The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs

Book Name: The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs
Author: Stephen S. Ilardi PhD
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
ISBN-10, 13: 0738213136,9780738213132
Year: 2009
Pages: 300 Pages
Language: English
File size: 1 MB
File format: PDF,EPUB

The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs Pdf Book Description:

Depression is a devastating illness. It robs people of their energy, their sleep, their memory, their concentration, their vitality, their joy, their ability to love and work and play, and sometimes even their will to live. As a clinical psychologist, I’ve worked with hundreds of patients to help heal depression’s debilitating effects, so I will never underestimate this treacherous foe. From the day I first walked onto a psychiatric unit at Duke Medical Center two decades ago, I’ve devoted my career to fighting the disorder: I know it far too well to make any blanket promises of a one size fits all cure. Yet here’s what I can say with complete confidence: Depression is beatable. And the six-step program outlined in The Depression Cure is the most promising treatment for depression I’ve ever witnessed in my years of clinical research and practice. Admittedly, this is a bold claim one I never would have imagined making when I began developing the program a few years ago.* But it’s based on three important observations. Despite the treatment’s beneficial effects, it’s still advisable to get a physical exam before you start putting the protocol into practice. In my own clinical research at the University of Kansas, I don’t let anyone begin the full program until they’ve first seen a doctor.

This policy may surprise you, but it’s based on sound reasoning. For one thing, it’s always a good idea to check with a physician before embarking on a new exercise program. The same goes for taking high-dose nutritional supplements or increasing sun exposure. Since these are all core elements of the TLC program, it’s important to get your doctor’s okay before you begin. In addition, depression can be triggered by many common medical conditions diabetes, sleep apnea, thyroid disorder, heart disease, chronic infection, and hormonal imbalance, to name a few and the disorder can be very difficult to treat effectively until such underlying medical problems are addressed. Finally, several drugs carry the potential to cause depression (ironically, even some common psychiatric drugs), and your doctor can help you consider this possibility, as well. In the chapters that follow, I’ll describe the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change program in clear, step-by-step detail. And I’ll share countless stories of those who’ve used the program to overcome depression and find their way to lasting recovery. My hope is that by putting TLC into practice in your own life one step at a time you, too, will begin living the depression cure