"No Longer Alone" is a useful book full of short chapters (one for each day of the year) containing suggestions on how to help manage depression.On some levels, I was reminded of [b:How to Heal Depression|1198010|How to Heal Depression|Harold H. Bloomfield|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1181809383s/1198010.jpg|1186122], a copy of which (heavily highlighted) lives on my bookshelf. The short, easy-to-digest chapters and encouraging concepts are the sort of thing that a person coping with depression needs.The most important thing: let people know what is going on. Even if you don't feel like you can ask for help, or are embarrassed, people in your life want to know so that they can help if needed. People are not mind-readers. There is so much stigma attached to mental illness nowadays, and that is unfortunate - it has always been with us.The one thing I found unfortunate was the emphasis on psychotropic medications, which have been found to only truly help about 13 percent of patients. The book also glossed over the fact that the side effects can not only be debilitating but also permanent.I found the book helpful and will even implement some of the concepts myself I spent 20 years misdiagnosed with clinical depression, 10 of them on medication that did not help me but did give me permanent side effects. What I *do* cope with is hypothyroidism, which can cause depression-like symptoms while it is being brought under control. One other thing I wish this book had brought up was getting a full physical, including blood work, since thyroid disorders often present as depression.
