How to Recover from Depression: Why Skills are Better than Pills

Leading depression expert and clinical psychologist Dr Michael Yapko draws on research and shares his insights from 40 years of working with those suffering this common mental health issue. Learn the simple skills that research shows can help you or a loved one to recover - and even prevent depression occurring - in this heartwarming and uplifting speech for the Australian Psychological Society.

A few example skills mentioned:

Realistic hopefulness about the benefits of expending sensible effort
An ability to “reality-test” by asking yourself/others for evidence for your beliefs
An ability to distinguish accurately what is and isn’t within your control
A wide range of social skills that give rise to supportive, healthy relationships
Problem solving skills that generate effective solutions
Positive coping skills for managing stress well
Frustration tolerance to be able to stay with something even when difficult
A tolerance for uncertainty/ambiguity given how much of life is uncertain
An ability to think ahead to prevent problems from arising whenever possible
Developing greater flexibility to explore alternatives when feeling “stuck”
Knowing to get help before things get worse