Books to help depressed 21 year old son

[Anonymous]

My son, 21, seems to have inherited my family's depression gene. He doesn't want to seek therapy and it's not at the stage of needing medication. But he's open to reading books about how the brain works, mental health, maybe some philosophical books about how to live a happy life, that kind of thing. Not fiction, but books based on science. Any recommendations? (Pls don't suggest therapy or drugs, I already know about those routes and he's not interested.)

[Anonymous]

I really liked books by Wayne Dyer when I was in my twenties and figuring things out.

[Anonymous]

Would he be interested in reading books about mindfulness? I don’t have one to recommend, unfortunately, but it is evidence based and he might like to read about how it affects the brain.

[Anonymous]

I was in an online lecture with this guy and ordered book for my midlife brother but is for all adult ages
https://a.co/d/75Soi6e

[Anonymous]

Link to book “Healing the Mind through the Power of Story” narrative therapy of sorts

[Anonymous]

Also nature and exercise are proven impactful for low level depression in conjunction with other methods

[Anonymous]

Dr Laurie Santos, a Yale Professor, has free courses one podcasts. Her course at Yale has been their most popular class for a few years.

https://www.drlauriesantos.com/


This may or may not interest him, but The Artist’s Way is a potentially life changing program, with daily and weekly activities and readings. It’s not science based, but does involve activities that can lead to positive changes and a happier life.


https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252

[Anonymous]

It's a risky suggestion in some ways, because it's trendy right now among people who aren't doing a good job of teaching it, but he might want to think about Stoicism. It's got a lot in common with CBT. If he's unwilling to do therapy it might be helpful in getting some of those concepts in his brain, and the central insights, especially the dichotomy of control are helpful. That said you want to be careful, a lot of what's out there right now is garbage. Massimo Pigliucci's Think Like a Stoic is a good contemporary introduction, and the primary sources are good too. A lot of people find Marcus Aurelius's Meditations helpful, and Epictetus's Enchiridion is great too.

[Anonymous]

Would he be open to a self-guided online program?

Primal Trust helps people recover from chronic illness by lowering the volume on the nervous system, and then doing work on values based living, breaking patterns of unhelpful thoughts and behavior.

[Anonymous]

Tell him to get 2 jobs, he won’t have time to be depressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell him to get 2 jobs, he won’t have time to be depressed.

Does that method also work for bi-polar disorder, autism, schizophrenia, narcissism and other conditions?

No. So feck off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a risky suggestion in some ways, because it's trendy right now among people who aren't doing a good job of teaching it, but he might want to think about Stoicism. It's got a lot in common with CBT. If he's unwilling to do therapy it might be helpful in getting some of those concepts in his brain, and the central insights, especially the dichotomy of control are helpful. That said you want to be careful, a lot of what's out there right now is garbage. Massimo Pigliucci's Think Like a Stoic is a good contemporary introduction, and the primary sources are good too. A lot of people find Marcus Aurelius's Meditations helpful, and Epictetus's Enchiridion is great too.

Oh interesting, thanks!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for those suggestions. What about books less obviously about mental health and more about the brain? My son is intellectually curious. I'm thinking, for example, of book like *Flow* and *Thinking Fast and Slow* and *Dopamine Nation.*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son, 21, seems to have inherited my family's depression gene. He doesn't want to seek therapy and it's not at the stage of needing medication. But he's open to reading books about how the brain works, mental health, maybe some philosophical books about how to live a happy life, that kind of thing. Not fiction, but books based on science. Any recommendations? (Pls don't suggest therapy or drugs, I already know about those routes and he's not interested.)

I read this when I was about 20/21 on the recommendation of a friend a similar age that was in therapy. I’m sure it’s needed now more than ever with social media:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96888.Happiness_Is_a_Serious_Problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for those suggestions. What about books less obviously about mental health and more about the brain? My son is intellectually curious. I'm thinking, for example, of book like *Flow* and *Thinking Fast and Slow* and *Dopamine Nation.*

The Body Keeps the Score is fascinating, and discusses the balance between the brain, body, and mind. I also have a genetic predisposition to depression, and I have always been interested in how physical activity impacts brain function.

https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor