One size does not fit all | The Half-Empty Heart: A Supportive Guide to Breaking Free from Chronic...

Just what I needed | The Half-Empty Heart: A Supportive Guide to Breaking Free from Chronic Discontent | Alan Downs

books:


	• The Half-Empty Heart: A Supportive Guide to Breaking Free from Chronic Discontent Alan Downs St. Martin's Griffin, 2004 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A brilliant description of chronic discontent

I think this is so far the best descriptive aspect of chronic discontent. Particularly it is coming from a person who have been there.I feel that the Dr Downs has done a really great job not only in describing one of the aspects of life which is common yet not acknowledged often, it shows the way how to fight it( i have some doubts on the methods he describes simply because i think chronic discontent is almost a part of the personality,hence ingrained i.e hardwired,hence only partly can be addressed through psychological methods). I think that it is too simplistic to differentiate chronic discontent from dysthymia.
But truthfully all these matters little. I sincerely think he has done a really brilliant job and to my knowledge this is the first systematic account of a concept which is still unclear amongst scientific society.

for more information click here

One size does not fit all

The first thing I would like to say is a bit off the subject but I think that potential buyers should know that there are many type-o errors. Actually, it may be worth the price to see how a book like this got published while containing so many mistakes. If I were Dr. Downs I'd be PO'd that this book was released. I guess he really needed the money.

Anyway, this book does a good job of identifying what your problem is but seems to be lacking when it comes to the "cure". If you have been struggling with Dysthymia for more than five years or so, you may not "get it" - very little of the "cure" makes any sense to me consequently, it does not help. I'm curious if this book has really helped any of Dr. Downs' patients or not.
Perhaps it will help you - buy it used.

for more information click here

Just what I needed

I have struggled with undiagnosed depression all my life. About 8 years ago I went into major depression. The meds helped immensely but for the last few years or so their effects were diminishing. This book is really pointing me in a direction to go, giving me a way to help myself. If you are not quite ready for the loony bin, but keep saying,"there's got to be more to life than this" try this book.

for more information click here

A label for me at last.

I have been reading the library copy of this book, and decided I needed my own copy so I could highlight significant lines. All my life I have felt what I called "melancholic", and now I finally have a real diagnosis for myself. So many things in this book speak to me, such as feeling unloved all my life, and unworthy of attention. I'm looking forward to reading this over and over again, and hopefully, I can benefit from it. I've never considered myself depressed, per se, but this comes much closer to what I feel. I used to describe myself as living inside a "bubble"; in the world, but not part of it. Now I know why.

for more information click here

Lots of insight, but don't rule out meds

I must take issue with the author's statement that psychiatric medications are ineffective in treating dysthymia (see the appendix). His review of the literature supporting this assertion is incomplete at best; at least one study which he mentioned actually *supported* the use of medications (he quoted it out of context to argue *against* their effectiveness)! As a student of psychology, I recently did library research on the treatment of dysthymia and found that the majority of studies indicate that medications are at least as helpful as psychotherapy in treating dysthymia.

Having said that, I do believe that psychotherapy is useful with or without psychiatric meds, and I think that "The Half Empty Heart" gives an interesting characterization of chronic discontent and some potentially-useful tools for overcoming it. If you think you suffer from chronic discontent, you'll probably want to read this book.

for more information click here

Finally, help for the millions of people suffering from low-grade depression, also known as dysthymia or chronic discontent.

Frustrated. Irritable. Discouraged. Fed up. These are among the feelings experienced by millions of people suffering from low-grade depression. Often erroneaously attributed to a negative attitude or laziness, this common condition saps feelings of happiness, contentment, and passion, and frequently goes undiagnosed.

The Half-Empty Heart is a powerful and practical book that explains how the condition takes hold--and presents simple yet profound ways to overcome it for good. Using anecdotes from his private practice as well as quizzes, checklists, exercises, and a complete five-week plan for achieving lasting results, clinical psychologist Alan Downs, Ph.D., shines light into the dark corners of this isolating and debilitating condition.

You can feel good again. The Half-Empty Heart shows the way.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

hot