Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

book by David D. Burns

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy is a book written by David D. Burns. It was published in 1980. This book made cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) popular.[1]

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
AuthorDavid D. Burns
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
SubjectCognitive therapy
PublisherWilliam Morrow and Company
Publication date
1980
ISBN0-688-03633-3

Origins of the book change

Feeling Good was written as the author was unhappy of normal depression treatments. Burns's mentor, Dr. Aaron T. Beck found no evidence that psychoanalysis is effective in treating depression. A Greek philosopher named Epictetus said that people are disturbed not by things but by the way we think about them. This forms the current theory that negative feelings such as depression and anxiety are triggered by thoughts.

Popularity change

Four million copies of the book was sold in the United States. It has also been published in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Yugoslavia and many other countries. It was named one of the top ten behavioral science books of 1980 by the journal Behavioral Medicine. The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Books published by Guilford Press in 1994 mentioned Feeling Good. The book was the top book recommended by American psychologists and psychiatrists to depressed patients. The book was also mentioned in 50 Psychology Classics (2006) by Tom Butler-Bowdon.[2]

Benefits of bibliotherapy change

Six different studies suggests that Feeling Good is a personal guide to bibliotherapy. The therapy is very helpful in treating depression.[3]

One of the studies was conducted with older adults with mild to moderate depression. The reading of Feeling Good was an effective treatment for them.[4]

Judith S. Beck Cognitive Therapy recommends the book as an easy CBT guide for patients.[5]

References change

  1. "History of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy". National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  2. Butler-Bowdon, T.,'Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy' Archived 2014-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, in 50 Psychology Classics (Nicholas Brealey, 2006).
  3. Anderson, L.; Lewis, G.; Araya, R.; Elgie, R.; Harrison, G.; Proudfoot, J. (2005-05-01). "Self-help books for depression: how can practitioners and patients make the right choice?". British Journal of General Practice. 55 (514): 387–392. PMC 1463163. PMID 15904559.
  4. Scogin, F; Jamison, C; Gochneaur, K (1989). "Comparative efficacy of cognitive and behavioral bibliotherapy for mildly and moderately depressed older adults". J Consult Clin Psychol. 57 (3): 403–7. doi:10.1037/0022-006x.57.3.403. PMID 2738212.
  5. Beck. Judith S. (1995). Cognitive therapy: basics and beyond. p. 41. ISBN 0-89862-847-4.