If you are suffering from depression, it is really difficult to want to make changes in your life that you feel mentally and emotionally unable to make. You want to move ahead, but you just can't. You can't get out of bed. You can't get out of your job. You can't get out of your relationship. You can't get out of the "box" your life has become.

This year you should forget about making idealistic lists of things you want to accomplish as New Year's resolutions. What you should do instead is try to get a handle on your depression before you move on to any other monumental life tasks.

The Top 5 List...

1. Depression for Dummies
by Laura L. Smith, Charles H. Elliott

I love to recommend this book to people just being introduced to depression. It's a very easy read but it is chock full of information that you would find on the net and in any other depression reference book. If you would like to learn about symptoms, types of depression, management techniques, prescription medication etc. then this is the book for you.

2. The Freedom From Depression Workbook (Minirth Meier New Life Clinic Series)
by Les Carter, Frank, M.D. Minirth, Les, Ph.D. Carter, Frank B. Minirth

I love workbooks. I think all self-help and health & fitness books should be workbooks. When people want to make changes, they shouldn't just read a book from cover to cover. Exercises in workbooks really make you think about things and breakthroughs are much easier to come by once you've scribbled down a few thoughts in a workbook.

3.What to Do When Someone You Love Is Depressed
by Mitch Golant, Susan K. Golant

This book always makes my top lists, because living and loving someone who is depressed whether it is your parent, sibling, husband or wife, is extremely mentally exhausting. There are those days when you just want to say "snap out of it!". There are days that you just want to cry. There are days when you wish that you didn't have to deal with this at all. If this sounds familiar then this book is for you. Learn some coping techniques etc.

4. Hand-Me-Down Blues: How to Stop Depression from Spreading in Families
by Michael D., Ph.D. Yapko

This book isn't for everyone - but I think it is important enough to make the list for people who are raising children. Although there is a mixed bag of biological and environmental factors in having depression, there are things that you can do on both ends to stop this disorder from devastating an entire generation of your family members.

5. Listening to Prozac
by Peter D. Kramer

This book was written in 1993, but is a very important one to read, because if you ever find yourself suffering from clinical depression your physician and/or therapist will probably ask you if you want to take an antidepressant. This book is a good starting place in helping you develop your stance on medication. The book cites good examples and some startling (negative) examples of prescribing antidepressants like Prozac to patients.

Lisa Angelettie is an author, counselor, & coach on mental health, relationship, and other life issues for women. You can also visit her at http://www.girlshrink.com Please visit us for more discussion on this topic in the depression forum to talk about it further. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for topics in the news, new articles, website & book reviews, and other useful depression resources. Subscribe below.