'DEPRESSION - Understanding the Black Dog'.

Book Review

‘DEPRESSION – Understanding the Black Dog’.

Stephanie Sorrell

ISBN 978-1-78279-165-2

Publishers: John Hunt Publishing (Psyche Books) www.johnhuntpublishing.com / www.psyche-books.com

UK: £7.99 US: $11.95

 

This small compact book is deceiving. Although it is under 100 pages long it holds so much helpful and understandable information about the nature of Depression and Bipolar Disorder. It de-mystifies these conditions and explains them in terms that lay people can understand and work with. 

The writer, herself a suffer of depression, has an MA in Phsychosynthesesis Psychology and trained as an Applied Practitioner at the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London  and also works at an NHS hospital in Cumbria, UK.

Because of her background Stephanie is able to talk about the subject from all aspects including signs, symptoms, treatment and medication with great insight and balance. 

This book is a must for all practitioners/therapists who come into contact with the general public and will help them to understand the nature of ‘the black dog of depression’.  For those whom themselves are sufferers or have a loved one who is suffering reading this book will give them greater insight into the disorder, its treatment  and will find they have more compassion for the sufferer.  Hopefully, as this subject is opened up and more people understand the nature of the condition then the stigma currently attached to Depression and Bipolar Disorder with become a thing of the past.

Depression and Bipolar Disorder affects a larger portion of society than one would dare to imagine, reading this book will help each one to deal with the subject and the suffers with compassion and support.

It is a book I will share with others and will keep a copy on my bookshelf for further reading and reference. Thank you, Stephanie for writing this book which is helping me to understand this area of mental health more fully.

Diane Morgan.