Undoing Depression is a book aimed at both professionals and lay persons, written by Richard O’Connor who is himself a ‘depressive’ and a therapist in the USA. The book outlines 12 principles that underpin the author’s philosophy towards depression and provides a programme that establishes communication skills and recovery methods. The book does not advocate a particular concept or ideology but suggests new ways of thinking about depression and of bringing about positive change.The book does not break new ground as it was originally published in the USA in 1997. Most mental health nurses will have a grasp of the kind of philosophy the author advocates. For example, the assertion that depression is a complex condition requires a holistic approach. But this does serve as a useful reminder that the ‘one size fits all’ methodology does not work and therapeutic styles should be matched to the person, not the other way round.

 

As well as using case studies to illustrate his subject matter, the author includes some practical tools such as a ‘Mood Journal’ and a ‘Record of Dysfunctional Thoughts’. Although tools can be extremely useful for the mental health nurse, I feel that there are already a substantial number of similar tools around and these offer nothing new. Neatly divided into four sections, the result is a book that flows naturally and is easy to read. My feelings are that it is a quite a hefty book that could have been edited to half the size while still retaining the author’s original message. Mental health nurses time being what it is, I feel that there is a lot to wade through in this book for very little new insight into the condition. Overall, I found the book easy to digest and it could help readers to recognize symptoms of depression in themselves or others. It also encourages people to evaluate their approach to those that suffer from depression. Although many of the concepts are not new to mental health nurses, the principles are sound and manage to transcend transatlantic boundaries. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2008, 15, ••–••