Review: Beyond the Blues
Beyond the Blues: A Workbook to Help Teens Overcome Depression by Lisa M. Schab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lisa M. Schab LCSW does an excellent job explaining the facts about depression and clearly outlining strategies that teens (or anybody) can use to process their feelings and disrupt the cycles that tend to perpetuate depression. She provides plenty of simple activities that most teens can incorporate into daily life as they go through treatment. These activities involve engaging creativity, emotion, and reaching out to others as well as modifying personal thought patterns. My only concern, hence withholding one star, is that I believe this book really should be viewed as a supplement to professional help rather than, "If it gets really bad, see a professional." For example, suicide risk is not even seriously discussed until well into the book. While I don't think it helps teens or parents to freak out every time someone shows signs of depression, suicide is always a risk. In fact, with any mental illness, it's a risk, and depression is one of the most common mental illnesses.
This book is a terrific resource and I will definitely recommend it to clients. I think it's a wonderful adjunct to in-person therapy, and includes plenty of terrific suggestions in a user-friendly format. I'm just not sure I would want a teen turned-loose relying only on this. All that said, if a teen suffering from depression gets a hold of this book, maybe it will be enough to push them to get help and make the best of it when they do.
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