Here is the introduction:
It's no surprise that America, land of second chances, fabled site of self-invention, also harbors an endless appetite for self-help. From Poor Richard to Dale Carnegie to Tony Robbins, we love the idea that we can fix what's broken by ourselves, without the expensive ministrations of doctor or shrink. The limits of HMOs, and the limitlessness of the Internet, have lately made self-help even more appealing: Americans spent $563 million on self-help books last year, and surfed more than 12,000 Web sites devoted to mental health. An estimated 40% of all health-related Internet inquiries are on mental health topics, and depression is the number one most researched illness on the Web.
In the spirit of pioneers, we're concocting our own remedies and salving our own wounds. But is it good medicine? Once the preserve of charlatans and psychobabblers, self-help has undergone its own reinvention, emerging as a source of useful information presented by acknowledged authorities. That's not to say snake oil isn't still for sale. Often, the messages of self-help books tend to be vast oversimplifications, misrepresenting a part of the truth for the whole, as the following list of popular misconceptions and distortions demonstrates.
The antidote -- the "good" kind of self-help, grounded in research -- is also available to those who help themselves. Just keep in mind that even the best self-help may be too simplistic to manage complex problems, and that research, with its emphasis on straight science, may not always offer a clear course of action.
And here are the five distortions they attack.
1) Vent your anger, and it'll go away.
2) When you're down in the dumps, think yourself happy by focusing on the positive.
3) Visualize your goal, and you'll help make it come true.
4) Self-affirmations will help you rinse low self-esteem.
5) "Active listening" can help you communicate better with your partner.
You'll have to go to the article to see why these are distortions, what the research says, and what they recommend.
They conclude the article with a list of resources:
THE BEST SELF-HELP BOOKS
GENERAL RESOURCES
The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health By John C. Norcross, Linda Frye Campbell and Thomas P. Smith (Guilford, 2000)
THE BEST SELF-HELP AND SELF-AWARENESS BOOKS:
A Topic-by-Topic Guide to Quality Information By Stephen B. Fried and G. Ann Schultis (American Library Association, 1995)
Caring for the Mind: The Comprehensive Guide to Mental Health By Dianne and Robert Hales (Bantam, 1995)
RESOURCES ON ANXIETY
An End to Panic: Breakthrough Techniques for Overcoming Panic Disorder By Elke Zuercher-White (New Harbinger Publications, 1998)
Anxiety & Depression: The Best Resources to Help You Cope Edited By Rich Wemhoff (Resource Pathways, 1998)
RESOURCES ON DEPRESSION
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy By David D. Burns (Avon, 1992)
Understanding Depression: A Complete Guide to Its Diagnosis and Treatment By Donald F. Klein, M.D., and Paul H.Wender, M.D. (Oxford University Press, 1993)
SELF-HELP RESOURCES ON OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Getting Control: Overcoming Your Obsessions and Compulsions By Lee Baler (Plume, 1992)
The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder By Bruce M. Hyman and Cherry Pedrick (New Harbinger Publications, 1999)
RESOURCES FOR TRAUMA AND PTSD
Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder By Carolyn Simpson and Dwain Simpson (Rosen Publishing Group, 1997)
Coping with Trauma: A Guide to Self-Understanding By Jon G. Allen (American Psychiatric Press, 1995)
* * * *
THE BEST SELF-HELP WEBSITES
GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED WEB SITES:
Knowledge Exchange Network (operated by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Center for Mental Health Services) www.mentalhealth.org
eNational Center for PTSD (operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) www.dartmouth. edu/dms/ptsd
eNational Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov
NON-PROFIT SITES
eAmerican Psychiatric Association www.psych.org
Anxiety Disorders Association of America www.adaa.org
The Help Center of the American Psychological Association www.helping.apa.org
The International Society for Mental Health Online www.ismho.org
eNational Alliance for the Mentally III www.nami.org
National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association www.ndmda.org
COMMERCIAL WEB SITES
Online Psych www.onlinepsych.com
eBasic Information www.realpsychology.com
eSelf-Help and Psychology Magazine www.shpm.com
I'm a little out of touch with Psychology Today magazine, but I tend to be a little wary of their recommendations. There are ideas dear to them, that fit in with the readership they've galvinized, they can barely help to wish to promote.
ReplyDeleteMany times their self-help articles are simplifications that make for attention-getting front-cover blurbs.
Also, I find it curious that the self-help books that are recommended are all from the 20th Century when so very much has been learned about anxiety and depression, etc., in the last five and a half years.
Nonetheless, the advice sounds good. But I expect that most people pretty much know how much credence to give to any self-help book they buy. The buck-you-up books, filled with friendly aphorisms, aren't taken too seriously.