Recommended as part of the Books on Prescription Scheme by Irish Psychologists and GPs

This book has been written for all who suffer from depression and for those who are close to the depressed person, be they partner, child or friend.

The effort to alleviate the pain of depression in a loved one inevitably fails and the most well-intentioned interventions of friends and spouses can leave all concerned feeling helpless and alienated.

While intended primarily as a guide to recovery for the sufferer, it is also written with the relatives and friends of the sufferer in mind in the hope that it can make sense of what can be a difficult problem to grasp from the ‘outside’. Understanding of the problem by all who are affected can act as a bridge between people who feel isolated by depression and those who care about them.

Part One explains what happens when someone gets depressed and what kinds of experience cause depression. Part Two focuses on a step by step recovery plan to overcoming depression and Part Three considers what has been learned in the past ten years about staying well and preventing relapse.

Also available as an ebook

Reviews:

''Tony Bates, apart from being such a highly respected professional, has a wonderful rapport with our listeners. He has a particular empathy that communicates effortlessly on Radio, perhaps because, as he says in this excellent book, ‘I have battled through many a dark night of the soul myself.’ - Marian Finucane, broadcaster

''A powerful and erudite book, it is written in a clear style and will help many people; it’s not just an essential manual for those struggling with depression, but also a road map for those seeking to find a path to a new and refreshed sense of selfhood.'' - Michael Harding, writer

''It is a very empowering book, making it clear that depression need never have power over us because we ourselves and only we have the power in our own lives.'' - Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, visionary and social innovator

''Tony Bates invites the reader to begin, slowly and surely, to move through the darkest of times, through setbacks and false dawns, towards a genuine recovery.'' - Mark Williams, Director, University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre

''... a more complete map to recovery from depression.'' - Irish Farmers Journal Irish County Living

''is an articulate, sensitive and practical guide to recovery from depression'' -Stephen McWilliams, Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine