Challenging Depression & Despair: A Medication-Free, Self-Help Programme That Will Change Your Life (23 page)

GREAT WORKS OF FICTION

If you choose a great work of fiction, you may be interested to learn more about the science on the healing power of books. You can find out on the website of the wonderful Reader Organisation, which organises events and reading groups and publicises the latest research.
²
Studies show that reading can cure depression, loneliness and anxiety. An estimated 50% of libraries across the UK are now operating a bibliotherapy scheme, or can put you in touch with a local club or group that meets up regularly to appreciate cracking reads. But whether you choose to delve into great fiction alone or with other people, good books can move your mind.

If you can’t think of a great book to try, choose one of the following 20 titles – with a pin if you have never heard of any of them. I compiled the list by asking researchers and librarians for their recommendations for uplifting books, and by asking people who have experienced depression for books that they themselves found illuminating and life-affirming. The titles chosen aren’t saccharine and they may not be funny. But they are powerful, can place you in another world and take you on an emotional journey away from the stillness of despair.

84 Charing Cross Road,
Helene Hanff

A Christmas Carol,
Charles Dickens

Cold Comfort Farm,
Stella Gibbons

Empire of the Sun,
J. G. Ballard

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe,
Fannie Flagg

Good Grief,
Lolly Winston

Jonathan Livingston Seagull,
Richard Bach

Like Water for Chocolate,
Laura Esquivel

Pride and Prejudice,
Jane Austen

Puckoon,
Spike Milligan

The Color Purple,
Alice Walker

The Darling Buds of May,
H. E. Bates

The History of Mr Polly,
H. G. Wells

The Life and Loves of a She Devil,
Fay Weldon

The River Why, David James
Duncan

The Road Home,
Rose Tremain

The Secret Magdalene,
Ki Longfellow

Walden,
Henry David Thoreau

Water for Elephants,
Sarah Gruen

Why the Whales Came,
Michael Morpurgo

When you have read your chosen book, consider the psychological adventure that it has taken you on and answer the following questions.

Book questionnaire

1
Did you feel a kinship with the leading character(s)?

2
What effect did this have on your emotional involvement?

3
Did the character(s) change or develop as a result of what happens?

4
How did the writer manage to involve your feelings?

5
Did you want to know what happened before you reached the ending?

6
Did the ordeals of the people in the story affect you?

7
What did they learn? What did you learn?

8
What was the climax of the story?

9
Did the ending leave you feeling satisfied, or would you have done it differently?

10
Suggest how the book might have been different if you had written it.

11
Would it have made any difference if the character(s) had given up?

12
Did the book move you off the despair spot?

CLASSICS OF THE CINEMA

If you choose a cinematic masterpiece and don’t have a film in mind, you can watch one of the following
that you have not already seen
. They are not all to everyone’s taste, because we are all different and we could all argue for months about which movies you should watch. But each of these is challenging, each will make you think and each will make you feel.

•
Gladiator
– the story of an enslaved Roman general who defies an empire, starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, directed by Ridley Scott.
 

•
Gaslight
– the story of a woman driven to doubt her own sanity by her evil husband, starring Ingrid Bergman and James Mason, directed by George Cukor.
 

•
Amadeus
– musical genius Mozart is ‘murdered’ by his rival Salieri, starring F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce, directed by Milos Forman.
 

•
The Shootist
– the redemption of a dying gunslinger starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, directed by Don Siegel.
 

•
Lawrence of Arabia
– the epic tragic tale of T. E. Lawrence, starring Peter O’Toole, directed by David Lean.
 

•
Brief Encounter
– the story of two happily married people swept away by unfamiliar passion, starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, directed by David Lean.
 

•
Midnight Cowboy
– the story of a young Texan trying to set up as a stud, starring John Voight and Dustin Hoffman, directed by John Schlesinger.

•
Rainman
– a heartless young man is taken on a journey of discovery by his autistic brother, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, directed by Barry Levinson.
 

•
Babe
– the story of a pig who thinks he’s a sheepdog, starring James Cromwell, directed by Chris Noonan.

Movie questionnaire

1
Did you feel a kinship with the leading character(s)?

2
What effect did this have on your emotional involvement and why?

3
Did the character(s) change or develop as a result of what happens?

4
Did the music make any difference to your involvement?

5
How did the actors and the director manage to reach your feelings?

6
As you watched, did you ‘want to know what happens in the end’?

7
Did the ordeals of those in the story remind you of your life?

8
What did they learn? What did you learn?

9
What was the climax of the movie?

10
Were you satisfied with the plot and the ending?

11
How did the movie leave you feeling, and why?

12
Did it move you off the despair spot?

WHAT PANEL MEMBERS THOUGHT

George

‘I chose the movie challenge and saw
Amadeus
. I’m not into classical music at all so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It knocked me out – the music, the acting, the ending. I wouldn’t say the ending was uplifting exactly: it made you angry if anything because it was so shocking. But I forgot all about my own problems and maybe that was the object of the exercise.’

Maggie

‘This was magical. I enjoyed my book,
Cold Comfort Farm,
and I enjoyed my piece of music, which was the Mozart
Mass
. Thank you. Yes, we
can
change our moods. The problem is persuading ourselves to actually do it. Depressives tend to, as you say, sit and sit. We need to sit and
enjoy
.’

Barbara

‘I didn’t want to do any of this. But the fact that you have a choice was the thing that made me think. I’ve never listened to classical music and I’d never read any of the books on the list. I chose Michael Morpurgo’s
Why the Whales Came
and I
really
enjoyed it. It reminded me of my own childhood and how I used to be before I was like this. Yes, I should read more – you make out you don’t have the time, but you should make time for yourself. Our local library has a book group now as well so there’s no excuse. I also watched
Babe
just because my son liked it. A wonderful film. It cheers you up – my eyes were watering.’

Adrian

‘This was the best challenge for me because I liked all the subject areas. The book I chose,
Walden
, was difficult to get hold of, but I eventually got a second-hand copy from Amazon for a couple of quid. This is a genuine transformation book. I think Thoreau cheated because he really lived by the pond for two years rather than one and took his washing home to his mother, but this is a book that stays with you. It makes you look at everything more carefully – even mosquitoes. I’m sure Thoreau knew what it’s like to suffer from depression and I respect the way he made himself “go beyond”. Yes, it makes sense for us to do these arts challenges and I think anyone who says he is depressed but won’t try them is missing out.’

Katey

‘Well, this was different, right! On the music front I like modern not classical, so I asked which ones were short. I listened to
Hall of the Mountain King.
It gets louder and louder and you can imagine the old goblins and trolls jumping about. Did it make me feel different? A bit, I suppose. Fair enough, it’s only short. The movies seemed to be mostly for men, so I had to pick a black and white,
Gaslight
. I could relate to that though, the way James Mason manipulates his wife by playing mental tricks on her, pretending she’s lost his mother’s jewellery when he’s hidden it. Wicked bastard. Yes, people do that. I’ve seen it. They better not do it to me.’

Charlotte

‘I absolutely loved
Gladiator
. I cheated because I had seen it before, but when you watch it you want to get out of your seat and cheer. Yes, it moves you off the spot. How could anyone watch it and not feel that? Plus Russell Crowe – can’t be bad.’

Philip

‘I love movies but as I was asked to pick one I’d never seen, I tried
Rainman
. When I’d watched it I rang my own brother up. That’s it. You put me bang to rights. How? Well, I don’t talk to him and I talked to him.’

NOTES

1
. For a brief summary see my book
The Truth About Stress.
Grove Atlantic, pp. 374–7.

2
. http://events.thereader.org.uk/get-into-reading-the-reading-cure.html