An article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Bibliotherapy: Reading Your Way to Mental Health made me chuckle. The article discussed something "surprising" therapists are suggesting to their patients - read a book and the recently-published science behind this approach. What amuses me was that it was presented as a new thing. We non-scientist types have been suggesting this to our patients for years! I was reminded of some studies that came out in the last year or so recommending exercise for depressed patients. Common sense tells us that physical exercise would be good for depression. But in the age of supermodels and celebrities writing books about lifestyle change, coping with stress, etc., it would seem we need some scientific review of those self-help books!
Years ago, one of the first books I had my patients read was psychiatrist David D. Burn's Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. What I like about this book is the lack of psychobabble terminology and self-help cliches. There are easy to read explanations of depression and other mood disorders and excellent examples of cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) that can be practiced at home.
I'm a visual learner. You can tell me something, but if I read it, I will digest the information quicker and better. Many people tell me they also process new material better when they read it. It also gives them something to work on between therapy sessions. I've found that reading about psychiatric disorders also takes the patient out of the emotional/psychological mode and into the intellectual. It's often less threatening to read objective, factual information.
Medical and behavioral health journals divide these bibliotherapy books into two categories: those with proven clinical trials behind them and self-help books (that are often on the best-seller lists) that don't and that are often written by people without credentials in the mental health field. These trials are often conducted the way drug research is done, comparing the patients' depressive symptoms who read the books with patients who don't ("placebo") and haven't received any treatment in a "before treatment and after treatment" format.
The Journal article cites a helpful guide composed by John Norcross, a University of Scranton professor of psychology and researcher on the effectiveness of self-help books - The Authoritative Guide To Self-Help Resources in Mental Health. The book is based on five acclaimed national studies involving over 2,500 mental health professionals and it reviews and rates 600+ books.
Proponents of bibliotherapy suggest that it is effective on mild to moderate depressive and mood disorder symptoms and best done in conjunction with traditional visits to a credentialed therapist. It also shouldn't be considered as a substitute for medication if your health practitioner has prescribed that as part of your treatment.
A good book always does a couple of things for my health: it takes me out of myself and my physical ailments for a while and it makes me feel better to be inside a great story, living those lives, having those adventures, overcoming those obstacles to see a satisfying resolution.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if would help real depression - but it would be worth a try!
I've found books helpful for depression. I've learned new techniques and ideas from them.
ReplyDeleteI've also read light-hearted books that improve my mood e.g. some of the Janet Evanovich novels
I used to hate reading, but now that I've started again I've been reminded of how calming it can be. It certainly can't hurt, anyway!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a very visual learner and what you say about learning from a book is true.
ReplyDeleteI do suffer from depression and never thought about trying use reading to help get over the rough spots. I'll have to try it the next time it creaps up on me.
I think I've seen "bibliotherapy" used in both contexts--and it seems like a great way to direct thoughts in positive directions, even if you're reading fiction. (Many fictional tales are very inspiring!)
ReplyDeleteAs to reading good self-help books (like Burns or Beck or one of the authoritative ones), I think the hard part is to actually DO the suggestions and exercises and such. Most people think, wow, that sounds like a good idea--but putting these things into practice often takes a lot of effort.
But the combination of therapy and bibliotherapy can be especially powerful: a book to work on during the rest of the week, with a real live therapist to lead you to new insights and encourage you to keep plugging away at making changes.
I agree that reading can help take away some of the fear. There is a sense that others have it - enough to write a book about at least. Just like any other kind of therapy, such as talk or medication or exercise, individual results may vary. :-)
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