Reading for Recovery: Part One


Depression books have saved me many times during a dark period. I cling to the words, flip pages full of the hope and the anticipation that there is still something I haven't figured out yet, some clue to clear the road to depression recovery.

 One of the things I have done over the past years, whenever I hit another episode of depression is to go to our local bookstore and spend some time browsing through their books about mental illness. Almost every time I find one little tidbit that helps me put yet another piece of the puzzle in place. I don't buy many of these books. I just read while I am there.

 One of the books I ended up purchasing because it was so full of information that I wanted to be able to refer to over and over is  'The Feeling Good Handbook'.

 This is a resource book that you would never attempt to read at one sitting. Use it like a dictionary or an encyclopedia (remember those?)

 One of the useful parts for me is the assessments on the different kinds of mood disorders. This can help you to understand your own symptoms better and make sure you are getting the right diagnosis.

 Other benefits are the diagnostic questionnaires which I use each time I hit a depressive episode. You can actually score yourself. I write down the score and the date each time. This way I can see how bad I really am in relationship to other episodes I have experienced and if it might be time to head back to the doctor for a change in meds. Or I might look at my score and say, 'I am not as bad as I thought, maybe I will just ride this one out'.

 There are pages and pages about almost all of the psychiatric drugs available. This includes side effects, dosages and more. I refer to this every time the doctor wants to try a new med on me. It makes me feel like less of a guinea pig if I am informed. It also diminishes my concerns over side effects when I can look stuff up and find out if what I am experiencing is the drug and not something else.  Being informed and able to decide whether or not I want to try certain drugs makes me feel like less like a helpless victim.

I am recommending 'The Feeling Good Handbook' not because you might like it, but because I know it can be a useful tool for you. It has been for me.

 WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Do books help you? Have you got one book in particular that has helped you and continues to help you? Even if you are not normally one to read, is your illness worth looking into? Are you worth it?

 There is hope for depression.

 Don't give up!

Popular posts from this blog

My Little Helper

Image
  My Little Helper Casey Writes a Book! I am writing another book! This time it is a Christian devotional and I am looking forward to sharing it with you when I am done. In the meantime, just for fun, I googled 'yorkie writing a book' and this is the picture that came up. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? Actually looks like a painting to me, what do you think? Anyways, that reminded me of how much you can find on the internet just with a few words to google. It's amazing, isn't it? And that got me thinking about how much information I have found over the years about depression that has helped me.
Read more

Joy and Sorrow - Together?

Image
  Joy and Sorrow - At the Same Time? Have you ever experienced joy in the middle of sorrow? I have. My father died suddenly at the age of 59. I remember the moment. I was at his funeral, sitting in the front pew holding my mother's right hand with my sister on the other side holding her left hand. The three of us were drenched with tears. The big church was packed. But despite my sorrow I was filled with joy at the life my dad had lived, at the lives he had impacted in a good way, and at the thankfulness I felt for having him all those years.
Read more