Description

Imagine feeling depressed and drained of energy and initiative while also being overwhelmed with feelings of dread and anxiety about the future. The consequence of this intolerable state of mind amounts to behavioural paralysis, a profound loss of control and quality of life. Therapists call this condition co-occurring depression and anxiety. Clinical research suggests that 60 percent of depression sufferers concurrently experience some kind of anxiety disorder.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, or DBT, begins with the assumption that psychological problems are the result of feeling or emotional responses that are in conflict. It integrates a range of therapeutic techniques to "tease apart" and resolve the competing internal needs and urges that generate anger, depression, and anxiety. By recognising these conflicting emotions and forming new expectations, readers alleviate the symptoms generated by these conflicts.

A proven-effective model that shows how to: Identify symptoms of mixed anxiety and depression, cope with negative and painful emotions, calm your anxious mind, regulate dramatic mood shifts, learn how to soothe yourself, and increase energy and enthusiasm.

About the Author

Thomas Marra, Ph.D., is the president of the Centre for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy in Monterey, California. He is the founder and clinical director of both the Monterey Psychiatric Health Facility and the Monterey Mental Health Network.