Self-Help Books Not As Helpful?
Last year, some doctors in the U.K. were literally prescribing self-help books for mildly depressed patients.
Bob Olson thinks this may be a dangerous assumption. He sent out a press release to ask if self-help books may be prolonging some people’s depression. A conflict of interest, if it can even be called that, is Bob Olson has written a book about it, which be be purchased through his website, and he gives seminars on his own experiences with self-help books and depression.
My personal experience with self help books is that they were mostly interesting, although when I was chronically depressed I didn’t have the fortitude to read through most of the ones I’ve had. I also didn’t have a “breakthrough” even with psychotherapy alone, until I was on the right kind of medication – that is to say – medication that had an effect on my depression. I was on lots of other medication that had no effect or frankly made my depression worse with its side effects.
One can never have too much willingness to help oneself. Often for depressed patients, that can include self-help books, but it can never replace a thorough medical and psychiatric exam by a good doctor.
