Written by: Daniella Marchese
Edited by: Shruti Shaji
Can a book cure your feelings of sadness, loneliness, and loss of interest in life? A lot of people look at the ‘self-help’ section in the bookstore and ask themselves this everyday. With growing talks of mental health, more people are looking for cost effective ways to manage their emotions. However, are these ‘self-help’ books falsely advertising themselves? ‘Self-help’ books are growing popular in the United States and worldwide, but how effective are these books at helping individuals end a depressive episode?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, major depressive disorder is a common mood disorder characterized by “depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in all or nearly all activities for most of the day nearly everyday” for at least 2 weeks (American Psychological Association, 2013, p. 155). People can experience a range of emotions from insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite, feelings of numbness, to social isolation (American Psychological Association, 2013). A common form of treatment for major depressive disorder is psychotherapy, which is a form of therapy in which people talk with a mental health professional about what they are going through. However, many people cannot afford this form of intervention. Instead, many mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health counselors, are starting to write their own books to help others with their mental health. These books include themes such as growth, relationships, coping, and identity (Bergsma, 2007).
According to Linda Cambell, a member of the board of directors of the American Psychological Association, and Thomas Smith, a professor at the University of Scranton, self-help books can make a positive impact on people with major depressive disorder; a new form of therapy, ‘bibliotherapy’, was even created for this purpose (2003). Self-help books offer the hope of improvement, especially for those who struggle with major depressive disorder. Bergsma suggests that the “belief that one can improve is a powerful factor in actual improvement” (Bergsma, 2007). However, Cambell and Smith also argue that in many cases, bibliotherapy alone may not be enough to “promote success” (2003). They found that many therapists agree that bibliotherapy works very well in conjunction with a more formal treatment, such as psychotherapy. With major depressive disorder, many people may feel hopeless, like everything keeps getting worse, like there is no end. However, self-help books offer hope and ways to improve yourself in many different aspects. There are many different goals of self-help books, from coping skills, to building identity, to learning how to communicate, and learning about yourself. Self-help books have proven to reduce depressive symptoms according to multiple studies, as highlighted by psychologists at psychologists from the University of Torino and the Institute of Psychiatry in Italy in a literature review of the effectiveness of bibliotherapy for treating depression (Gualano et al., 2017). They found that bibliotherapy has shown long term positive effects of bibliotherapy across ten studies, with six of them showing significant improvement in adult symptoms and less significant improvements among adolescents. Self-help books are a promising addition to treating major depressive disorder.
Still, how effective are these books according to mental health professionals? Bergsma, a psychology researcher who focuses on happiness and positive self-management, suggests that further division can be done with the broader themes of self-help books; more specific sub-topics could include “problem-focused or group-focused” and “theory-guided or eclectic” in order to further prove their effectiveness, in which he found problem-focused self-help books to be beneficial for some, but not the most effective way for psychology experts to reach their target audience (p 346, 2007). Cambell and Smith conducted a survey with psychologists on their opinions of whether or not they would recommend self-help books during psychotherapy (2003). They found that self help books were most often recommended to “enlighten/increase awareness” and to “reinforce specific point(s) or strategies worked on in a session” (Cambell & Smith, 2003). They also found that recommending self help books was least effective in encouraging their clients to “engage in more social activity” and in “[reducing] the number of sessions” (Cambell & Smith, 2003).
Although research has found many positive effects of self-help books in helping people learn about themselves and improve, these books are still lacking. For example, an important aspect of therapy is the “relationship between the client and the therapist.” Yet this is missing entirely from this form of treatment (Cambell & Smith, 2003). Here are some important considerations to take into account when it comes to self-help books. If you are feeling down, depressed, hopeless, losing interest in daily activities, or think you may be a person with major depressive disorder, you should always speak to a professional. If you are considering reading a self-help book, Bergsma recommends looking through the Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health by John Norcross (2007). This book discusses different forms of self-help and discourages readers from using certain sources for self-help. These recommendations were made by psychologists. Although the book may be outdated, being that it was published in 2003, there are still helpful considerations to take into account when choosing self-help sources. Although buying a book can be much less expensive than attending therapy, mental health is very important and investing in mental health can be very beneficial in the long run.
Self-help books are growing in popularity and are widely accessible. They may be a useful tool, but results depend on the reader and their willingness to put in the effort. Bibliotherapy isn’t only about reading the content, but also about applying it. They are a great resource for learning about yourself, improving your everyday life, and growing as a person. Still, when going to the bookstore and looking through the self-help books, it is important to remember that if you are a person with major depressive disorder, you should always seek a mental health professional first.
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (5th ed).
Bergsma, A. (2007). Do self-help books help? Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(3), 341–360.
Campbell, L. F., & Smith, T. P. (2003). Integrating self-help books into psychotherapy. Journal
of Clinical Psychology, 59(2), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10140
Gualano MR, Bert F, Martorana M, Voglino G, Andriolo V, Thomas R, Gramaglia C, Zeppegno
P, Siliquini R. The long-term effects of bibliotherapy in depression treatment: Systematic
review of randomized clinical trials. Clin Psychol Rev. 2017 Dec;58:49-58. doi:
10.1016/j.cpr.2017.09.006. Epub 2017 Sep 29. PMID: 28993103.
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