The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs [Hardcover]

This book didn't initially appeal to me, and I had no plans to actually purchase it. The six steps just seemed so obvious to me, and I honestly thought I was doing all six steps already anyway. But, after reading more and more of it online, I grew more appreciative of the wisdom and method of this book, and finally ran out and bought it. I'm really glad I did!

What is so impressive about this book is that it tells you not just the old tropes about sleep hygiene and exercise and blah, blah, Omega 3s, blah... but it gives you a step by step plan for exactly what you should do and how to put it into action, complete with a troubleshooting section at the end. I realized that I actually wasn't doing a lot of things correctly, and, by explaining exactly what has worked for him and his patients, the author allows you to understand how to implement a lot of these habits in your life in a way that might actually help your depression. I didn't know a lot of things about how lightboxes worked or what sort of Omega 3 supplement I should buy. Advice I had gotten in the past was so vague, that I couldn't implement the habits correctly. For instance, many people will say you should buy "quality supplements" or buy a lightbox from a "brand you trust", or whatever, but if you don't know what constitutes a quality supplement or the right sort of lightbox, then it's impossible to choose among the alternatives. This book bravely names names! It says this brand works, look for a fish oil supplement that says this on it, and here is the reason why. That was very helpful for me!

I also like that everything is broken down into simple steps, so if motivation is your problem, there are a lot of ideas about how to get started with a couple easy things first. I don't have much of a problem motivating myself to exercise, but I think that section in particular would be very helpful for someone who does have issues, since it gives lots of different ideas for what to do, and it take surprisingly little exercise, according to this book, to have some antidepressent effects. But there is always room for improvement as well, and some exercise is better than others. That's why I really liked the part in the end about taking your exercise to the next level. This has inspired me to start running everyday, and I'm glad I did!

A quick aside- I didn't know that there were different kinds of Omega 3 supplements, and since I'm a vegetarian, I thought flaxseed oil was sufficient. The author addresses this issue in a really compelling way. Although it is possible to find vegetarian supplements that would meet the criteria for depression, they are just now being developed and are expensive. Simple flaxseed oil is a different kind of Omega 3 that has not been shown in studies to have an effect on depression. Since medical treatment is not optional, I realize that I actually need to make an exception in this case and just buy fish oil instead. I was taking obscene amounts of flaxseed oil in the past, wondering why it never seemed to help me. Maybe that is the reason!

One problem that some people might have with this book is that it does presuppose a basic ability to get out of bed most mornings. If you are in the throes of a deep depression, you will probably not be able to institute most of these practices into your life (but hey, no harm in trying! Right?). It was very easy for me because my depression was already well controlled by my medication, and my main reason for reading the book was to eventually work my way off of the meds. I know when I've been at my worst, survival itself is pretty impossible, just eating and showering are huge burdens, so starting this program would have been difficult. I agree with the author on most points regarding the effectiveness of antidepressants in studies, but it shouldn't be underemphasized that people with very serious depression, not moderate depression, generally stand out in most studies as not being subject to as much of a placebo effect. That is to say, there is a category of people for which meds are indispensible. If that applies to you, seek professional assistance until you get back on your feet, and then you can use all of the advice in this book to prevent a recurrence. But for anyone else, even people who have never had depression, the advice in this book will help you prevent a whole array of health problems, since it is generally encouraging you to live a healthier lifestyle and it is strongly promoting well-being, as opposed to just being symptom free. So it's not just about keeping you alive; it's about enjoying life.

I think, for me, the hardest advice to follow will be the chapters on rumination and socializing. I wish the author would write a whole book on rumination, actually, since I just don't know what else I'm supposed to think about! What would be a good thing to think about? What do normal people think about? But this book does a very good job of explaining how to improve these issues. Again, what I like about it is it breaks it down into small steps, and it tells you exactly what you could do, how to get yourself to be more social, where to look for social contacts, what to do when you catch yourself ruminating, etc.

So, that's all a long way of saying, I'm really glad I read this book. I think this is somewhat of a breakthrough in how we look at mental illness, and it's just great to be treated like an adult who, if given good information, is willing and capable of taking control of my life and my illness. I was put on meds when I was still in high school, so my whole adult life, I've always felt like I was reliant on doctors to alleviate my pain with pills. Maybe I was so desperate to feel better, that the mere alleviation of symptoms took up all of my focus. And unfortunately, I became very addicted to these pills long before I had even reached the age of consent. I realize now that there were so many other options than just medication, and I wish someone like this author had come around back then. For me, it's not only about being depression free or anxiety free... it's also about leading a qualitatively good life, about feeling fulfilled and maybe even happy, about having people for whom I matter, and about kinda making the world a better place. And that's the thing that a doctor has never been able to help me do! I think the answer might lie in this book, and I'm really thankful to the author for writing it!

Dr. Stephen Ilardi has written a highly accessible book that has something to offer everyone, not merely those who suffer from clinical depression. Without stooping to the charlatanism of New Age healers, Ilardi points out that mental and physical health are intimately connected, for reasons connected to our evolutionary heritage. He goes beyond the banal, vacuous advice of 'diet and exercise' to tell us with greater specificity what exactly in our diet (omega-3s), bodily environment (aerobic exercise, sleep) and and external environment (sunshine, close and frequent interpersonal contact) that we need to combat the epidemic of the blues.

The implications of his book are multitudinous and profound: among others, for the role of medication in national health care policy and our attempts to prevent depressive illness - if his work is taken seriously by those in government, the health care system could begin a much-needed movement toward wellness for all and prevention of disease, instead of merely rewarding pharmaceutical companies for campaign donations.

This is the rare book in the field that is useful, not merely for the clinically depressed, but also for those merely suffering from the 'normal blues', or even those just wishing to enhance the well-being of their lives. His TLC program can help just about everyone, and most of its elements are low-cost or free! I believe this book potentially could be prove to be a watershed moment in the very understanding of illness and the goals of medical treatment. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

For the last 7 years I have fought with depression that has gone from mildly inconvenient at times to downright debilitating at other times. I discovered Dr. Ilardi's book after coming off of almost a full week of being unable to even make it out of bed. At that point I had already gone through 3 different types of drugs and was thinking I was going to be moving to another type soon. But that wasn't much hope as each type I tried would work for a few weeks and then I'd be back almost to where I started.

I was able to get together enough energy to read through the first step of TLC (dietary supplement) and make a trip to The Vitamin Shoppe. I started to take the recommended doses of the vitamins and noticed some slight changes in a couple of days. Within a week I was able to make it through the next few sections of the book. I started to notice rumative behavior and redirect it. I put a light box on order. I started doing some light exercise on the exercise bike (after clearing the dust). And I started to feel even better. I eventually made it through the rest of the book and started to record my depression symptoms according to the very helpful survey in the book. The first week I was in the 10-15 range (already a huge drop from where I estimated I was when first starting). The next week I was under 10. And this last week for the first time I can remember since I was in high school, I had ZERO symptoms of depression. This in spite of an extremely stressful week at work.

It's hard to put into words what coming out of depression feels like. All I know is that I feel right now in a way that I thought I'd never be able to again. ANY physician who treats depressed patients needs to be aware of this research. I know I will be making my doctor aware of it the next time I see him... and hopefully save someone else the length of suffering I went through.

"The Depression Cure" is not a pipe dream - this is the real deal.

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