According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17.5 million Americans suffer from clinical depression. Each year, more than 132,000 people will consider suicide as a way out of depression and over 30,000 of them will succeed. The author became a statistic of the first two categories and was miraculously saved from the third. Ironically, he was reborn to a new reality through the intervention of a terminally ill friend as he wrote his school-aged son a desperate suicide letter. The letter grew longer and longer and eventually changed course and became this book. Something tragic and sad became an inspirational story of survival and perspective. This book is a riveting first hand account of not only depression, but more importantly his journey into and out of depression. The author describes his decent and climb from depression to his son in heartbreaking detail, from his childhood in the tough streets of Philadelphia to his battle with cancer, the deaths of his sister, mother and two best friends, all in a relatively short period of time. What make this book unique are the strategically intertwined positive lessons that were learned while facing these tragic, life-altering events. These lessons, appropriately named "Life Lessons", are heartfelt loving messages from a father to his son illustrating what the author believes to be the truths of life and what is truly important to him today. Desperate to pass on these imperative messages to the most important person in his world, the author expresses his feelings on such subjects as true success, stress and pressure, love, and family.

"This is a memoir based on a blog written by a paramedic who was the first responder to a gruesome murder. She suffered from PTSD, depression, overdosing, attempted suicide and addiction. She chronicles her mental health journey in this true story."--

When the challenges you've faced threaten to destroy your life, how do you find your way back to the truths you thought you believed? I Am Restored tells the untold story of how Lecrae's past nearly ruined his future--until he learned that the wounds we carry can have the potential to be unlikely guides to healing and freedom for ourselves and others. Throughout I Am Restored, Lecrae documents the shattering yet hopeful story of how he faced the scars of his past--sexual abuse, physical trauma, addiction, and depression--and emerged more fully human than ever before. With remarkable transparency and vulnerability, Lecrae reveals that at the height of his professional success, his life was spinning out of control, driven by a past that he had never confronted and a religious perspective that was incapable of meeting the challenge. I Am Restored takes an unflinching look at the personal and public spaces that are too often at the societal core of our pain and heartache--culture, politics, family, church, and more--and teaches us that forgiveness can be the birthplace of the life that God has created for us. Throughout this powerful, deeply personal account, Lecrae shares the life lessons he's learned about: Confronting the pain and trauma that has shaped your story Breaking the cycle of sin and shame and embracing joy and authenticity Finding hope and healing in the midst of chaos The simple practices that can change your mental, emotional, and spiritual health Leading a life that's bursting with creativity and true freedom I Am Restored is a hopeful, inspiring charge to start your journey to lasting healing today. No matter what your past has held, God is near you, he hears you, and he's not done writing your story.

In The Daily Check-In, singer and actress Michelle Williams helps readers process the emotions that cause them to feel overwhelmed and gives them powerful strategies for discovering freedom and wholeness. In her book Checking In, Michelle Williams shared the painful seasons of struggle that left her feeling like she couldn't go on. In the midst of her wrestling, she came to realize her crucial need for connection--with God, herself, and others--and developed strategies for checking in with each. Her life-giving strategies have helped her overcome the thoughts and emotions that once threatened to derail her. Now she shares those strategies with readers who are on their own journeys toward mental wholeness--and who want to discover how to be free to live an abundant life. In this sixty-day guided journal, Williams leads readers through the process of identifying the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that leave them feeling overwhelmed, unfulfilled, and alone. Through her unique blend of tender, sometimes humorous, and often thought-provoking wisdom, Williams shows readers how to overcome difficult circumstances and relationships with life-giving honesty and connection, offering powerful readings about overwhelming emotions and healing from hurt; key scriptures that emphasize the importance of checking in with God, themselves, and others; journaling prompts for personal processing; and short prayers to help readers lean on God for insight, strength, and courage on their journey toward mental wholeness.

"In this book, you will get to know me through my story of depression and healing. And you will get to know other women as well. You will meet Aurore who crochets to stay in touch with reality as she deals with ongoing psychiatric hallucinations. You will meet Laurie who made a new life with crochet after years of a life filled with abuse. You will meet Tammy whose crochet helps her with the ups and downs of living with Chronic Lyme Disease. You will meet Liza who crochets through the anxiety of having temporary bouts of blindness caused by an undiagnosed health condition. Here are some of the things you will hear them say:"When I crochet I don't think about how my body is now broken; I think about how I can create something beautiful and useful with my hook and either yarn or thread."--Vicki --"Crochet helps me put my pain on the back burner for a while. It takes my focus away from how I'm feeling and puts it in a more productive place" - Shelli. The two dozen women whose stories are shared in this book are the women who hook to heal."--Page 4 of cover.

A first-of-its-kind exploration of black men and depression from an award-winning journalist. The first book to reveal the depths of black men’s buried mental and emotional pain, Standing in the Shadows weaves the author’s story of his twenty-five-year struggle with depression with a cultural analysis of how the illness is perceived in the black community—and why nobody wants to talk about it. In mainstream society depression and mental illness are still somewhat taboo subjects; in the black community they are topics that are almost completely shrouded in secrecy. As a result, millions of black men are suffering in silence or getting treatment only in the most extreme circumstances—in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and prisons. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide. John Head’s explosive work, Standing in the Shadows, addresses what can be done to help those who need it most.In this groundbreaking book, veteran journalist and award-winning author John Head argues that the problem can be traced back to slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African American men and their families and has created a society that blames black men for being violent and aggressive without considering that depression might be a root cause. The author also explores the roles of the black church, the black family, and the changing nature of black women in American culture as a way to understand how the black community may have unwittingly helped push the emotional disorders of African American men further underground. As daring and powerful as Nathan McCall’s Makes Me Wanna Holler, Standing in the Shadows challenges both the African American community and the psychiatric community to end the silent suffering of black men by taking responsibility for a problem that’s been ignored for far too long. Additionally, Standing in the Shadows gives women an understanding of depression that enables them to help black men mend their relationships, their families, and themselves.

In this powerful new self-help program, Wright and Basco show you how to blend the best methods of scientifically tested treatments to win the battle against depression. By following their step-by-step instructions, you will be able to develop a Personal Plan for Recovery that you can use to get well and stay well. The flexible plan lets you learn about and master the Five Keys to Recovery in the sequence that's best for you. Some people may want to work through all five keys; others may find they are able to achieve the level of health they want with just a few. Whether you learn the self-help strategies of cognitive-behavior therapy, rely on prescription antidepressants, try herbal remedies, work on mending relationships, focus on spiritual growth, or use a combination of methods, the Personal Plan for Recovery is a breakthrough tool that allows you to take control of your own treatment. Conversational and filled with guided exercises and strategies that work, Getting Your Life Back is an empowering book that maximizes each person's strengths and potential.

What does it really mean to be depressed? You know depression as a collection of symptoms-fatigue, listlessness, feelings of worthlessness-and the source of more than a little pain. But depression is also a signal that something in your life is wrong and needs to be healed. Too often, though, we try to cut off or numb our feelings of depression instead of listening carefully to what they are telling us about our lives. Listening to Depression offers insightful ways to reframe depression as a gift that can help you transform your life for the better. Each chapter discusses a different aspect of depression as positive opportunity for growth or change. Depression can be the start of a reorientation in life, a step in the search for meaning, or a chance for letting go of hurtful aspects of the self. It can also be a chance to deal with grief and loss and learn to expand your potential. The book concludes with a section of advice about when it is important to defend against depression and how best to go about it when the need arises.

Do you sometimes feel . . . Down, depressed, or unhappy? Anxious, panicky, or insecure? Guilty, inadequate, or worthless? Lonely, unwanted, or alone? For decades, we've been told that "negative" feelings like depression and anxiety are the result of what's wrong with us, which creates feelings of shame and makes it sound like we're broken and need to be "fixed." But what if we have it all backwards? What if our negative moods do not result from what's wrong with us but, rather, what's right with us? This is the revolutionary mind shift you will find in Feeling Great. Written by Dr. David Burns, a pioneer of cognitive therapy and author of the national bestseller Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, this book describes a groundbreaking high-speed treatment for depression and anxiety based on one simple notion: Our struggles actually reflect what is most beautiful about us. And when we can see our negative thoughts and feelings from this radically different perspective, recovery becomes possible--sometimes even in the blink of an eye! Based on Dr. Burns's 40+ years of research and more than 40,000 hours treating individuals with severe mood issues, Feeling Great is filled with inspiring real-life case studies and more than 50 actionable tools to crush the negative thoughts that rob you of happiness and self-esteem. You can change the way you feel. In fact, you owe it to yourself to feel GREAT!

In Healing from Depression, Douglas Bloch shares his struggle to stay alive amidst overwhelming despair and out-of-control anxiety attacks, and explains how the power of prayer and other holistic approaches ultimately led to his recovery. As one of the millions of Americans who suffer from depression, Bloch could not be helped by so-called “miracle” drugs. Therefore, he had to seek out conventional and alternative non-drug methods of healing. The result is a 12-week program that combines his inspirational story with a comprehensive manual on how to diagnose and treat depression, offering new hope and practical strategies to everyone who suffers from this debilitating condition. Complete with worksheets and goal sheets to customize individual plans, Healing from Depression is an accessible self-guided program for managing and recovering from depression. Acclaimed as a “life-line to healing,” this important book stresses the importance of social support, on going self-care activities like relaxation, nutrition, exercise, prayer, meditation, support groups, therapy and keeping a daily mood diary and gratitude journal.