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Kate Burns, LMFT
PSYCHOTHERAPIST • MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST
Mood - Depression
Mood - Anxiety
Mood - Bipolar Disorder
Books
Depression
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
by David Burns, M.D.
One of the top ten self-help books recommended to patients; still one of the best, it's been on my shelf since 1980. The good and better information, in this third edition with his latest research, shows that while the data presented in his first edition continues to be valid, there are other things people can do to make themselves feel good even sooner.
Depression is Contagious: How the Most Common Mood Disorder is Spreading Around the World and How to Stop It
by Michael Yapko, Ph.D.
Maybe it's not just your problem? Dr. Yapko makes the case that the causes and effects of Depression are "multi-dimensional... not simply the individual's biological and pyschological components" and that the "social components: relationships, families, organizations, business and culture, including the economy, exert more of an effect on the indiviudal." They are dynamic, interactive, and serve to "grow" and reinforce the problem. The exercises in each chapter let you know what you can do to lift your mood, in both the long and short term, and perhaps, to affect the wider world.
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky
I cannot tell you how many of my clients have used this book, along with the exercises, and had great results. It's the best book I know of to help you: to see clearly the way your thoughts (often distorted) affect your mood, to analyze the thoughts in an ABC manner, to adjust them according to what you know to be true, and to experience a positive change in mood. Read this book after 'Feeling Good.'
When Someone You Love is Depressed: How to Help Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself
by Laura Epstein-Rosen, Ph.D. and Xavier Francisco Amador
As a family member, loving several family members who have suffered from depression, I cannot agree more with author Heather Gove's following statement, upon review of this book: "Helping yourself is important. It isn't a luxury, and it isn't selfishness. Taking care of yourself is helping your depressed loved one."
Hand-Me-Down Blues: How to Stop Depression From Spreading in Families
by Michael Yapko, Ph.D.
Today we all need to know, "...especially parents..," how to shielf our children from the barrage of negative influences out there, and "...how to create healthy families..." that are immune from developing Depression. Dr. Yapko suggests "unleashing the power generated by creating a healthy family..." may make pills less necessary. And he guides the reader, step-by-step, on how to create such a family.
Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life
by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Ph. D.
This book is about the obsessive thinking that goes with Depression, 'spiraling down,' and Anxiety's escalation, going from nervousness to catastrophic thoughts, and how to both stop and prevent it.
I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression
by Terrence Real
"Is this what this is?" Men tell me they never thought what they went through was Depression. You'll see why it can be difficult for a man to identify it, how it manifests itself, and why it's so hard to seek treatment for it.
Articles
Depression Treatment & Management
[Medscape]
A frank, more balanced approach, not either/or, about talk therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.
Pyschotherapies for Treating Depression (Emphasis on Women)
[National Institute for Mental Health]
This provides excellent explanations on how and why different therapies can work to relieve Depression.
Women and Depression: Discovering Hope
[National Institute for Mental Health]
Basic information. It's a place to start, but there's not much about hope. However, you will find other helpful resources on this website.
Gender and Women's Health (Depression)
[The World Health Organization]
It may surprise you to read what's here, but you may feel less alone and be less self-blaming.
Men's Depression
[National Institute for Mental Health]
Signs and symptoms more specific to men's depression (and different from women's).
Depression in Men
[Help Guide]
I like this article. It's an 'everything a man should know' about Depression: what it looks like, how men's gender role contributes to keeping it a secret from themselves, and how it prevents men from getting the help they need.
YouTube
What is Depression & How to Cure It
An interview with David D. Burns, M.D., author of "Feeling Good." See above in Books.
Anxiety
Books
Anxiety Disorders: The Go-To Guide for Clients and Therapists
by Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D.
I've heard Carolyn Daitch speak and I can confidently say that she knows what she's talking about. This book is easy to read and covers a lot of ground including what anxiety is and what it is not (your character), its many faces, and what-you-can-do-about exercises and suggestions that makes sense. Note: Not included are PTSD and OCD.
Don't Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks
by Reid Wilson
His book is a gem. When I heard him speak, I was wishing I could record it.
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky
I have had countless clients say they were amazed at the results that came from using this book and doing its exercises. It's the best book I know of to help you to see clearly the way your thoughts (often distorted) affect your mood, to analyze the thoughts in an ABC manner, to adjust them according to what you know to be true, and to experiencea positive change in mood.
Articles
Trauma Definition
[Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration]
A worthy and concise discussion for anyone, but especially for those who have been reluctant to explore it before.
Finding the Energy to Heal
[Maggie Phillips, Ph.D.]
A scholar and researcher, Maggie Phillips reflects on her book, Finding the Energy to Heal, about the new fields of Energy Medicine and Energy Psychology and their use in treating Trauma as well as other conditions.
Treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder
[The National Health Service - UK]
A piece that includes medication as one approach, though not the first approach, when treating Anxiety.
How Exercise Can Calm Anxiety
[Gretchen Reynolds - New York Times]
If you are curious, you'll be satisfied reading this article. What works fro one may not for another - it's not just puff. The article reports on the outcomes of research reported in The Journal of Neuroscience that paves the way for further research on methods, other than medication, to treat your own anxiety. Another Mind-Body approach.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
[The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine: Harvard University/Brigham and Women's Hospital]
An enlightening course description that's worth reading. The content of the program is based on over two decades of MBSR research.
YouTube
Dr. Reid Wilson on Panic Attacks and General Anxiety
An interview with "Don't Panic" author, Reid Wilson, with Barry Joe McCarthy. Dr. WIlson is engaging and has a terrific sense of humor, though he takes his subject very seriously.
How Your Brain Can Turn Anxiety into Calmness
An interview with Dr. Martin L. Rossman, M.D., a medical doctor and an Integrative/Mind-Body practicioner who is the director of Martin Integrative Medicine and Medical Acupuncture, a Clinical Associate, Dept of Medicine, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco and consultant to the Rosenthal Center for Complementary Medicine, Columbia University, in New York.
Organizations / Self-Help
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Online and telephone support groups and information.
The Recovery International Method
Peer led, self-groups that are organized around supporting those in attendance. An organization that prescribes: identifying one's distorted thoughts and feelings when starting to feel upset, shifting the thoughts so they are more adaptable, and learning to manage to control oneself.
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health
"It is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans...and loved ones... affected by mental illness." It's mission is to help family members whose loves ones were living with a mental illness. I was a member in California and am now in New York, where I took the Family to Family Program. If all loved ones knew about this course, there wouldn't be enough facilitators to go around. It's packed with information but the best part is being among others whose lives have been affected by a loved one's mental illness. That's what everyone said.
Bipolar Disorder / Manic-Depressive Illness
Books
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
by David Miklowitz, Ph. D. and Kris Koscheski
NAMI Review: "Explained in layman's terms, and not left in complex scientific jargon, the second edition of this book is an update to an already valuable book. Filled with the latest research and interspersed with anecdotal stories with which a reader can connect, Miklowitz has created a guide that is not only practical and easy to read but one with a great wealth of information." - Brendan McClean, NAMI Communications Coordinator
Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke
by Patty Duke
A memoir by the child star, she narrates the arc of her life with Bipolar Disorder from confusion, to struggles and shame, to seeking answers and being misdiagnosed, to getting the right diagnosis (at 32), to treatment, and finally achieving a stable and satisfying life.
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
by Kay Redfield Jamison
As a clinical psychologist who suffers from Bipolar Disorder, Kay Redfield Jamison has done a great deal to help professionals understand the disorder by describing her experiences of having it. Already a classic and read by non-professionals alike, you are likely to say, 'I am so glad I read that.'
Articles
What is Bipolar Disorder?
[National Alliance on Mental Illness]
The basics are here on Bipolar I, but there is no mention of the more common, yet milder, Bipolar II; the differnce being that with Bipolar II, in the hypnomanic state, there is an absence of psychosis: delusions (having ideas and thoughts not based in reality) and auditory hallucinations (hearing voices). And because of this, many live without the devastation that having Bipolar I can bring
YouTube / Documentary
Interview with actor Richard Dreyfuss
A great, entertaining interview. He laughs at himself and does some good stigma 'busting.' Discusses his life struggle with Bipolar Disorder, his treatment and feeling good.
Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive
In this film, comedian and actor, Stephen Fry, "embarks on an emotional journey to meet fellow sufferers and discuss the literal highs and lows of being bipolar."
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Information and self-help for online and peer-led, in-person support groups.
Mental Health Association
For support and information. Local affiliates and phone numbers are listed on the website.
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health
"It is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans...and loved ones... affected by mental illness." It's mission is to help family members whose loves ones were living with a mental illness. I was a member in California and am now in New York, where I took the Family to Family Program. If all loved ones knew about this course, there wouldn't be enough facilitators to go around. It's packed with information but the best part is being among others whose lives have been affected by a loved one's mental illness. That's what everyone said.
The Recovery International Method
An organization whose peer-led self-group principles include identifying one's distorted thoughts and feelings when starting to feel upset, shifting the thoughts so they are more adaptable, and learning to manage or control oneself.
Organizations / Self-Help
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