When Someone You Know is Depressed: What You Need to Know about Depression and Its Effects on Relationships

by Laura Epstein Rosen, Xavier F. Amador, Xavier Francisco Amador

Book Overview

Many books have been written for those suffering from depression, but what if you're suffering becuase someone you love is depressed? Research shows that if you are close to a depressed person, you... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684824078
• ISBN13: 9780684824079
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

work as a team

_Maintain your routine as much as possible._ is one of successful techniques offered by Drs Rosen and Amador in this helpful handbook for people whose loved ones suffer from clinical depression. Although the book is well-organized and the tools are presented with clarity, some of us may have reservations about following all of the advice, _The experience of craving sexual release and having a partner who is not interested in sex can be very frustrating. It is important to acknowledge your sexual needs. If you cannot have sex with your partner, one solution is autoerotica._It is the authors' intent to _provide you with information about depression, its treatment, and the help that is available_ Moreover, _provide examples of common reltaionship problems when a loved one is depressed._. I appreciated the simple and straightforward approach offered here. For example, the stages to healing are easier for me to remember because of the mnemonic TRIP. Trouble - difficulty with interpersonal interactions in the first and typically, unnoticed stage. Reaction - an initial response that may be either conscious or unconscious. Information - gathering data about the problem, reading this book, a move away from denial. Finally, Problem solving - conscious response to the trouble based upon the data gathered. This TRIP through depression is described in relationships with partners, children, parents and friends.The guidelines for support are presented with equally unassuming directness. First, the authors advise, have realistic expectations, and second, offer unqualified support. Third, is one you already know, maintain your routine as much as possible. Fourth, share your feelings and fifth, try not to take it personally. That is the most difficult one for me to remember and apply. I can get so frustrated at times that I forget about the context of the situation. Having read this book has helped me to keep its simple advice in mind. The last two suggestions provide a way out of the problem for everyone involved. Six, ask for help. Seven, work as a team. I don't feel that I am facing my difficulties alone when I know that there is help outside of the relationship and support within the relationship. Keeping these guidelines in mind has helped me to understand depression as just one more problem that a family or friends face together. There is a chance that this can make us stronger.A drawback I experienced with this book is that the guidelines are applied systematically to the point of redudancy for each class of relationships. On the other hand, I was surprised to discover that depression is contagious. From reading this book, I came to realize that the depression that I experience clearly can affect those who live with me. After this discovery, I was motivated more strongly to cure because the someone I love who is depressed can very often be me.From a spiritual perspective, I find that I am most vulnerable to depressive episodes w

Your Family Can Triumph Over Clinical Depression!

This is a must-read book for anyone struggling to understand a loved one's depression. You'll learn the do's and don'ts of caregiving. But more than this, you'll learn the importance of trying to maintain your own mental health and sense of normalcy, in the face of what can be a debilitating illness impacting all members of the family. A lot of the advice is common sense, the kind of thing your loved one's psychiatrist might tell you--if only he or she weren't so pressed for time. Plus it's nice to know you can help your loved one without trying to be Superman or Superwoman. In fact, the first step to helping your loved one is to realize that you (and the rest of the family) have needs as well. So be nice to yourself and get this book. And then hang in there. Your family really CAN triumph over depression!

eye-opening to my own problems with his depression

My lover has recently recognised that he suffers from depression and sought treatment for it. This book helped me to acknowledge and recognise many of my own strong emotional feelings, doubts and problems of the past months, that only now I'm realising were partly or wholly related to his depression and our inability to communicate about it without becoming overly emotional. It especially stresses the way that these reactions to depression are not only normal, but that you can put them to your benifit in the fight against depression. It stresses that suffering from someone else's depression is normal and that the solution is in working together, being more intimate and communicating better, rather than to think of giving up. It gives many tips and eyeopeners and things to hold on to when trying to change things, and stresses the power of communication. It does not have all the answers, but tries to make you stronger to find answers together. It gave me hope and reassured me about the strenght of our relation.

Very helpful and informative

I found this book to be tremendously supportive when I was trying to help my fiance (now my husband) deal with his depression. Depression in a loved one is such a tricky, difficult thing to handle. This book gave me the background, information and courage to discuss the depression with my fiance and take action.

A Godsend -- smart, practical and very unique

My husband was prescribed Zoloft by his doctor for depression. I read several books on depression and treatment but nothing I read (until THIS book) helped me with how his depression was destroying our relationship. Its informative, intelligent and I learned a lot about how to help by husband AND myself. THANK YOU for this compassionate, smart and practical book ! I highly reccomend it.