DEPRESSION: A BOOK EXPLAINS HOW TO COPE
Reading Up on Caregiving Advice
BY:ERIC FEIL
When you have questions, it’s good to know where to find answers. And if your questions concern being a caregiver for one suffering from depression, the following book should help ease some of your concerns and give you better understanding of situations in which you might find yourself.
Coping With Depression: From Catch-22 to Hope
By Jon G. Allen, PhD
$29.95 (American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2004)
This easy-to-understand book probes causes, symptoms, evolution and treatment to give patients and caregivers alike a chance to take action. From how therapy and medication can help combat the illness to finding hope in dire times, the information within can become a powerful treatment tool.
“The shocking reality is that depression is the fourth most disabling disease worldwide, and by 2020 it’s projected to be number two,” says author Jon G. Allen, PhD. “Caregivers are going to do all they can to help, but they’ll get frustrated, critical and irritable on one side, and on the other end they can tend to withdraw and give up…. ‘Steadfast Encouragement’ is in the middle of that rope, and in parentheses I put ‘sainthood.’
“But,” Dr. Allen continues, “[caregivers] aren’t saints. Caregivers have to be patient with themselves.”