It is of enormous value to the layperson, hungry for knowledge about how best to interact and help their loved one face the dreadful ravages of depression."—Nursing Times

Written by an experienced clinical psychologist, specialising in supporting those with depression and their families, this practical handbook provides accessible, practical information that will help you build a supporter's toolkit.

"Following on the success of Managing Your Depression, Susan Noonan's new book is for family members and friends of people with depression or bipolar disorder. A certified peer specialist at McLean Hospital (a comprehensive psychiatric hospital affiliated with Harvard University), Susan draws on her experiences providing support and education for those living with or caring for a person who has a mood disorder. A family member who has a mood disorder affects the entire family. Further, family members and close friends are often the first to recognize the subtle changes and symptoms of depression--and they are also the people who provide daily support to their loved ones, often at great personal price. Caring for someone with a mood disorder differs from caring for someone with a physical medical disorder, in ways that complicate the caregiving role. A concise and practical guide to the daily management of depression and bipolar depression written for the caregiver, the book explains how to reinforce lessons the patient has been taught in therapy, how to role model resilience skills, and how caregivers can and must care for themselves. It describes effective communication strategies and advises how to find appropriate professional help. Its many tables and worksheets convey much needed information in an accessible way. References, Resources, and a Glossary complete the package. Overall the book helps readers navigate the depression or bipolar disorder of someone close to them, providing readers with words to say and things to do as they try to help someone change the course of a sometimes confounding and often disabling illness"--

Many books have been written for those suffering from depression, but what if you're suffering becuase someone you love is depressed? Research shows that if you are close to a depressed person, you are at a much higher risk of developing problems yourself, including anxiety, phobias, and even a kind of contagious depression. In this authoritative and compassionate book, psychologists Laura Epstein Rosen and Cavier Francisco Amador explain the mechanisms of depression that can cause communication breakdown, increase hostility, and ultimately destroy relationships. Through compelling real-life stories and step-by-step advice, the authors teach concrete methods that you and your loved one can use to protect yourselves and your relationship from depression's impact. Drawing on their own innovative research, the give sensitive guidance about how to recognize your needs, how to provide the best kind of support, and how to encourage the depressed person to seek treatment. Whether you are the partner, parent, friend, or child of a depressed person, you'll find this book and invaluable companion in you journey back to health.

As a physician who personally suffers from depression, Susan J. Noonan draws on her own expertise and empathy to create a guide for people who suffer from the disease. Explaining the basics of mental health—including sleep hygiene, diet and nutrition, exercise, routine and structure, and avoiding isolation— Managing Your Depression empowers people to participate in their own care, offering them a better chance of getting, and staying, well. Noonan’s depression management strategies draw on the best available educational resources, psychoeducational programs, seminars, expert health care providers, and patient experiences. The book is specifically designed to be highly readable for people who are finding it difficult to focus and concentrate during an episode of depression. Cognitive exercises and daily worksheets help track progress and response to therapy and provide valuable information for making treatment decisions. A relapsing and remitting condition, depression affects nearly 15 percent of people in the United States. Managing Your Depression will bring depression management strategies to people who do not have access to mental health programs or who want to learn new skills. -- Francis M. Mondimore, M.D., The Johns Hopkins Hospital

If someone you love is depressed, you probably feel confused, angry, and helpless. This encouraging guide will help you hold on to hope while broadening your understanding of depression and its treatment. Dr. Brenda Hunter has been a caregiver for someone with depression and has also struggled with depression herself. With empathy, real-life stories, and clinical expertise, Brenda teams up with Stephen Arterburn to explore: The multiple causes of depression How men and women react to depression differently The influence of social media and technology on depression The unique challenges of depression in adolescence How to take care of yourself while caring for someone who is depressed Brenda and Steve know from personal experience that light can overcome the darkness of depression. You can get back the person you love. Learn how to care for both of you in this hope-filled book.

Practical, day-to-day ways to manage your depression. Some call it the blues or a storm in their head. William Styron referred to it as "darkness visible." Whatever the description, depression is a disorder of the mind and body that affects millions of adults at some point in their lives. In Take Control of Your Depression, Dr. Susan J. Noonan provides people experiencing depression with strategies to take stock of their mental state, to chart a course toward emotional balance, and to track their progress on the journey to well-being. Writing from her personal experience as both a recipient and a provider of mental health services, Dr. Noonan explains how to obtain care from professionals, outlines what medical options are available, and lists everyday things people can do to feel better. Integrating medicine, psychology, and holistic care while exploring the basics of mental health, she touches on diet, sleep habits, physical activity, and mindfulness techniques. This useful and compassionate workbook, which is specifically designed for people who find it difficult to focus and concentrate during a depressive episode, includes • proven relapse prevention and resilience techniques • targeted cognitive exercises • daily worksheets that can be used to track your progress and response to therapy • the fundamentals of Cognitive Behavior Therapy • advice on dealing with family and friends • guidance from remarkable people on depression • a discussion of how technology and social media can be used to manage well-being • a section on treatment-resistant depression • specialized tips aimed at women, men, adolescents, the elderly, and people dealing with chronic illness The only workbook on depression that combines a discussion of medical options, talk therapy techniques, and established self-help strategies, Take Control of Your Depression empowers individuals to participate in their own care, which offers them a better chance of recovery and of staying well. Praise for Other Books by Susan J. Noonan "This practical and compassionate handbook is perfectly suited to individuals living with depression: in accessible language, it offers firm, specific advice and quick cognitive tests and self-assessment metrics that even those in the deepest of doldrums will find helpful and relevant . . . a valuable volume for those suffering from depression, as well as for loved ones who are fighting the fight by their side."—Publisher's Weekly "From defining a baseline of depression to charting moods and preventing relapses, this workbook is a top pick for any depression sufferer!"—Reference and Research Book News "This practical guide is an important contribution to the growing genre of self-help works on this topic."—Library Journal "This text is a much-needed addition to mental health literature, as depression is stigmatized and few understand how to support friends and loved ones who frequently do not obtain help on their own."—American Reference Books Annual "This book offers useful insight for any health professional working within mental health . . . It is of enormous value to the layperson, hungry for knowledge about how best to interact and help their loved one face the dreadful ravages of depression."—Nursing Times

Each year more than 17 million Americans suffer from a depressive illness, yet few suffer in solitude. How You Can Survive When They're Depressed explores depression from the perspective of those who are closest to the sufferers of this prevalent disorder--spouses, parents, children, and lovers--and gives the successful coping strategies of many people who live with a clinical depressive or manic-depressive and often suffer in silence, believing their own problems have no claim to attention. Depression fallout is the emotional toll on the depressive's family and close friends who are unaware of their own stressful reactions and needs. Sheffield outlines the five stages of depression fallout: confusion, self-doubt, demoralization, anger, and finally, the desire to escape. Many people will find relief in the knowledge that their self-blame, guilt, sadness, and resentment are a natural result of living with a depressed person. Sheffield brings together many real-life examples from the pioneering support group she attends at Beth Israel Medical Center of how people with depression fallout have learned to cope. From setting boundaries to maintaining an outside social life, she gives practical tactics for handling the challenges and emotional stresses on a day-to-day basis.

'I Had a Black Dog says with wit, insight, economy and complete understanding what other books take 300 pages to say. Brilliant and indispensable.' - Stephen Fry 'Finally, a book about depression that isn't a prescriptive self-help manual. Johnston's deftly expresses how lonely and isolating depression can be for sufferers. Poignant and humorous in equal measure.' Sunday Times There are many different breeds of Black Dog affecting millions of people from all walks of life. The Black Dog is an equal opportunity mongrel. It was Winston Churchill who popularized the phrase Black Dog to describe the bouts of depression he experienced for much of his life. Matthew Johnstone, a sufferer himself, has written and illustrated this moving and uplifting insight into what it is like to have a Black Dog as a companion and how he learned to tame it and bring it to heel.