The Depression Cure

There has been a lot of media chatter recently around The Depression Cure by Stephen Ilardi -- outside of the health press it has also been featured in the Guardian, attracting the kind of social media attention most authors dream about.

It seems quite a simple premise, instead of prescription (and presumable, non-prescription) drugs and apparently consists of six steps:

• Take 1,500mg of omega-3 daily (in the form of fish oil capsules), with a multivitamin and 500mg vitamin C.
• Don't dwell on negative thoughts – instead of ruminating start an activity; even conversation counts.
•  Exercise for 90 minutes a week.
• Get 15-30 minutes of sunlight each morning in the summer. In the winter, consider using a lightbox.
• Be sociable.
• Get eight hours of sleep

The advice is I have no problem with.  So far, it all sounds like most traditional common-sense approaches.  But I am wondering is what content the rest of the book has to warrant buying it, since you can get the six steps for nothing.  Is there a wealth of case studies, testing these methods on people for whom drugs haven't worked?  As Steve Ilardi is a clinical psychologist, one would hope so.

The author also apprently blames the 21st century lifestyle for an increase in depression.  Conversely, he also encourages people to be more sociable.  I would argue that social media makes us more social, not less.  Social media connects us -- you can share with friends events you are attending, invite a wide and varied list of people to events you are organising yourself, keep up to date with bands you like.  Your circle of friends can now be truly international. 

When I was growing up, if your best friend moved to another school it may as well have been to another country.  If they moved to another country, odds were good you would never seem them again.  Not only has modern technology helped us to make friendships with people physically removed from ourselves, but it helps us to maintain friendships with people we can't necessarily see.

How's that for social interactiveness?  Sure, emails or Facebook messages or Twitter conversations might not be as good as actually seeing someone, but I would argue that they should not be discounted.  To my mind, social media can tick off at least two points on Ilardi's list -- it can give you an activity, and it is social.  Plus if you have a laptop, iPad or smart phone you can tick a third off -- and go outside with it.

Just because I am a social media junkie, and because the subject interests me, I am going to give it a go myself.  And if Vermilion would like to give me a copy of the book I will even review that -- because I'm a generous kind of guy.