Depression
Self-Consciousness, Pretending, and Guilt
"Most studies of depression focus on psychiatric or medical interpretations. But sadness and guilt are human experiences, Keen asserts, and not disease symptoms. They involve intricate layers of enacting a style for others, of coping with moral crises, and of enduring disappointment. Depression tells us to life and death - and good and evil - but not sickness and health.". "Beginning with human consciousness, in contrast to the non-reflective consciousness of animals, Keen examines the experience of depression and probes its personal, social, and moral meanings. He seeks to demystify the common misperceptions of "depression as disease" and, therefore, "depression as dysfunction."" "This work will be of particular interest to practitioners, professors, and students of psychology."--BOOK JACKET.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Self-Help, Mental Health. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Self-Help · Mental Health
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest violence, death, or criminal harm, mental-health concerns. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Balanced tone · Steady pace
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-2759-7567-8
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL10289397M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
Begin with its place in Self-Help, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Which ideas feel usable in your actual circumstances—not only persuasive on the page?
- Where does the author distinguish evidence, experience, and opinion?
- What would a small, humane experiment with one idea look like?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Self-Help books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
Anger Work
by Robert E. Puff
Why it fits: shares Self-Help and Mental Health, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Conquering the Beast Within
by Cait Irwin
Why it fits: shares Self-Help and Mental Health, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Counselling the Person Beyond the Alcohol Problem
by Richard Bryant-Jefferies
Why it fits: shares Self-Help and Mental Health, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Defeating Depression
by Howard W. Stone
Why it fits: shares Self-Help and Mental Health, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Depression And Anxiety In Teenagers And Young Adults
by Louise Palmer
Why it fits: shares Mental Health and Self-Help, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Emotion
by Monte Lyon
Why it fits: shares Self-Help and Mental Health, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.