MDSC’s Recommended Reading List
An important first step in gaining control of your illness, or in understanding and supporting a loved one, is to learn all you can about mood disorders and their treatment.
Being informed about mood disorders allows you to be an active participant in your treatment and make informed decisions regarding your care in partnership with your health care provider.
We have also included ‘first person’ accounts, which we feel helps to create a profound sense of empathy and understanding. Seeing your experience mirrored in the experience of others breaks the isolation of mental illness and instills a healing sense of “you are not alone”. Learning from the experience of others will also help you avoid the common pitfalls, which accompany the challenging journey from illness to health.
We have tried to provide a selection of books from a wide array of perspectives and include Canadian authors. Let us know if you have recommendations you would like to see added to the list.
Disclaimer: The following books represent a diverse range of opinions on mood disorders. The MDSC does not necessarily support or endorse the books and/ or the opinions expressed in any of these publications. We encourage you to apply critical thinking in evaluating your readings and work collaboratively with your health care providers prior to making decisions which impact treatment.
Depression
An Unquiet Mind: Kay Redfield Jamison, Knopf, 1995. 244pp.
Canadian Consensus Guidelines For The Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder: Raymond W Lam, and Anthony J Levitt, Clinical & Academic Publishing, 1999.
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness: William Styron, NY, Random House, 1992.
Defeating Depression: Drs. Sidney Kennedy, & Sagar Parikh, Shapiro, Joli Joco, 1998.
Depression After Childbirth, How to Recognize and Treat Postnatal Illness: Katharina Dalton, Oxford University Press, December 1996.
Depression and its Treatment: John H. Greist, M.D. and James W. Jefferson, M.D. Publisher: Warner Books; 1992.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association: Version IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
Don’t Be SAD: Your Guide To Conquering Seasonal Affective Disorder: Celeste A. Peters, Script publishing Inc. 1994.
Dual Diagnosis of Major Mental Illness and Substance Disorder: Editors: Kenneth Minkoff. 1991.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy: David Burns, M.D., Avon, 1992.
Girl, Interrupted: Susanna Kaysen, Vintage Books, 1994.
Helping Your Teenager Beat Depression – a Problem-Solving Approach for Families: Katharina Manassis, MD, FRCPC and Anne Marie Levac, RN, MN Publisher; Woodbine House, 2004.
Helping Your Teen Overcome Depression: Dr. Miriam Kaufman. Published by Key Porter Books, 2000. Canadian authors.
How to Cope with Depression – A Complete Guide for You and Your Family: J. Raymond DePaulo, Jr. M.D. and Keith Russel Ablow, M.D., Ballantine Books, 1996.
In the Jaws of the Black Dogs: John Bentley Mays, July 1999. 256 pg. HarperCollins. Canadian Author.
Learned Optimism: Martin E. P. Seligman, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1992.
Listening To Prozac: Peter D. Kramer, M.D., Penguin, USA (Reprint Edition), 1994.
Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide: Kay Redfield Jamison. 2000.
Out of the Nightmare: Recovery From Depression And Suicidal Pain: David L. Conroy, PhD, New Liberty Press, 1991.
Overcoming Depression: Dimitri F. and Janice Papolos, Harper-Perennial; 1997.
Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America: A Memoir: Elizabeth Wurtzel.1994.
St. John’s Wort: The Miracle Medicine: Alan H. Pressman, Dell, 1998, 208 pages.
Silencing the Self : Women and Depression: Dana Crowley Jack, Harper Collins, 1993.
The Beast: A Reckoning with Depression: Thompson, Tracy. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995.
The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living with Depression and Manic Depression: Mary Ellen Copeland, Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1992.
The Feeling Good Handbook: David D. Burns, Plume Books 1999.
The Herbal Way to Feeling Good: Norman Rosenthal. HarperCollins, 1998. 235 pages.
A Fragile Revolution: Consumers and Psychiatric Survivors Confront the Power of the Mental Health System: by Barbara Everett, Wilfred Laurier University Press, Waterloo, Ontario, 2000.
The Last Taboo: A Survival Guide To Mental Health In Canada: Scott Simmie and Julia Nunes (McClelland & Stewart), 339 pages, 2012.
Waking Up Alive: The Descent, The Suicide Attempt, And The Return To Life: Richard A. Heckle, 2014.
Willow Weep for Me-A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression: Danquah, Meri Nana-Ama, “, W.W. Norton & Co., 1998.
Winter Blues: Rosenthal, Norman E. M.D., The Guilford Press, 1998.
You Mean I Don’t Have to Feel This Way: New Help for Depression, Anxiety, and Addiction: Collette Dowling, Harrison Pope, James I. Hudson (Contributor), Bantam Doubleday Dell; 1993.
Thoughts And Feelings: Taking Control Of Your Moods And Your Life, 2nd Edition: M. Mckay, M. Davis, & P. Fanning, (1997). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques: Gilbert, P. (1997). London, Robinson Publishing. Mind Over Mood: A Cognitive Therapy Treatment Manual For Clients: D. Greenberger, & C.A. Padesky, (1995). New York: Guilford Press.
Manic Depression
A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness: Patty Duke (Anna Pearce) and Gloria Hochman.1993.
A Fragile Revolution: Consumers and Psychiatric Survivors Confront the Power of the Mental Health System: by Barbara Everett, Wilfred Laurier University Press, Waterloo, Ontario, 2000, 1-519-884-1970. 263 pages.
A Mood Apart: Depression, Mania, and Other Afflictions of the Self: Whybrow, Peter C. M.D., Basic Books, 1997.
An Unquiet Mind: Kay Redfield Jamison. New York: Random House, 1995.
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families: Mondimore, Francis, M.D. John Hopkins Press, 1999.
Call Me Anna; The Autobiography of Patty Duke: Patty Duke (Anna Pearce) (with Kenneth Duran), Bantam Books, 1990.
Creative Brainstorms: The Relationship Between Madness & Genius: Russell R. Monroe, M.D. Publisher: Irvington Publishers, Inc. 1992.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association – Version IV: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
Learned Optimism: Martin E. P. Seligman, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1992.
Living Without Depression and Manic Depression: A Workbook for Maintaining Stability: Mary Ellen Copeland, New Harbinger, 1994.
Living Without Depression and Manic Depression: Copeland M.S., Mary Ellen, New Harbinger Publications Inc., 1994.
Lithium and Manic-Depression, A Guide: John Bohn and James Jefferson; Lithium Information Center, Dean Foundation, June 1996.
Lithium Treatment of Manic-Depressive Illness: A Practical Guide: Mogens Shou, M.D., Karger, 5th Revision, 1992.
Manic-Depressive Illness: Frederick K. Goodwin and Kay Redfield Jamison: Minkoff and Robert E. Drake, Jossey Boss, 1991.
Manic-Depressive Illness: Fredrick K. Goodwin, M.D., & Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Oxford; 1990.
Mood Genes: Hunting for Origins of Mania and Depression: Barondes, Samuel W. M.D. New York, W.H. Freeman and Co, 1998.
Mood Swing: Ronald Fieve, Bantam Books, 1996.
On an Even Keel: Charles Theriault, Lea Chamberlain Theriault & Pierrette Richard, Publik-Art Ltd. 1992.
On the Edge of Darkness: Conversations about Conquering Depression: Kathy Cronkite, Doubleday; 1994.
The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood’s Most Misunderstood Disorder: Papolos, Demitri F. MD. 1999.
The Last Taboo: A Survival Guide To Mental Health In Canada: Scott Simmie and Julia Nunes (McClelland & Stewart), 339 pages. 2002.
The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness: Lori Schiller, Amanda Bennett, Warner Books, 1996.
Touched by Fire: Manic-depressive Illness and the Artist Temperament: Kay Redfield Jamison, Free Press: Maxwell Macmillan International, 1993.
Family
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families: Mondimore, Francis, M.D. John Hopkins Press, 1999.
Family Caregiving in Mental Illness: Harriet P. Lefley, Ph.D., SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, 1996. 259 pages.
How to Cope with Depression – A Complete Guide for You and Your Family: J. Raymond DePaulo, Jr. M.D. and Keith Russel Ablow, M.D., Ballantine Books, 1996.
Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings: by Clea Simon. Doubleday, 1997. 211 pages.
Nothing to Be Ashamed Of: Growing Up with Mental Illness in Your Family: Sherry H. Dinner, Lathrop, Lee & Shepard, 1989.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well: OCD and Parenting: Hugh F. Johnson, M.D., and Jay Fruehling, M.L.S.
The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood’s Most Misunderstood Disorder: Papolos, Demitri F. MD. 1999.
When Someone you Love is Depressed: How to Help Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself: Rosen, Laura E. PhD. And Amador, Xavier F. PhD, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Anxiety
Anxiety And Its Disorders: The Nature And Treatment Of Anxiety And Panic: by D.H. Barlow, (1988). New York: Guilford Press.
Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective: Aaron T. Beck and Gary Emery with Ruth L Greenburg, Basic Books, 1990.
Anxiety Disorders And Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective: A.T. Beck, & G. Emery (1985). New York: Basic Books.
Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks: R. Reid Wilson, Harper Collins, 1996 (Revised Edition).
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Theory, Research, And Treatment: R.P. Swinson, M.M. Antony, S. Rachman, M.A. Richter, M.A. (Eds.), (1998) New York: Guilford Publications. Canadian authors.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder In Children And Adolescents: J.L. Rapaport, (Ed.) (1989). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: A Guide to Getting Well and Staying Well: OCD and Parenting: Hugh F. Johnson, M.D., and Jay Fruehling, M.L.S.
Overcoming Anxiety: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques: H. Kennedy, (1997). London: Robinson Publishing.
Overcoming Anxiety: From Short-Term Fixes To Long-Term Recovery: R.Z. Peurifoy, (1997). New York: Henry Holt and Company.
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook 2nd edition: E.J Bourne, Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Thoughts And Feelings: Taking Control Of Your Moods And Your Life: M. McKay, M. Davis, & P. Fanning, (1997). 2nd edition. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough: Strategies For Coping With Perfectionism: M.M. Antony, & R.P. Swinson, (1998). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Canadian authors.
Relaxation Training
Cognitive-Behavioral Relaxation Training: A New System Of Strategies For Treatment And Assessment: J.C. Smith, (1990). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Relaxation Dynamics: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To Relaxation: J.C. Smith, (1989). Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Getting to Sleep: Ellen M. Catalano, New Harbinger Publications, 1990.
Anger Management
When Anger Hurts: Quieting The Storm Within: McKay, M., Rogers, P.D., & McKay, J. (1989). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Dr. Weisinger’s Anger Workout Book: H.D. Weisinger, (1985). New York: William Morrow and Company.
