Product Description

A drug-free guide to curing anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other depressive disorders uses scientifically tested methods to improve mood and stave off the blues. Reprint.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1875 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 736 pages

From the Author
Overview of changes in revised edition of Feeling Good
Some people have asked about the changes in the 1999 edition of Feeling Good. What is new and different? Why did I revise the book?

Let me say first what was NOT changed. All of the sections on how to use cognitive therapy to overcome depression are the same. Why is this? Several recent research studies published in scientific journals indicated that approximately two thirds of depressed people who were asked to read Feeling Good improved or recovered in just four weeks with no other therapy.

The references to these articles are contained in the new introduction to Feeling Good, along with summaries of other interesting new research studies. Much of this research was conducted by Dr. Forrest Scogin from the Univeristy of Alabama. My thinking was, "if it's not broken, don't fix it!"

However, there is an entirely new section in the 1999 version of Feeling Good on the chemistry of moods. These new chapters contain nearly 200 pages of material on how the brain works, including detailed information on all the drugs currently prescribed for depression as well as manic depressive illness. The material on antidepressant medications had not been updated since the first edition in 1980 and was out of date!

Individuals who are taking these drugs can learn all about the doses, side effects, and toxic interactions with other substances such as prescription or over-the-counter drugs they may be taking. They will also learn how to find out if the drug is really helping, how to monitor side effects, what to do if the drug doesn't work, how long to stay a drug it if it does help, and so forth. I believe interested readers will find a wealth of practical information on medicatons in these new chapters.

Readers familiar with my work will know I have not been overly enthusiastic about antidepressant medications over the years. Although I started out my career doing full-time research on brain serotonin and on antidepressant medications, I was never impressed with these agents. This is because I always had many patients who just weren't helped by these drugs. Others were helped a little, but still were not getting back to full self-esteem and joy in daily living.

That's why I developed a keen interest in the new type of drug-free therapy I describe in Feeling Good. These methods have subsequently been shown to as effective as the best current antidepressants, and often more effective, in many research studies. In the past 20 years since I first wrote Feeling Good, I have become even more impressed with the healing power of these new methods for individuals suffering from severe or mild depression.

Nevertheless, depressed individuals often receive antidepressant drugs and many people have benefitted from them. Certainly all patients deserve to have the best and the latest information about these agents. I spent approximately six months working full time to create the new material for the revised edition of Feeling Good--so that my readers would hopefully have available the best of both worlds: the best information about cognitive therapy, and the latest information about the commonly prescribed medicatons as well.

I hope these comments are useful and that readers who are suffering from depression will find the help and relief they deserve. If you have any further questions or suggestions, feel free to visit my new web page at www.feelinggood.com.

One last point. If you already own a copy of Feeling Good, and you are not interested in medications, then there is no reason to update to this new edition. I am working on some exciting new projects for you--visit my web page to learn about them.

Best Regards,

David D. Burns, M.D. Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

Customer Reviews

a healed sceptic
Like the other reviewers, i cannot praise this book enough. The effect it's had on me - more specifically, my mood - feels miraculous. It's premise is based on the theory that depression is caused by distorted thinking and if my experience is anything to go by, this is totally accurate. The author emphasises writing your thoughts down and he's absolutely right to do so. When i translated my thoughts on to paper, it was amazing to see how utterly negative, and frankly ridiculous, they sounded. Using the techniques the author explains, the reader - and writer - is able to dissect the thoughts and so arrive at a more realistic, and calmer, frame of mind.
Whatever your 'level' of depression i really believe this can be of help. Put it this way, if it worked for me it can work for anybody.
You may think the idea sounds simple, and one you can perform without the aid of a book. The insidious thing about depression, in my view, is that you often don't realise how bad you are and therefore don't enlist the help you need. This was certainly the case for me - i didn't realise how destructive my thoughts were until i analysed them.
I'm not exaggerating when i say this has transformed my mood - i feel like i've had a brain detox!
If you have depression, even if you think it's very mild, i'd recommend you read this book - what have you got to lose? On the other hand, you may have an awful lot to gain.

Simply the best book on fighting depression
Too many self help books have been written, and too many people have been disappointed by the limited effects. This one stands out from the crowd. The methods provided are very simple and very effective. This is a compassionate, but hardheaded no-nonsense book. I bought my book in 92 when I experienced a severe depression. My copy is worn out. Burns has a convincing personal style to his writing. The central idea of the book is that depression comes from distorted thinking. He presents a list of common distortions. Using simple tecniques, you learn how to lift your mood within minutes by talking back to your distorted thoughts. The book is written in a common sense style, accessible to everyone (This is the kind of book Frazier Cranes father could have written). Apart from the talking back part, you also learn how to find the deeper causes for certain self defeating attitudes. You don't have to be clinically depressed to find use for this book. It is also good for dealing with everyday disappointments.

I would give this book 10 stars!!!
Fantastic book. I bought this book after I has recovered from one of my many depressive episodes. I was determined NEVER to get depressed again and if I did know what to do about it. This book meet my needs and more. It alloed me to find out how depressed I was in the past (a few times I was serverly depressed) and it got me to see how some of my thinking was causing me to get depressed over again. It has questionaries for you to follow and an extensive section afterwards to expand on your questionare results.

It has now been over 5 years since I have not had a depression and I would say that this book has been to blame for that.

If you are depressed or could get depressed in the future then get this book.