Understanding Depression: What We Know and What You Can Do about It

Excellent. This man is brilliant. After 12 years of depression he is the only doctor who correctly treated my daughter.

I have major depressive disorder. This book helped me understand the science of how the brain works with the various chemicals and drugs. As far as the experience or treatment, there wasn't much that I found personally relevant or didn't already know or that went into enough depth for me. The book is a basic guide to understanding depression and does not offer any sort of cure or ideal treatment plan. That's not the point of it. The information is presented categorically and clearly with the resources cited, should you like to go further. The more common methods of treatment are presented with explanations of how they work and why. However, this book was an excellent resource for the other people in my life who have been affected by my depression. They don't need or want to know all about the treatment options and experience in great depth. They do need to know some of the why's and how's and that it's not their fault. My parents found it to be quite helpful in understanding what was happening with me.

If you're looking to learn about depression, this is an EXCELLENT book to begin with. DePaulo does a great job of explaining what depression is (and isn't) and what we do and don't know about it. He explores the causes of depression and he's not afraid to say when something isn't 100% certain. The truth is, they're still learning so much about the causes of depression that I'm very suspicious of anyone who claims to know exactly what causes it or how best to treat it. Also, the book reads well.. his writing style is very conversational. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is trying to understand what depression is and the options one has in dealing with it.

This is one of the most thorough books on depression that I've read. I don't agree with one of the other reviewers who stated that those who are very familiar with depression may not learn too much from this book- it covers so much territory that novices and experts alike will surely learn quite a bit. The quality of writing is quite high, though some sections could possibly have been shortened. The organization of the book is pretty straightforward and intuitive, and I found this to be a smooth and easy read. My biggest criticism is that I would have liked to see the author open up a little more with more insider tips and idiosyncratic findings, rather than tending a little more toward reserved generalities. Nonetheless, the book is still quite detailed and well worth reading if you're interested at all in the subject of depression. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

"Understanding Depression" is going to help so many people understand this awful disease. It's helped me learn about the different types of depression, the treatments available to help, and most importantly it has given me hope that despite the pain of this disease, many people can and have recovered from it.