Nick Krasner - The Depression Doctor: 10 Simple Paths to Happiness

Published by New Generation Publishing in 2012

Copyright Dr Nick Krasner 2012

First Edition

The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Read this disclaimer.

The material within is based on my observations and experience. This book is not here to treat your depression but to give you help in understanding it and a structure that may help day to day life and options to discuss with your doctor. Though I believe it to be helpful in the management of depression it is not a substitute for medical help. Anyone who feels that they may be suffering from a mental illness needs to be assessed by their doctor.
The suggested plans of action should also be discussed with a professional such as a doctor or psychologist. If at any time your symptoms worsen then you need to contact your doctor or other health provider.

For further information, freebies and contact

www.Thedepressiondoctor.com
www.drnickkrasner.com
twitter.com/DrNickKrasner

www.newgeneration-publishing.com

eISBN 9781909593831

With thanks to:

Niloo Savis, Paddy Navin, Joe Bridge, Anthony Bielinsohn, David Turner, Zana morris, Angie montout and my family.

I have a passion for treating depression. This comes from being involved in thousands of cases of depression as a doctor and because I have suffered from it too. In the UK the family doctor deals with 80 to 90 percent of all cases of depression*. Therefore as a family doctor I believe that we are the true experts of the condition especially when it is mild to moderate in severity.

My passion and expertise is fuelled by the fact that many individuals that overcome depression often became more understanding, grateful, kind and focused. In effect, however horrible depression is, it can be the catalyst in creating a great life. I have in fact heard of the term endarkenment, which suggests that entering into our dark spaces can be as revealing and educational as learning about our positive sides and enlightenment. This does not mean that we should become depressed deliberately, but it perhaps has a more positive function than we may at first understand. The rates of depression are so high** that one could reasonably suggest that certain levels of depressive symptoms are a normal human experience. This means it does not need to be demonized or hidden, rather we all need to work on our mental fitness in the same way we focus on our physical well being.

When I started writing this book, I had a plan. Not just to help those with depression in overcoming the condition. I wanted to teach how to maintain good mental fitness and clarity, better than before the suffering began. In other words, my aim has been to create a way to transit from depression into a happy life.

In order to achieve this I had major questions to answer. Are all depressions the same? Is the same plan for all patients likely to work, or do we need to be more specific? Are there patterns in individuals that are more likely to respond to one plan or another? Should we just use tablets or current psychological processes or are there other helpful options available?

The more I spoke with patients, the greater my conviction became that there were different types of the condition. Some depressions appeared to be more conscious based, whilst others were more subconscious in their evolution. Some depressions had a chemical cause and others were due to a lack of essential requirements. Even the ability of people to say or hear yes or no had an impact on their mental health. I plotted these and suggested a plan that was tailored to their needs. There were 10 individual classes of depression and 10 different frameworks to finding happiness. I used many available options from the worlds of medicine, psychology, spirituality and life.

I knew I was onto something when my patients were telling me that they understood their condition for the first time. They also were finding that were getting better.

Before we continue, we need some housekeeping rules. Though this book is developed to teach you about depression, mental fitness and to make you responsible for your condition, it is NOT a substitute for professional help. If you think you may have depression then you MUST SEE YOUR DOCTOR. If having read this book, you wish to change your management plan then this has to be discussed with your psychotherapist or doctor first. If you have severe symptoms of helplessness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts or anger, then you need to contact the emergency services as soon as possible. This may be your doctor, the Samaritans, The hospital or your psychiatrist.

My work has been mainly with those suffering from mild to moderate depression. I do believe there is much in this book for severe depressions, but their condition may need to improve first.

Another point I wish to expand on is that this book has been written anecdotally. As a scientist I am aware that further research in the future will be beneficial. However, the book sheds light on what we already know and looks at the well-known issue from a different angle. Many of the processes suggested have been studied greatly.

I do believe that however low, and for however long you have suffered depression, you can get better. Let me know how you get on at and find more information on:

www.thedepressiondoctor.com

www.drnickkrasner.com

Good luck

Dr Nick.

Dr Nick Krasner.

*49 out of 1000 patients who consulted doctor and had symptoms of depression are not recognized as depressed, mainly because they consulted for physical problems (Kisely et al 1995). Of those patients recognized to have depression only 1 in 4 or 5 are referred to secondary care (psychiatrist or psychotherapist) (Goldberg and Huxley, 1980) - this information is from Depression: management of depression in primary and secondary care national collaborating centre for mental health 2.6.1.

10 simple paths to happiness has been created, in order to increase the understanding, the diagnosis, the grading, and the treatment of depression. It does this by re-categorizing depression into 10 new classes. This is The Krasner Classification of Depression, also known as The KCD.

To discover your class and then severity, you can complete The KCD Questionnaire at the start of this book. Once you have completed it, all will be explained in the following chapters. You will learn all the tools necessary, from understanding your depression to loving your life.

Answer the questions below to discover which of the 10 groups you may belong to. Then enter your results in the table below, to reveal your class or classes of The KCD.