Depression is a serious mental health disorder that impacts both the mind and the body. This disorder can be especially debilitating, making it difficult for a person to do basic tasks, from socializing with others to getting out of bed and brushing their teeth. Depression squashes motivation to do anything and creates feelings of hopelessness and despair. It’s also a common denominator among those who have committed suicide, which is why receiving mental health treatment and support is so important. If you’re learning how to cope with your disorder, our Pompano Beach treatment center is sharing some of the best self-help books for depression you should read.
Best Self-Help Books for Depression
Though it tells us that something is wrong, depression doesn’t tell us what is wrong. This makes it a very complicated disorder, both for the individual and the people around them who want to help. Depression is also experienced differently by each person, which is why one type of approach to treatment isn’t effective for all.
Depression self-help books can be a useful tool in recovery from mental illness. They can be used to complement depression treatment but never be the solution. Self-help books can even speed up the recovery process by supporting services like talk therapy and providing added topics and questions to cover during therapy.
Here is a list of some of the best self-help books for depression you should look into.
This Is Depression
The first step to treating it is understanding exactly what it is and how it affects people. In This Is Depression, psychiatrist Diane McIntosh explains the many facets of depression as well as the various treatment options available for individuals. This is a great book for people who have struggled to find treatment and need options.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
Feeling Good was written by Dr. David D. Burns, who has decades of clinical experience treating people with mental illnesses like depression. The book offers scientifically proven techniques that tackle “anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other ‘black holes’ of depression.”
Feeling Great
Also written by Dr. David D. Burns, Feeling Great is the culmination of 40 years of research and over 40,000 hours spent treating people who struggled with depression. This book looks at a theory of treatment that he utilized as a psychiatrist that helps patients listen to negative thoughts as important messages from the body rather than as feelings that should be avoided. Through this book, Dr. Burns expresses depression in two ways: simultaneously decreasing depressed feelings while increasing positive feelings for a more rapid recovery.
Learned Hopefulness
Learned Hopefulness is centered on positive psychology, which is gaining a lot of popularity in the talk therapy world. This form of therapy focuses on viewing the restoration of the individual’s sense of hope in their future as a foundational challenge. Dr. Dan Tomasulo addresses this problem by helping people identify their strengths, looking at their recovery from a hopeful place, and challenging the voice of depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a commonly used form of psychotherapy and talk therapy in mental health treatment. The technique is designed to identify irrational and negative thoughts and replace them with ration and positive thoughts. Dr. Seth J. Gillihan uses a holistic approach in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple to identify patterns of thinking that are preventing people from achieving their goals and replace them with feelings of happiness and purpose.
The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness
The Mindful Way Through Depression was written by four uniquely qualified experts. It explains why usual attempts to “think” our way out of a bad mood or just “snap out of it” lead us deeper into a downward spiral of depression. Through insightful techniques drawn from both Eastern meditative traditions and cognitive therapy, these experts demonstrate how to avoid the mental habits that lead to despair – including rumination and self-blame – so you can be free to face life’s challenges with greater resilience.
The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time
The Upward Spiral was written by Dr. Alex Korb, explaining his scientific approach to self-help to empower readers by arming them with concrete and in-depth knowledge of how their brains work. Dr. Korb explains that people with depression aren’t broken. Rather their brains are hardwired differently. However, with the right tools, these individuals can reprogram their thinking and make a real change toward happiness.
I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression
Written by Terrance Real, I Don’t Want to Talk About It is one of the few self-help depression books that focus on depression among men. With dozens of case studies on men and depression, this book dives into the gender differences in depression. Traditionally, men have been emotionally stifled by societal expectations of how they should express their emotions. Real’s book opens the floor for a deeper conversation and discussion about male mental health.
Unlearning Anxiety & Depression
In Unlearning Anxiety & Depression, Dr. Joseph J. Luciani asks the very important question: what if anxiety and depression are learned habits that can be broken? Since our thoughts and daily routines are habits, Dr. Luciani explores how changing our habits can have an impact on our mood and details what habits readers should replace their old ones with.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
Lori Gottlieb’s Maybe You Should Talk to Someone encourages helpers to get help. As a therapist, Gottlieb tells of working with patients who are struggling while she’s wrestling with her own heartbreak and mental illness. This book offers various intertwined stories of people struggling with emotions caused by life showing up in various difficult ways. This book ensures readers that it’s okay to ask for help, even if you’re usually the helper.
Professional Treatment for Depression
While these self-help books for depression are some of the best on the market, they aren’t the solution to treating depression, nor are they a replacement for professional care. If you or someone you love is battling mental illness, our Pompano rehabilitation center is here to help.
Banyan offers mental health treatment in Florida, including disorder-specific programs like depression and anxiety treatment. We also utilize evidence-based psychotherapy programs like CBT and DBT to help clients develop healthy habits for coping with their symptoms.
For more information about our addiction and mental health treatment in Pompano, call Banyan Treatment Centers today at 888-280-4763.
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