DEPRESSION FOR DUMMIES

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Discovering Depression and Preparing a Plan
	Chapter 1 Demystifying and Defeating Depression
		Just Singing the Blues or Depressed?
		The Varying Faces of Depression
			Young and depressed
			Depression in seniors
			Real men don’t get depressed, or do they?
			Women and depression
			Depression and diversity
			Adversity and depression
		Adding Up the Costs of Depression
			Financial costs of depression
			Previewing personal costs of depression
			Detailing depression’s physical toll
		Feeling Good Again
			Exploring cognitive therapy
			Trying behavior therapy
			Reinventing relationships
			Finding biological solutions
		Feeling Better Than Good
		Celebrating Sadness
	Chapter 2 Detecting Depression
		Recognizing the Ravages of Depression
			Dwelling on bleak thoughts
			Dragging your feet: Depressed behavior
			Reflecting upon relationships and depression
			Feeling funky: The physical signs of depression
		The Faces of Depression
			Can’t even get out of bed: Major depressive disorder
			Chronic, low-level depression: Persistent depressive disorder
			Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Horrible hormones?
			Major depression after a bundle of joy
			Depressive disorders and drugs
			Depressive disorders and diseases
			Adjustment disorder with depressed mood: Dealing with adversity
			And all the rest
		Good Grief! Is Depression Ever Normal?
		Digging Out the Causes of Depression
		Monitoring Mood
	Chapter 3 When Bad Things Happen
		Loss and Depression During a Pandemic
			Losing connections
			Losing core freedoms
			Feeling insecure
			Coping during a pandemic
		Financial Stressors
			Emotional accounting
			Dollars and sense accounting
		Discrimination and Depression
			Defending against discrimination
			Living with discrimination
		Domestic Violence and Depression
		Disasters and Depression
	Chapter 4 Breaking Barriers to Change
		Flushing Out the Fear of Change
			Fearing more losses
			Fearing inconsistency
		Finding Change-Blocking Beliefs
			Dealing with dependency and inadequacy
			Uncovering an undeserving outlook
			Fighting the unfair fight
			Rejecting the victim role
			Tackling perfectionism
			Analyzing your findings
		Saving Yourself from Self-Limitations
			Tracking saboteurs
			Suspending judgment
			Going slow
			Appreciating how progress proceeds
			Rewriting your reams of failure stories
	Chapter 5 Finding Help for Depression
		Stumbling onto a Solution
		Pursuing the Psychotherapy Option
			The effective therapies
			Who’s who in psychotherapy
			Finding the right therapist for you
			Deciding whether your therapist is a good match
			Debunking myths about therapy
		Talking to a Professional about Antidepressant Medication
		Exploring the Self-Help Option
			Deciding whether self-help is a solution
			Reviewing the resources
Part 2 Understanding and Accepting Thoughts and Feelings
	Chapter 6 Understanding the Thought/Feeling Connection
		Understanding Emotions
			Feelings emerge from your body
			Feelings sprout from your thoughts
			Feelings guide your behavior
		Interpreting Thoughts
			Distinguishing thoughts from feelings
			Emotions and thoughts: A two-way street
		Exploring Emotion-Driven Behavior
			Feelings are not facts
			Feelings drive avoidance
	Chapter 7 Defeating Distorted Thinking
		Recognizing Thought Distortions
			Meeting the reality scramblers
			Looking at reality scramblers in action
		Making Misjudgments
			Shoulding on yourself
			Critically comparing
			Labeling libelously
			Assigning blame to the wrong source
	Chapter 8 Rethinking Thoughts Lurking Behind Depression
		Building a Thought, Feeling, and Event Tracker
		Finding Adaptive Replacement Thoughts
			Tracking feelings and thoughts
			Checking the evidence
			Finding replacement thoughts
			Rating your replacement thoughts
			Rethinking from start to finish
		Opening a Thought-Repair Toolkit
			Giving your problem to a friend
			Putting time on your side
			Putting thoughts to the test
			Revisiting your all-or-none thinking
			Facing the worst
	Chapter 9 Accepting Thoughts and Feelings
		Avoiding Avoidance
		Drawing the Line Between You and Your Mind
		Losing Your Mind
			Thinking about negative thoughts as facts
			Thanking your mind!
			Playing with your mind’s thoughts
			Resisting what is
			Living anytime but now
		Living Mindfully
			Acquiring acceptance
			Accepting without judging
			Living as if no one will know
			Connecting with experience
	Chapter 10 Thinking the Worst: Suicide
		Warning Signs of Suicide in Adults
			Troubling symptoms in adults
			Risk factors in adults
		Recognizing Signs in Children and Teens
			Symptoms in children and teens
			Risk factors in children and teens
		Choosing Life and Getting Help
			Suicide hotlines
			Emergency departments
Part 3 Taking Action Against Depression
	Chapter 11 Getting Out of Bed
		Taking Action
			I don’t feel motivated to do anything
			I’m too tired and depressed to do anything
			If I try, I’ll just fail
			I’m just a lazy person
		Putting One Foot in Front of the Other: Activity Logs
		Conquering Can’ts
			Reviewing your thoughts
			Testing the waters
		Charting Your Course through Negative Predictions
		Giving Yourself Credit
	Chapter 12 Working Out to Lift Depression
		Why Exercise?
			Mental health benefits: Endorphins
			Physical health benefits
		Conquering Couch Potato-itis
		Easing into Exercise
		Weighing Your Exercise Options
			Pumping iron
			Revving up your heart and lungs
			Yikes! Yoga?
	Chapter 13 Rediscovering Healthy Pleasures
		Taking Fun Seriously
			Striking the right balance
			Understanding the need for fun
		Making a List and Checking It Twice
		Fighting the Pleasure Busters
			Guilt busters
			Expecting the worst
	Chapter 14 Solving Life’s Headaches
		Drawing Up the Problem-Solving Game Plan — S.O.C.C.E.R.
		Assessing Your Problem Situation (S)
			Come up with a description of the problem
			Reflect on your feelings about the problem
			Consider the causes of the problem
			Search for information about the problem
			Consider the importance of the problem
			Check out solution-interfering beliefs
		Foraging for Options (O)
			Letting go
			Thinking visually
			Permitting playfulness
			Reviewing your options
		Contemplating Consequences (C)
		Choosing Your Plan (C)
			Consulting the friend within
			Choosing sides
		Handling Your Emotions (E)
			Holding the dress rehearsal
			Talking to yourself
		Running and Reviewing (R)
Part 4 Rebuilding Connections
	Chapter 15 Working Through Loss, Grief, and Mourning
		Losing What You Care About
			Losing someone
			Transitioning through life
			Facing the challenges of isolation
			Breaking up is so hard to do
		Working Through Grief
			Reconstructing the relationship
			Rolling through roles
	Chapter 16 Relationship Enhancement
		The Depression-Rejection Connection
			Exaggerating the negative
			Looking for negative feedback
			Fighting off constructive criticism
		Pursuing Positives
			Giving compliments
			Doing nice things
			Planning positive times together
			Introducing nice into your everyday routine
		Defeating Defensiveness
			Trying the Checking It Out strategy
			Depersonalizing
		Getting Your Message Across
			Using the I Messages technique
			Creating buffers
			Defusing criticism
			Putting the techniques to work
Part 5 Fighting the Physical Foe: Biological Therapies
	Chapter 17 Prescribing Pleasure
		Hammering Depression: Choosing the Right Tool
		Exploring the Medication Option
			Taking medication the right way
			Opting out of medication
		Working with Your Doctor to Find the Correct Medication
		The Seductive Myth of Chemical Imbalance
		Plunging into Placebos
		Drugs for Depression
			SSRIs
			Other neurotransmitter medications
			Tricyclics
			MAO inhibitors
		Looking Beyond Antidepressants
			Mood stabilizers
			More help for severe depression: Antipsychotics
			A few more for the road
			A brief word about ketamine
	Chapter 18 Hype, Help, or Hope? Alternative Treatments for Depression
		Keeping Your Doc in the Loop
		Exploring Supplements, Herbs, and Vitamins
		Happy Foods
		Lighting Up the Darkness
		Treating Severe Depression
			Shocking depression
			Stimulating nerves
			Magnetizing depression
		Searching Further
Part 6 Looking Beyond Depression
	Chapter 19 Reducing the Risk of Relapse
		Risking Relapse with Depression
			Determining what’s going on
			Evaluating relapse rates
			Getting personal about your risks
		Preparing a Prevention Plan
			Sustaining success
			Monitoring the signs
			Using a fire drill
			Reaching for well-being
		Reining In Relapse When It Occurs
	Chapter 20 Mending Your Memory
		Making Sense of Memory
			Memory for now: Immediate memory
			Juggling items in memory: Working memory
			Memory for the long haul: Long-term memory
			Bringing back memories: Memory retrieval
		Depressing Disruptions on Your Memory
			Effects on immediate memory
			Effects on working memory
			Effects on long-term memory
			Effects on retrieval
		Worrying about Forgetting
		Boosting Broken Memory
			Inputting stuff
			Developing routines
			Smelling (and touching and seeing) the roses
			Remembering names
			Chunking
			Getting rid of distractions
			Following through
			Revving up recall
	Chapter 21 Pursuing Happiness
		The Elusiveness of Happiness
			Making the case for being happy
			Looking for happiness in all the wrong places
			Culture and happiness
			Language and happiness
		Getting on the Right Path to Real Happiness
			Feeling gratitude
			Helping others
			Finding flow
			Focusing on strengths
			Rejecting the quick fix
			Finding forgiveness
			Searching for meaning and purpose
Part 7 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 22 Ten Ways Out of a Bad Mood
		Chomping on Chocolate
		Doing Something Nice
		Getting a Lift from Exercise
		Singing Yourself into a Better Mood
		Calling a Long-Lost Friend
		Dancing to a Different Beat
		Soaking the Blues Away
		Petting Your Way to a Better Mood
		Taking a Hike
		Mellowing Through Mindfulness
	Chapter 23 Ten Ways to Help Kids with Depression
		Finding Fun
		Doling Out Discipline
		Giving Feedback
		Climbing Every Mountain
		Revving Up Responsibilities
		Talking and Listening
		Recognizing Depression
		Looking Under Rocks
		Getting Help
		Loving No Matter What
	Chapter 24 Ten Ways to Help a Friend or Lover with Depression
		Recognizing Depression
		Referring for Help
		Listening Without Solving
		Taking Care of Yourself
		Holding Criticism at Bay
		Depersonalizing Depression
		Finding Patience
		Remembering to Care
		Providing Encouragement and Remaining Hopeful
		Exhorting Exercise
Appendix Resources for You
Index
EULA