ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO DEPRESSION

ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO DEPRESSION
American Medical Association
New York: Pocket Books, 1998
238 pages, paperback, $14
ISBN 0-671-01016-6

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

Recognition of the link between troubled sleep and a troubled mind goes back to ancient times. Sleep problems often bring persons with depression to the doctor's office.

Some complain of trouble falling asleep. Some sleep fitfully, awakening often. Some awaken earlier than desired and can't get back to sleep. Others sleep much longer than usual, yet do not feel well rested. Persons with mania may go for days with just a few hours of sleep.

This book, one of a series of consumer guides published by the American Medical Association, provides a concise overview of depression. It includes a nice survey of sleep and biological rhythms, noting the growing belief by many scientists that problems with the biological mechanisms that regulate sleep may be a cause of depression. Better understanding of such disorders, it suggests, may provide new clues to effective treatment.

Depressed persons, for example, get less deep sleep than healthy persons, a fact that may underlie the frequently reported symptom of tiredness and lethargy. Going without sleep for one night often provides a striking, if temporary, improvement. Treatments that improve sleep may ease depression. Beyond medications, the book suggests strategies to regularize the biological clock, such as getting up and going to bed at the same time each day, and eating meals at set times.

Although sleep is not the prime focus of this book, it is a prominent theme. Readers who have depression, or who have family members with the disorder, will find this a useful guide to current thinking. The book includes resources for further information, including e-mail addresses for organizations and services.