Reaching for Hope

Do you feel despair and hopelessness even when you are doing the things that used to bring you joy? Do even little tasks, like making dinner, seem overwhelming? Instead of feeling the familiar comfort of the Spirit when you pray, does it seem as if your prayers are hitting a lead ceiling that is covering your head? If you are experiencing these or similar feelings, you may be suffering from depression. The World Health Organization ranks depression as the number one health problem for women today and projects that by the year 2020 it will be the number two health problem for people in general. In Reaching for Hope: An LDS Perspective on Recovering from Depression you will learn how to recognize depression in yourself or a loved one and how to begin healing. Written from a uniquely LDS point of view, this informative and inspirational book offers important clinical information for dealing with the disease, including an overview of the symptoms of depression and suggestions for choosing a therapist, considering the use of medication, and finding hope to move forward—one step at a time. In addition, it explores the spiritual healing that is essential to overcoming depression, showing how we can use the atonement of our Savior to help us forgive, heal, and move forward. Reaching for Hope offers much-needed information and support for family members, friends, and church leaders. It includes special insights for bishops that may help them understand what a depressed person is experiencing and how this physical brain illness may manifest itself emotionally and affect the person's feelings of spirituality and personal worthiness. If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, this book will not only help you understand and cope with the illness, it will help you look forward with hope to healing.