BY BEV AISBETT, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR

Written by a patient for patients from a patient’s point of view, Bev Aisbett’s little book provides the tools in dealing with panic with the aid of her inimitable cartoons. Her follow-up books – Living It Up and Letting It Go – are presented in the same cartoon style and act as a guide to the life skills required to transform anxiety into a tool for growth and change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bev Aisbett is a counsellor and recovering depressive.
She has written several books on how to cope with anxiety and depression. The content of all her books is very valuable for depression sufferers, and they make very easy reading.
Bev believes that to beat depression, sufferers have to change their thoughts. Change your thoughts and you’ll change your life. Aisbett says thoughts are extremely powerful.

However, she agrees with other experts that there are three main causes of depression: genetic, physical or personality. Some of us are born with a tendency to depression inherited form a parent. Others have a chemical imbalance in the brain. Another cause is personality. Particularly sensitive and emotional people are more prone to have feelings that upset them. Perfectionists who set themselves high standards can become upset when they don’t achieve them. People who are highly dependent on others can become depressed if they feel let down.

Aisbett believes the genetic argument is over-estimated. “If we look at the list of factors that have triggered a persons current emotional state, and they start owning those, the genes aspect is pretty minimal,” she says. If the cause was totally genetic, Aisbett points out, the sufferer should not improve but people with depression do improve. Which brings Aisbett back to the power of thought and self-opinion. “If your self-esteem is good, then you’re going to perceive the world in a more supported way. You’re not going to be interpreting the blows of life as blows, but as challenges.”

HOW TO BUY

Available from most major bookshops in Australia

ISBN: 0207180407

Publisher HarperCollins

REVIEW

“A book I found to be absolutely fantastic is this one. It’s a slightly comical and very down to earth book written by an Australian sufferer. “