Experts report that 17 million people in the US suffer from clinical depression; 50% of the people who recover will relapse within three years.

This is the first book with up-to-date strategies to defeat this statistic and address the problem of depression relapse. Ending the Depression Cycle includes step-by-step strategies for preventing relapse by leading researchers

Most books on this disorder focus on crisis control during the acute phase of mild and severe depression. This book deals instead with the period after recovery when as many as half of those who have defeated depression will suffer relapse. Learn about the repeating cycle of depression. Then, with self-assessment tools and engaging exercises, understand the stage you are dealing with. Find practical advice about clinical options, including anti-depressant medication and continuing psychotherapy. Take away everyday strategies for thinking realistically, having fun, and being physically well. Discover meditation and thought monitoring techniques that help minimize stressors in your life.

The ultimate goal of this book is to help you develop a new set of values that allows imperfection in your life but, at the same time, protects you from vulnerability. Vital involvement in your personal relationships and your community start you on the path to self-reliance. Comprehensive listings of support resources help to keep you moving. One appendix focuses on easy-to-access Internet resources.

This book includes a foreword by Aaron T. Beck, MD, the founder of cognitive behavioral therapy.