Blog Posts by Dr. Gary Nelson

New Book on Teen DepressionThis past weekend it was a treat for me to sit in the movie theater with my entire family (wife, son, daughter and their significant others) as we were entertained by the ramblings and rumblings of THE HULK! Yet, as I followed the antics of Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk) I couldn't help but be reminded of the many teens and adults who had visited my pastoral counseling office with stories of similar "transformations." Bruce Banner was propelled into his rage attacks by an overdose of gamma radiation and some external stimuli. "You won't like me when I'm angry," he kept telling his agitators. However, the teens and adults I'm reminded of were propelled into their rage attacks by some external stimuli along with something like clinical depression or bipolar disorder (the new name for manic-depression). I often find that Hollywood imitates reality. We just always aren't aware of what reality Hollywood is trying to imitate or portray. The Hulk graphically portrays what it's like for many

Check out this great new book by Sue Scheff, "Wit's End." It's an amazing story of tragedy and triumph. Sue and her daughter, Ashlyn, are to be commended for sharing their stories and making such valiant efforts to help other struggling teens and their families. I recommend this incredibly helpful book to families with teens who need residential care. For more information on the book see either of these websites:http://www.witsendbook.com
http://www.helpyourteens.comYou can also check out my book, "A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression," at: http://www.survivingteendepression.com

Surviving Teen Depression

EXCERPT FROM -

A RELENTLESS HOPE: SURVIVING THE STORM OF TEEN DEPRESSION

By Gary E. Nelson, published by Cascade Books

CHAPTER 2 - LOOKING AT TEEN DEPRESSION FROM THE "INSIDE"

Irritability and reactive anger, even rage, are part of the struggle for many depressed youth. It feels like more little things bother them, and bigger things bother them even more. In other words, little things that another might shrug off and say, "What's the big deal?" register as irritation on the screen of the depressed teen. In some ways the depressed teen feels very little. They're numb. In other ways they feel too much.

Remember the last outing to the beach when you spent too much time having fun in the sun and baked yourself to a crisp? You went inside, showered, and changed. Then, that first moment you stepped back into the sun you experienced a real awakening. Gentle sunlight fell upon your skin. Normally you might welcome it as a comfortable experience. Now, with freshly