Help for Depression
Many excellent resources are available in your community and on the Internet. Dr. Ivan Goldberg has a questionnaire to determine if you are depressed and need to seek help. Take it and receive scored answers at Mental Health Net.
Counseling
Christian Recovery International: “Helping the Christian community to become a safe and helpful place for people recovering from addiction, abuse or trauma.” Multiple articles available online. Search on the word depression using the site’s search tool for a list with links to articles.
National Association for Christian Recovery; also http://www.christianrecovery.com/): “Hope Happens Here.” Has referrals and lists. The Life Recovery Guides by Dale and Juanita Ryan — tools for both introductory recovery groups and for personal recovery. Each book contains studies of six biblical texts, complete with leader’s notes. The Life Recovery Guide series of Bible study guides is now available only as photocopy-ready master ($10/volume) or as PDF files (free in the NACR Online Library). Several are relevant for those suffering from depression: Recovery from Distorted Images of Self , Recovery from Depression, and Recovery from Broken Relationships.
American Association of Pastoral Counselors: “Pastoral Counseling is a unique form of psychotherapy which uses spiritual resources as well as psychological understanding for healing and growth.” Has a searchable listing of counseling centers by state at http://www.aapc.org/centers.htm.
Depression and Mental Health Web Sites
Intellihealth Web Site Search on depression.
Internet Mental Health variety of links and resources.
National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association
Have a Heart’s Depression Resource – A Rest Stop From Depression and Thoughts of Suicide
Lifescape – Mental Health Resources
National Institute of Mental Health’s public information
Drug Information
RxList – The Internet Drug Index by Neil Sandow, Pharm.D
DrugInfoNet – The Internet Source for Healthcare Information
PharmWeb – Pharmacy Information on the Internet
Lists of Mental Health Resources
Mental Health Associations Mental Health Infosource
Self-Help Sourcebook Online Index Mental Health Net
Ask Questions Online
AllExperts.com-Psychiatry & Psychology Volunteer experts answer your psychology/psychiatry questions free.
PlanetPsych.com’s Talk to a Therapist
Ask Your Pharmacist – Drugstore.com’s Pharmacy
Search for a Therapist
1-800-THERAPIST Free referral to a qualified therapist in your area; information on finding a therapist.
Online Psych’s Find a Therapist – iVillage/Better Health
Books on Depression
Healing for Damaged Emotions – David A Seamands, Alpha/Scripture Press, ISBN #1-898938-35-0. Good information on perfectionism, how it affects us, and how to deal with it. Also looks at low self-esteem.
Disappointment with God – Phillip Yancey, Marshall Pickering, ISBN #0-551-01868-2. Where is God during our emotional pain? This book asks and answers three questions: Is God silent? Is God hidden? Is God unfair?
Where is God When It Hurts? – Phillip Yancey, Marshall Pickering, ISBN #0-551-02290-6. This book answers the question “If God is loving, how can he allow people to suffer?”
When God Weeps – Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes, Zondervan Publishing, ISBN #0-310-21859-4. A compassionate and fascinating book about why our sufferings matter to God. Looks at the following: If God is loving, why is there suffering? What’s the difference between permitting something and ordaining it? When bad things happen, who’s behind them — God or the Devil?
The Depression Workbook: A Guide to Living With Depression and Manic Depression – Mary Ellen Copeland, Matthew McKay, Ph.D, contributes a medical and historical overview, including the uses of medication in a balanced treatment program. Paperback or video. http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/book.htm
What to Do When Someone You Love Is Depressed – Mitch Golant, Ph.D. and Susan Golant, Henry Holt & Company, Inc., 1998. Friends and family of those with depression find helpful advice in this book on comforting and communicating with depressed loved ones. Caregivers are guided in understanding and helping to treat depression, recognizing when depression can be dangerous and what to do about it, and coping with challenges they face.