The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs

Based on the highly effective, proven Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) program: a practical plan for natural ways to treat depression -- without medication




In the past decade, depression rates have skyrocketed, and one in four Americans suffer from major depression at some point in their lives. Where have we gone wrong? Dr. Stephen Ilardi sheds light on our current predicament and reminds us that our bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, frenzied pace of twenty-first century life. Inspired by the extraordinary resilience of aboriginal groups like the Kaluli of Papua New Guinea, Dr. Ilardi prescribes an easy-to-follow, clinically proven program that harks back to what our bodies were originally made for and what they continue to need with these six components:

• Brain Food
• Don't Think, Do
• Antidepressant Exercise
• Let There Be Light
• Get Connected
• Habits of Healthy Sleep

Bookviews.com
"[Ilardi's] program helps patients reclaim six ancient lifestyle elements that can improve or eradicate depression. These include a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the critical building blocks for brain structure and function; enjoyable activities that keep us from dwelling on negative thoughts; exercise that stimulates important brain chemicals; sufficient sunlight exposure to keep the body's clock in sync; social support to avoid isolation; and healthy sleep habits that allow the brain and body to recover. It works for me and it will work for you!"

Metapsychology Online Reviews
"A very good self-help book. Ilardi writes clearly, avoiding jargon, and speaking eloquently about many topics. His depiction of negative lifestyle influences on people's emotions and actions are on target; this is a splendid book because the recommendations made should lead to a healthier lifestyle for most people. Overcoming depression is not a simple challenge but one, I suspect, has a chance of success by reading this book."

Kansas Alumni
"Ilardi's theory draws on discoveries in cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, which add heft to his commonsense advice; The Depression Cure arrays data that may inspire action."

Harriet Lerner, author of The Dance of Anger
"This book isn't just about depression. Dr. Ilardi's program can help all of us live with more zest and a greater sense of well-being."

Bookslut Founder Jessa Crispin in The Smart Set
"Those who have suffered recurring, meaningless bouts of depression might want to reach for The Depression Cure rather than Unstuck, especially those sick of hearing how they should search their mental illness for wisdom."

The Bookworm Sez (nationally syndicated column)
"Intriguing. Author Stephen S. Ilardi seems to be onto something when he points out that our ancestors didn't sit at a desk all day and fight traffic to go home stressed-out . . . Pick up a copy of The Depression Cure. With your doctor's blessing, a fair amount of effort, and this book, 'snapping out of it' might be a snap."

"Dr. Ilardi reminds us that our bodies shouldn't be sleep-deprived, or subjected to poor diets and frenzied twenty-first-century life...The book describes an easy-to-follow, clinically proven program that follows a clear system to what our bodies need."
―Huffington Post

Stephen Ilardi received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University, and has spent the past two decades as an active researcher, university professor, and clinician. He has treated several hundred patients suffering from depressive illness and other serious disorders, and has authored over forty scholarly articles and papers on mental illness.

Dr. Ilardi and his clinical research team developed and refined a highly effective program for clinical depression: Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC), an innovative treatment is grounded in the insight that human beings were never designed for the sedentary, indoor, socially isolated, sleep-deprived, fast-food-laden, frenzied pace of 21st-century American life. Dr. Ilardi lives in Kansas.