A Secret Sadness: The Hidden Relationship Patterns That Make Women Depressed
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Book Overview
Can Your Relationships Make You Depressed? Past and current patterns, unrealistic expectations, and assumptions about your role in the lives of the people close to you may cause or worsen depression. A Secret Sadness offers a groundbreaking perspective on this phenomenon, as well as powerful tools you can use to explore this issue in your own life. Women experience depression at a higher rate than men, and researchers have recently uncovered evidence that suggests this may be due to the higher importance they place on their interpersonal relationships. Some of these researchers believe that women who struggle with relationships may be at higher risk for depression because their relationships are intertwined with their self-esteem and perceptions of personal success. This breakthrough book examines the often hidden relationship factors that make women depressed, the secret sadness that can last a lifetime. Using three detailed case studies from her own practice, author and psychologist Valerie Whiffen explains how interpersonal problems can contribute to feelings of depression. Her insightful narrative sheds light on these problems, and will help you begin your journey toward healing. You'll learn how to explore your own relationships with intimate partners, children, and parents -with an eye for how these relationships may contribute to feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and anxiety. You'll ultimately be able to use this information to help overcome depression. And if depression has touched the life of someone you love, this book will help you to understand her better. Revealing the secret sadness is the first step to moving beyond depression and into a life of balance and joy.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:1572244690
ISBN13:9781572244696
Release Date:January 2007
Publisher:New Harbinger Publications
Length:208 Pages
Weight:1.14 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 6.3" x 9.2"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
A "must read" for all women
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
This is a remarkable book on depression, not only for women, the first target readership, but for everyone interested in the topic for professional or personal reasons. It takes a real talent to make a complex research and clinical literature understandable to the non-initiated reader. The book succeeds in all respects. It is superbly organized and easy to read. Books with a self-help vocation are often written in a simplified language that can quickly become irritating for the educated reader. Certainly not this one. It respects the reader, providing a comprehensive overview of the interpersonal relationships patterns that are at the root of depression for many women. Every major point is presented with the research that supports it, with examples that illustrate its varying manifestations in the lifes of women, and with periodic summary paragraphs that pace the reading. Each chapter concludes with "Questions to ask yourself", a daring innovation that will help readers integrate the contents of the book into their life and also evaluate their needs in terms of self-care and eventually professional care. Treatment options for depression (including indications, a rare feature) are presented at the end of the book with remarkable clarity. Health care professionals will find this book valuable as a tool to deepen their understanding of the intricate links between interpersonal relationships and depression, and as an additional resource to support their intervention with their own clients. This book provides a ray of hope to all women who battle depression.
Marriage and Depression
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
I have experienced depression for the entire 30 years of marriage. I always blamed myself for an unsuccessful marriage and went to counselors myself and was at one point suicidal. When I read this book, it really made things clear that I was devalued as a person by my husband and mother. When you feel devalued by the ones who are your closest relationships, you become depressed. It is like a revolving door conflicts keep returning and it seems the relationship does not improve. I was screaming for love and attention for 30 years and not getting it. If you are feeling devalued by your spouse or other, you have got to read this book. I feel so good about myself now and plan to improve my environment so that I can have a great rest of my life! I deserve it.
The pattern can stop here
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This book presents an illuminating synopsis on how relationships can be integral to both the problem and solution of depression in women. As Whirren nicely conveys with her clear presentations of researched-based findings, many depressed women come from families who did not offer them secure attachments as a child, and as a result, these same women have difficulties in establishing secure relationships as adults. These women not only lack positive relationships that could offer them protection against depression, but the relationships they do become involved in often resemble the same insecure (and depression-inducing) ones they experienced as children. Although there is a strong correlation between experiencing insecure attachment relationships as a child and as an adult, there are indeed ways women can interrupt this relationship pattern associated with depression. This hope is conveyed in the author's concluding words of: "Remember that our lives don't change, we change our lives."
Compelling, well informed exploration of the role of women's relationships in depression
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This is a terrific book for anyone who is interested in women and depression. The book is written for women who experience depression and for anyone who knows and cares about such women, however, it is also an excellent resource for therapists and counsellors. Valerie Whiffen has written an incredibly accessible summary of the vast research literature on women, close relationships, and depression as well as describing three case studies from her own practice. The result is a very readable tour of the landscape of depressed women's relationships. The book is a map of what is known about the kinds of relationships that contribute to women's depression. Whiffen also discusses the influence of hormones, genetics, stressful events, losses, and gender roles. The book closes with a discerning overview of what is known about effective treatment for depression--How effective are antidepressants? What specific forms of psychotherapy have been shown to be effective? The book is a compelling read and is jammed with sound, useful information--it provides a straightforward, well informed answer to a very complex question: "Can your relationships make you depressed?"
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