One out of four Americans will experience mental illness in their lifetime; major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the United States for ages 15 through 44. However, only a fraction of those suffering will seek treatment; 25 percent will seek treatment for symptoms. Stigma claims the other 75 percent, wedging depressed individuals into a life of silent suffering.
In Living with Depression, Serani outlines the various forms of depression, describes the different treatments, and outlines methods for living with depression and getting the help you or a loved one needs. Tips on how to choose a good therapist, negotiate the labyrinth of healthcare, and minimize stigma are addressed, as is learning how to use biology and biography as tools of empowerment. Listings of national and global resources make this a ready resource for everything you need to know about depression.
Dr. Deborah Serani is a psychologist in private practice in New York. She has appeared as an expert on various media outlets including MSNBC.com, MedScape.com, ABC News, Medscape, All You magazine, Newsday, Baby Talk magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, USAToday.com, Wall Street Journal Health Blog, Washington Post Health Blog, HealthCentral.com, and many more. She has also published articles in academic journals.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: My Depression Chapter 2: Understanding Depression Chapter 3: Treatments for Depression Chapter 4: The Inside Track Chapter 5: Your Depression Chapter 6: The 5 R's Chapter 7: Preventing Suicide Chapter 8: Living with Depression Chapter 9: Fighting Stigma Appendix I: High Profile Individuals with Mood Disorders Appendix II:Resources
Appendix III:Glossary
What People are Saying About This
Michelle Linn-Gust
As someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, I know the accompanying journey of depression and hopelessness well. I also know the fear of sharing that journey with others. Deborah Serani courageously shares her path of despair to hope and healing with the intent of helping others from what she has learned and experienced. She also does it to continue to break the stigma that needlessly surrounds mental illness. In Living with Depression, she succeeds with her messages of hope. May this book reach the far corners of both people who suffer from mental illness and those who need to understand it.
Jessie Close
I found Living with Depression to be not only fascinating but, since the author suffers from depression herself, also compassionate, understanding and informative. Bravo!
Delta Burke
Sometimes, with the best of intentions and efforts, psychological professionals can't get across essential information to their patients. Living with Depression bridges that gap in communication. I wish this book had been around when I first began to deal with depression—and I will still use it as a guidebook in the future. Patients can benefit from the doctor's perspective and doctors can learn from their patients. That both are the same gifted author is a blessing to all who deal with mental illness.
Patrick Corrigan
Serani offers a guide book with a soul. She clearly writes of the trials of major depression and the promise of science. She does so as a gutsy clinical psychologist who shares the wisdom made from her suffering, not just from her training. She rarely shrank from the challenges of mental illness however they appeared, which will serve as an inspiration to most readers. Her comments on the roadblocks of stigma remind us that the pain of depression, and most mental illness, arises not solely from the illness, but from the harsh response society has to people with these disorders.
