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Exploring Depression and Beating the Blues: A CBT Self-Help Guide to

Understanding and Coping with Depression in Asperger's Syndrome,: Tony
Attwood and Michelle Garnett. (London: J...

Article in Journal of Disability and Religion · May 2018

DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2018.1447823

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 Journal of Disability & Religion

ISSN: 2331-2521 (Print) 2331-253X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wrdh21

Exploring Depression and Beating the Blues: A CBT

Self-Help Guide to Understanding and Coping with
Depression in Asperger's Syndrome,

Priscilla Sun Kyung Oh

To cite this article: Priscilla Sun Kyung Oh (2018): Exploring Depression and Beating the Blues:
A CBT Self-Help Guide to Understanding and Coping with Depression in Asperger's Syndrome, ,
Journal of Disability & Religion, DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2018.1447823

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23312521.2018.1447823

Published online: 01 May 2018.

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JOURNAL OF DISABILITY & RELIGION
2018, VOL. 0, NO. 0, 1–2

BOOK REVIEW

Exploring Depression and Beating the Blues: A CBT Self-Help Guide to

Understanding and Coping with Depression in Asperger’s Syndrome, Tony
Attwood and Michelle Garnett. (London: Jessica Kingsley, 2016). 270 pp. £13.99.
ISBN: 9781785920608

Depression is one of the most prevalent forms of mental health problems amongst
mid-aged people in the United States and United Kingdom. It is also considered to
be the most common cause of disabilities. When we use the term, ‘depression’, there
is a tendency to equate it with sadness. However, depression is more than a deep feel-
ing of sadness. It manifests itself in various forms and people with depression feel
unable to function normally in everyday life. Depression is also common among those
with Asperger’s Syndrome and has particular features and causes. There are different
forms of experiencing depression for individuals with autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) with continued interference in learning association. For example: certain sen-
sory experiences and feelings of negative emotions can be confusing or overwhelming
for them. The recognition of those subtle emotional obstructions and expressions
for persons with ASD is the key to identify and understand their experience of
depression.
This book is a self-help guide book for individuals with ASD who struggle with
depression, or their families who care for them. Under the umbrella of a range of
psychological therapies, this volume explores two components: the incorporation of
cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) into the Exploring Depression Programme. CBT
offers steps to assess the degree of signs and symptoms associated with depression.
With the use of self-monitoring, CBT also enables people to manage their emotional
condition constructively. The Exploring Depression Programme is identified to be
useful for the final stage of CBT as its guide for a self-help intervention. The users of
the guide book can work through the program independently, with some support
given by health care professionals or family members and friends. The authors recom-
mend the use of this self-help monitoring program, particularly for those who live in
rural areas with less access to clinical health practitioners.
This volume is useful, not just as an intellectual guide for helping people under-
stand depression, rather it encourages participants to try something new each and
every day to progress or overcome depressive symptoms. The Exploring Depression
Programme starts with an assessment section followed by 10 distinct stages: Stage 1,
identify qualities and abilities; Stage 2, understand more about depression; Stage 3,
increase the self-awareness and choose a physical exercise to combat the feeling
depressed; Stage 4, express emotions through arts; Stage 5, explore the value of five
thinking through using a tool box; Stage 6, learn more about social tools; Stage 7,
find out more about relaxation tools; Stage 8, discover other helpful tools or unhelpful
tools; Stage 9, after following each step, learn a self-management about the level of
depression; and Stage 10, review the program. Each level is designed to gain new
insights and to understand more fully how individuals feel depressed and how it is
 2 BOOK REVIEW

that they stay depressed. In particular, a variety of tools are available in an Emotional
Repair Toolbox and include worksheet guides in the later part of the volume.
This volume draws on the latest thinking and strategies for coping with the effects
of depression. It provides a complete and easy step-by-step guide CBT self-help pro-
gram, particularly for those with ASD to explore their understanding of depression,
coping strategies and self-help seeking behavior. This book is user-friendly and offers
a valuable resource for people with ASD experiencing depression, and for their
families.

Priscilla Sun Kyung Oh

PhD. (University of Aberdeen)
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
priscillaoh@outlook.com

© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

https://doi.org/10.1080/23312521.2018.1447823

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