The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living with Depression and Manic Depression

I am diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder and this workbook helped me see I have a few warning signs or "red flags" of depression and mania that my spouse and I have overlooked or were not aware I had. Now that we have become aware of them, we can incorporate them into dealing with my disorder more effectively. I have read extensively on the subject of Bipolar, or Manic-Depression Disorder, and this workbook was not as helpful to me as it would be for someone who is newly diagnosed. I would highly recommend this workbook to someone who has or has a loved one who has just been diagnosed with Bipolar. I am saying Bipolar because this workbook, in my opinion, is more geared towards bipolar. Honestly, the title should be The Bipolar Workbook because it addresses bipolar much more than depression. I can see how someone with depression would not benefit as much from this workbook as someone with bipolar. I also agree with some of the reviewers who state it made them feel more isolated and depressed. I can understand their viewpoint. It can be difficult when you are in a deep depression, or you do not have an adequate support group, to complete the chapters referring to these matters. I even had a difficult time because physical support groups are extremely difficult to locate in the area I live in. It would be more interesting, or maybe more beneficial, to include more internet resources regarding this matter to help prevent feelings of isolation. This workbook is greatly beneficial in discovering your triggers for your depression or mania, developing a plan on how to handle these matters, coping skills, establishing goals for yourself, and in general streamlining your thoughts. It also gives the reader a sense of control over the disorder, and what happens to you when the disorder goes into a crisis. Furthermore, the workbook does provide an excellent list of additional resources to find information on depression, stress, coping skills, relationships, and other matters. This workbook does take time to complete, and you can skip irrelevant chapters as needed without missing information. It makes things easy to understand and can be beneficial. However, just like with anything it is not for everyone.

Liked the book. First read it in 1996. I borrowed it from wellness library. When I got really sick I bought it I even took a therapy group that used the book. I meet Mary Ellen at a free workshop at a local mental hospital. I like her writing and love WRAP planning. Helpful.

This workbook was recommended to me by my therapist as a supplementary resource. I like its holistic approach a lot- the book takes into account many different approaches to handling depression and possible triggers for it (family history, stress, diet, lifestyle, medication, etc.).I should add the book address both depression AND manic depression, so if you are just dealing with the former, you would have to skip over the chapters covering mania, which isn't really a problem as far as getting what you need out of this book. Also, I've found that I've had to put the book aside for a while (days or even a week or so) and then return to it when I feel ready to address some of the questions in the book, especially when thinking about what to put in what Copeland calls a "WRAP" (Wellness Recovery Action Plan).There is a great list of resources in the back of the text, and while some seem a bit outdated (this book was published in the late '90s) they are still a great reference and starting point. The only reason I believe this book is not for everyone is that some resources work better than others for different people, and this workbook does require a more proactive approach. But overall, I've personally found it helpful in conjunction with my other treatments.

This is a practical workbook with real life suggestions on understanding depression and bipolar disease and living with it safely. The author discusses many of the most common treatments, with their pros and cons. There are also exercises to work through. This book is also good for anyone who knows or lives with someone with either of these conditions. The books describes ways to tell if an episode is beginning and ways to counteract things before they get out of hand. It also gives realistic advice on ways to help people determine if another person is thinking about suicide vs actively planning on doing something. She also suggests ways to help such an individual, including ways to get the person to a hospital. Very useful book.

Great book to read whether your experiencing depression or not.

This second edition handbook is even better than the first edition. Kudos to the writers for updating this useful handbook. Despite the obvious benefits for personal use, I use this book for my training workshops (that have nothing to do with the topic of depression). The reason it's so useful is that my workshops focus on dealing with difficult change and this workbook has many great nuggets. There are many parallels between experiencing and handling depression and dealing with stressful changes at the work place.

I've been using this resource for over 25 years and buy it to give to friends in need of self discovery. I learned more about myself through this Workbook than through any other means. I now use what I learned in here to help my young daughter who had been diagnosed bipolar. Life Changer!

Help for those with this diagnosis. I found this useful for self-study. It will engage you to challenge your thinking and help you identify those automatic thoughts that have destructive with ways to over come. Certainly worth your money and time.

I bought this over 17 years ago when it first came out and I was suffering from depression. It really helped me. Now in another bout of depression I sought the book out and have the second edition. It's just as good as the original edition.Can't recommend this book highly enough.

this book was listed a second hand at a price well below the selling rate i decided to give it a go..glad i did,aside from 3 sets of numbers the book has been untouched,this is a work through book,but no other pages were marked.i saved so much purchasing that id purchase again from the same company

An excellent book written by a truly amazing lady, would thoroughly recommended.

This is promising, I've only just started

A brilliant book. Very helpful