"Eye opening. Should give people contemplating options for depression food for thought." -- Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D., F.A.C.P., Director, Johns Hopkins Weight Management Ctr, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health "When we look back at this era we will wonder how it is that pharmacotherapy and biological models of depression became so dominant that they blinded so many to the behavioral aspects of depression. In this important new book the authors walk through the sense and nonsense of modern views of depression and show that perhaps the key issue is behavioral engagement: depression involves a life being avoided rather than being lived. That insight makes good sense of the available scientific evidence and provides a powerful new path forward for people suffering from this debilitating condition." -- Steven C. Hayes, Foundation Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada "This book helps to separate the marketing hype from the science of psychotropic medications so consumers can make informed choices about what scientifically supported mental health treatment options are likely to work best for them and their families." -- David Antonuccio, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Nevada School of Medicine
Series Foreword, by Chris Stout Foreword, by Marsha Linehan Preface Societal Views of Mental Disorder Welcome to the Brave New World The Context of Depression and Anxiety Psychology as a Science Behavior Therapy Behavioral Analysis, Behavior Therapy, and Outcome Research Summary and Conclusions Questions to Ask Prior to Accepting a Prescription for Anti-depressant Medication How to Find a Behavioral or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist Questions to Ask a Potential Behavior Therapist Suggestions for Further Reading About the Authors References About the Series Editor and Advisors
Allan M. Leventhal is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at American University, where he also served as Director of the Counseling Center. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology with the American Board of Professional Psychology, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and past president of the Maryland Psychological Association, as well as past chairman of the Maryland State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. Until his retirement last year, he was engaged in the out-patient practice of psychology for more than twenty-five years. He is the recipient of an Outstanding Psychologist Award from the Maryland Psychological Association. Christopher R. Martell is Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington, and a psychologist in private practice in Seattle. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology and Behaviorial Psychology with the American Board of Professional Psychology, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. He is past president of the Washington State Psychological Association, a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and recipient of the 2004 Washington State Psychological Association's Distinguished Psychologist award.
Is there a biological foundation to depression? The pharmaceutical
industry's direct-to-consumer advertising would have one believe
that not only is depression a biological phenomenon, but that the
specific medications they are advertising can remedy the disorder.
Just take a pill and the sun begins to shine! However, this slim
volume by Leventhal and Martell indicates that the answer may not
be so straightforward. In the tradition of Thomas Szasz (The Myth
of Mental Illness, rev. ed., 1974), the authors take a very
controversial position by questioning the biological basis for
depression. They regard the scientific research supporting the
biological view as weak. This view, however, is quite profitable
for drug companies. After questioning the scientific validity of
the biological research and calling into question the motives of
the pharmaceutical industry, the authors proclaim an alternative
treatment for depression--behavior therapy. This is not surprising,
given their training and background. Perhaps most important is the
authors' daring to put forward an argument that counters big pharma
and the biotech industry. They raise questions about the extent of
market influence on scientific theory and research. This clearly
written volume contains several instructive appendixes.
Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and up.
*Choice*
The title of Allan Leventhal and Christopher Martell's book might
give readers the impression they are simply trying to challenge the
current dominance of the medical model of depression. While that
most certainly is one of Leventhal and Martell's top priorities,
the issues that they take on are far broader, ranging from the
undue and inappropriate influences that the pharmaceutical industry
can exert on clinical research, limitations in government agencies'
oversight of the pharmaceutical industry, and bias in the education
of customers and health providers about mental health treatment
options and their effectiveness. The authors' style is an
interesting mix of scholarship and investigative reporting….I
strongly recommend this book to clinicians and to individuals who
are experiencing symptoms of depression and who want to have a
broader understanding of mental disorders and treatment
options.
*The Behavior Therapist*
Leventhal and Martell take a contrarian position in their
contention that pharmaceutical companies and mental health
professionals have, with little scientific proof, promoted the
notion that depression is a biological disorder best treated with
antidepressant medications. The authors argue that marketing by
drug producers has encouraged the public to accept dubious claims
about antidepressants and has led doctors to prescribe them
excessively. Leventhal and Martell conclude that psychological
therapy is a more effective and safer treatment for anxiety and
depression.
*SciTech Book News*
[T]wo prominent and prestigious clinical psychologists, dissociate
themselves from the nation's mainstream mental health
establishment, and in harsh, no-holds-barred rhetoric, accuse the
medical and psychiatric professions of scandalous, irresponsible,
and duplicitious collusion with the drug industry to promote a
biological disease model of despression, anxiety, and related
disorders requiring costly unnecessary medication validated by
dubious research studies. This book should be required reading for
all potential prescribers of antidepressants and also for all
potential consumers of antidepressants.
*The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease*
[A] brief, tightly reasoned argument about the limitations of the
medical model applied to the explanation and treatment of
depression….This seems to be a crucial time for mental health care,
one in which critical evaluation of our assumptions and models is
much overdue, and psychologists have an obligation as scientist
practitioners to shape understanding of depression. This volume is
a good reminder of the value of our science.
*PsycCRITQUES*
Any college-level health collection, especially those strong in
mental health concerns, must have The Myth of Depression as
Disease: Limitations and Alternatives to Drug Treatment: it goes
where few books so clearly have gone before, arguing that there's
little actual scientific evidence for treating depression as a
biological disorder to be treated with drugs. Indeed, the authors
say, there is very little known about the role of biology in
depression; but marketing by pharmaceutical companies has
perpetuated the myth of chemical imbalance and treatments to
benefit their bottom lines. Therapy is under-explored in contrast,
and should be one of many alternatives to drug therapies: that's
the hard-hitting contention of The Myth of Depression as Disease,
which should earn much classroom discussion as well.
*California Bookwatch*
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