Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time
Paperback, 240 pages
Published March 1, 2015 by New Harbinger Publications.
This book was incredibly helpful, with simple, straightforward tips to slowly but surely start forming positive habits (e.g. going for a daily walk, even if it's just to the end of the street), with a solid scientific backing, including citations to many supportive studies.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who's struggling, even just a little, with their mental health.
This is very much an entry-level book for people who have never explored the neuroscience of mood or tried to explore behavioral therapy for depression, either in conjunction with therapy or independently. If a direction like “Avoid catastrophizing” is as simple to follow as realizing, “gosh, I hadn’t thought of that before,” then this book may have some utility. For those of us who have engaged in many years of CBT, meditation, and other more advanced strategies, this book won’t impart much insight. Further, at least a third of it is taken up with extolling the benefits of exercise, so if you already work out every day and understand the anti-depressant effects of exercise, you can skip a significant portion.
I’m also concerned it may help cultivate a feeling of defeat among newbies, because so much of the oversimplified advice makes it sound impossibly easy. For example: “If you can …
This is very much an entry-level book for people who have never explored the neuroscience of mood or tried to explore behavioral therapy for depression, either in conjunction with therapy or independently. If a direction like “Avoid catastrophizing” is as simple to follow as realizing, “gosh, I hadn’t thought of that before,” then this book may have some utility. For those of us who have engaged in many years of CBT, meditation, and other more advanced strategies, this book won’t impart much insight. Further, at least a third of it is taken up with extolling the benefits of exercise, so if you already work out every day and understand the anti-depressant effects of exercise, you can skip a significant portion.
I’m also concerned it may help cultivate a feeling of defeat among newbies, because so much of the oversimplified advice makes it sound impossibly easy. For example: “If you can remove the trigger from your life (for example, avoiding a bar if you’re an alcoholic, you can evade the habit.” Sure, it’s that easy (eyeroll)!
On the other hand, there is a lot of helpful, actionable advice here for newbies, and I can see someone getting a lot out of this if they’ve never tried any sort of behavioral therapy before. For this reason, I’ve given the book a 3-star rating.
