Self-help books/guides for depression?

[pinkkookaburra99]

Does anyone know of any decent guides or books for someone dealing with depression (and anxiety if possible?)

I’ve come to realise the only person I can rely on is myself. I’ve found clinical psychologists to be very unhelpful and certainly not worth the money. Medication did not work for me either.

[smallwolf]

pinkkooburra99,

Hi and welcome to beyond blue.

Sorry to hear about your experiences with psychologists. I have read a few books and the ones I list below are not necessarily guides, but worthy of looking at if you want to do it yourself...

• Lost Connections by Johann Hari
• The happiness trap by Russ Harris
• The book of Joy by the Dalai Lama

The happiness trap has a number of exercises in it, and it worthwhile doing these as opposed to just reading through as a book.

Hope that helps,

Tim

[Rose_3]

Hi pinkkookaburra99,

I am sorry to hear that you only have yourself to rely on, I am in a similar situation. However I believe that it is possible to make positive changes and begin recovering with only yourself. And the forums here provide fantastic support.

I have been helped so much by Louise L. Hay's "You Can Heal Your Life". Although it is not specifically targeted towards depression I hope you can find it helpful. I would suggest any book by Louise L. Hay.

I look forward to seeing where this thread goes, I think it is a great topic/question.

I wish you all the best, Rose

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi pinkkookaburra99 and Rose 3,

Its tough when you don't find support in some of the more common treatments like therapy or medication but you have persisted and are committed to finding a solution that is right for you. This is really positive as motivation to seek help can be a really tough thing to overcome and your are here doing it. Please make sure you take time to acknowledge the hard work you are putting into your self and your own health. I hope you get plenty of suggestions from other forum members on self help guides.

I have read several books and concur with the Happiness Trap by Russ Harris, On Grief and Grieving
Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss By David Kugler-Ross and Elisabeth Kessler (if you are having any grief symptoms or know anyone who is). Another book I felt was really practical in explaining mindfulness is Mindfulness for Dummies.

If you are not getting enough information on this thread, I found an older thread on the beyondblue forum you might have a look at where there was a lot of book sharing ideas occurred and many are still relevant.

Please keep this conversation going everyone as I think it would be really helpful for other members. Often you are standing in the book store in the self help section and that in itself can be completely overwhelming. Going in armed with a few common recommendations can make the choice a lot easier.

Here is the link to the older thread with further suggestions for books...

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/helpful-books-and-resources#qlmUZ3HzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Nurse Jenn