suffered yet misunderstood disease. Most of all, Dr. Allen's compassion and wisdom for his patients and for trying to write a book that is truly accessible is what separates this book from most others. There is nothing gimicky about this book. He makes no claims to "quick fixes" or "magical remedies". But he is highly qualified both professionally and personally to guide the reader to a better understanding and even hope. I recommend this and "The Noonday Demon" by Andrew Solomon as the two best books to buy on depression if you can only get two.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Learn the latest facts about depression, April 19 2007

By Jim S - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope (Paperback)

This book is an excellent survey of the latest ideas and theories about depression. The book contains up-to-date research with over 500 literature citations throughout the text. In contrast to some experts, the author believes that mood changes are not just due to a single neurotransmitter (such as serotonin). Rather the increase in synaptice levels of neurochemical levels leads to a cascade of changes in the neurons.

Cognitive therapy was pointed out to be an effective, proven method of dealing with depression. This therapy involves identifying automatic negative thoughts, challenging them, examining the evidence for the thoughts, and brainstorming for other alternatives.

Among the best strategies for getting yourself out of a bad mood is to exercise. Regular aerobic exercise at 70% maximum heart rate seems best.

Manic episodes in polar depression can be brought on by sleep schedule disruption. Also, positive life events like a promotion or new romance can trigger mania. This notion goes along with my struggles with polar. The times I've experienced a mania phase have been times of major achievemnet.

If you want the lastest ideas about depression, this is the book for you.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book I've ever read on the subject, Sep 30 2007

By Angela K. Dinnes - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope (Paperback)

Dr. Allen has written an excellent book on the realities of living with depression. His compassion and understanding come from years of working with patients with severe, difficult to treat episodes of mental illnesses. I was fortunate to have been able to receive education and treatment from Dr. Allen at the Menninger Clinic in Houston,Texas. With help from Dr. Allen and the rest of the staff, I have been able to better cope with my depression and anxiety than ever before. I have suffered from depression and anxiety for over 20 years, and this book helps to bring me back to stability every time and to again restore hope. It is as if I have been able to bring home one of the most valuable portions of my treatment home to return to again and again as I need the help. Those of you who are not familiar with the Menninger Clinic should be aware that it is one of the top hospitals in the world for the treatment of difficult to treat mental illnesses. This is also an excellent book for sufferers to share with family and friend who are open to learning more about the realities of living with the illness.

This is not a quick read but it is worth the time it takes to read and absorb it. Although he does not sugar-coat the experience of the illness, he walks us through it and back out again to find hope.

People who have suffered from trauma may also want to read "Coping With Trauma" by Dr. Allen.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews 4.8 out of 5 stars