OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Causes and Cures of Depression" by Rivka Levy.]

Causes and Cures of Depression is a self-help/advice book by Rivka Levy. The author has personally suffered from depression and anxiety, beginning at the young age of six. The key to her healing was discovering what was causing these problems. In this book, she shares this knowledge and provides encouragement to the reader. The three main reasons for depression are having poor habits when it comes to spiritual, emotional, and physical health. The author debunks the notion that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. In doing so, she also greatly discredits the drug industry. In place of medicine, the author offers useful alternatives, such as being grateful and monitoring the way one’s energy flows through the body. The book concerns how to avoid depression in the first place as well as what to do if one is currently in a depressed state.

The author does a very thorough job. There are some numbered and bullet point lists as well as recaps at the ends of chapters. There is some redundancy, but not in a bothersome way. She takes the time to elaborate and ensures that there are no lingering, unanswered questions by the end. A problem is presented (like what to do about negative people), the author gives her take on the matter and then provides a practical solution. The reader is left with a thorough sense of what does and doesn’t work when it comes to treating or preventing depression.

There are so many great aspects of the book that I could highlight, many of which are lines of the text that I copied directly into my notes. The author greatly urges the reader to actually put the advice into practice. Just reading it isn’t going to change anything. There’s real work to be done! It was easy to agree with what was being stated, with lines such as: “Trouble is, repressed thoughts and feelings don’t just disappear: they fester” and “Telling a depressed person to ‘cheer up’ or ‘snap out of it,’ or that they are choosing to feel so miserable and worthless once they’ve actually sunk into a depressed state is extremely unhelpful.” The author acknowledges that everyone is different, so the book “should be used as a guideline, not as a rulebook.” She’s clearly done her research and speaks from real-life experience.

There is some talk of God when it comes to one’s spiritual needs. I appreciated that the religious aspect of the book was kept at a minimum, as the author provides a very comprehensive view of depression. She recognizes that it’s not a simple problem that will go away and stay away just by praying about it. It’s a complicated issue that takes a lot of work to overcome.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. While reading the book, there were several times when I said in my head: “been there,” “thought that,” or “so true.” I definitely reflected on my own life as the text evoked specific memories. The author presents some interesting notions that I hadn’t heard of before. Some concepts were weird upon first glance (like the idea of "Spleen energy") and others immediately made sense. The book is very ambitious, stating early on that it “could literally transform your life.” Putting some of the advice into practice could possibly do that, depending on how committed the reader is to put it to use.

I’d recommend this book to those who have ever or are currently suffering from depression and need help managing it. I’d also recommend it to families, friends, or others concerned about someone with depression.

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Causes and Cures of Depression
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Great review! I know several people who suffer from depression. Perhaps they could find this book useful.

Great Review, Tanaya! This book is going on my list! It sounds like there is a lot of good that can come from this book. I also agree that breaking bad mental habits is easier said than done.

I like that the book isn't too long too. I have never been able to make it past the first few chapters of The Feeling Good Handbook because it is just so long and I drift off to something else

I've been there! Yeah, the book is relatively short. It's around 120 pages.

Makes me want to read this book. Thanks for a great review and growing my interest. Sounds like a book that could be very informative for anyone.

Glad to hear it!

Nice review and a book I would be happy to peruse.

Thanks!

thanks for an amazing review, tanaya.

You're more than welcome

I always like to read your reviews.
You always give a lucid account of the books. This one is no different.

The book sounds a must read for all as i believe depression has become a common problem now a days and one must remain armed to deal with it.

Thanks so much! And I totally agree. It is a growing problem, and the author does a great job in providing some viable solutions.

I must admit, I am surprised by your review of this book as positive. As a sufferer of depression since childhood myself and having gone through multiple "successful" treatments and therapies only to return to a state of depression, the title claiming to offer a "cure" immediately made me skeptical (I almost wrote "made me want to slit my wrists," but that seems a bit inappropriate, now, doesn't it?? Ha!). I didn't even even want to read a review about the book, to be honest, because I knew I would be ready to argue, and I would prefer to avoid that. But you have made the book sound interesting enough, and I'm glad to see that you found it worth the stars.

I was also a little surprised to see a positive review of this book. I saw it on the available review book list last week and read the sample on Amazon. Certainly, I only read a sample while you read the entire book. Also, different readers will often have different opinions of the same book. That being said, I didn't like two things from the sample I read - 1) the author described the book as the "ultimate guide", yet her background listed on Amazon has no mention of a background in psychology or psychiatry. Instead, the author lists her background as a spiritual healer and running an institute for God-based holistic healing; and 2) she wrote that one of the three main reasons you may be depressed and anxious is that you don't have a strong enough connection to God. Of course, an author is entitled to write about her own experiences with depression and what worked for her. However, describing the book as the Ultimate Guide, along with stating that one of the 3 reasons for depression is poor spiritual health seems irresponsible, at best.

Again, I only read a sample on Amazon, but these statements jumped out at me.

-- 19 Oct 2015, 11:25 --

Tanaya, I want to add that you read the entire book, as opposed to me reading a sample. I normally don't like to comment on a sample as it's only a snippet of the book. I chose to do so because of the subject matter.

I totally understand where the two of you are coming from and I appreciate you expressing your opinions. This is definitely the type of book where everyone will feel a different way about it, that's for sure. It's a tough and sensitive topic to tackle. I personally enjoyed reading it, which is why I gave it a positive review; but I understand that others won't feel the same as I do about it. I also read and reviewed a previous and similar book by this author which I enjoyed.