Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy is a book written by David D. Burns. It was published in 1980. This book made cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) popular.

Origins of the book
Feeling Good was written as the author was unhappy of normal depression treatments. Burns's mentor, Dr. Aaron T. Beck  found no evidence that psychoanalysis is effective in treating depression. A Greek philosopher named Epictetus said that people are disturbed not by things but by the way we think about them. This forms the current theory that negative feelings such as depression and anxiety are triggered by thoughts.

Popularity
Four million copies of the book was sold in the United States. It has also been published in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Yugoslavia and many other countries. It was named one of the top ten behavioral science books of 1980 by the journal Behavioral Medicine. The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Books published by Guilford Press in 1994 mentioned Feeling Good. The book was the top book recommended by American psychologists and psychiatrists to depressed patients. The book was also mentioned in 50 Psychology Classics (2006) by Tom Butler-Bowdon.Butler-Bowdon, T.,'Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy' , in 50 Psychology Classics (Nicholas Brealey, 2006).

Benefits of bibliotherapy
Six different studies suggests that Feeling Good is a personal guide to  bibliotherapy. The therapy is very helpful in treating depression.  

One of the studies was conducted with older adults with mild to moderate depression. The reading of Feeling Good was an effective treatment for them.

Judith S. Beck Cognitive Therapy recommends the book as an easy CBT guide for patients.

References

Category:1980 books
Category:Psychology