Official Review: Causes and Cures of Depression

[LivreAmour217]

Excellent review! As someone who has suffered with depression off and on since the age of ten, I am very interested in reading this book. The author has a point about depression being more than the result of imbalanced neurotransmitters in the brain. While there is scientific evidence to support this theory, the truth of the matter is that antidepressants are effective in less than twenty percent of people who use them, which means that we definitely need to look into other potential causes.

Thank you so much for this through and insightful review! I look forward to reading this book!

[bookowlie]

I totally understand where the two of you are coming from and I appreciate you expressing your opinions. This is definitely the type of book where everyone will feel a different way about it, that's for sure. It's a tough and sensitive topic to tackle. I personally enjoyed reading it, which is why I gave it a positive review; but I understand that others won't feel the same as I do about it. I also read and reviewed a previous and similar book by this author which I enjoyed.

It's always a ringing endorsement if you liked an author enough to read a second book.

[jemi]

Hi bookowlie and alynnpowers

Thanks for contributing to the discussion, I appreciate your input very much.

There's a chapter in the book where I explain how I suffered from serious depression for around 3 decades, and how I was also at my wit's end with 'conventional' explanations and treatments, which you can basically sum up as: 'we don't really know what's causing the problem, but take these pills and it will go away.'

The mental health establishment likes to pretend that it knows everything about mental health and depression, but it clearly doesn't. In one release that I read on the American Psychology Association's own website (called 'Healing thyself', if you want to take a look), they had a survey of psychologists that showed that 62% of them 'identified themselves as depressed....Even more alarming is the rate of suicidal thoughts among psychologists...29% of those surveyed indicated that they had felt suicidal, and almost 4% indicated that they had made at least one suicide attempt.'

Here's another stat: "According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, of more than 230 occupations, male psychologists were most likely to commit suicide, with an odds ratio of 3.5 times greater than the general public."

There are also many wonderful therapists out there, but the point I'm trying to make is that being a psychologist or psychiatrist doesn't automatically equate to knowing how to deal with things like depression. I'm coming from an alternative health paradigm that connects 'mind' to body and soul. It's completely not how conventional medicine sees the mental health picture, but that could also be why so many people aren't getting the help they need to understand and overcome their depression, despite going the psychologist / psychiatrist route.

[bookowlie]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I still stand by my opinion that a cause/cure depression self-help book, based on an author's personal experiences, should not be described by the author as the "ultimate" guide.

[jemi]

You could be right about that, and I will give it some thought and put it out to my blog audience to see if they agree with you.

[Ramona]

I enjoyed reading your review. I have never suffered from depression, except for one time when it was mild and only lasted a few hours, so I'm sure that doesn't even qualify as real depression. But I know folks who really suffer a lot from it. I would like to read that book, as it sounds like I would learn a lot from it. I personally believe in the power of prayer, but I also know that God often works in human ways (counselling and meds, for example) to help people overcome or live with their problems.

[Tanaya]

I personally believe in the power of prayer, but I also know that God often works in human ways (counselling and meds, for example) to help people overcome or live with their problems.

That was a really great way to put it. I hope many are able to find think this book helpful.