#timetotalk Day: Ending the stigma surrounding Mental Health

Did you know that 1 in 4 people are affected by mental illness every year?

Today is Time For Change’s #timetotalk day, where people are encouraged to spend five minutes having a conversation about mental health.

The day hopes to end the stigma surrounding mental health, which people fear will affect their jobs and relationships.

Once you’ve had your five minute conversation, don’t forget to log your five minutes here.

Souvenir Press publishes a number of books that help to support those living with mental illness, and those who simply want to learn more about mental health.

Undoing Depression by Richard O’Connor

Rated 4.8/5 stars on Amazon, Richard O’Connor’s Undoing Depression teaches us how to replace depressive patterns of thought and behaviour with new, positive skills. Anyone who has taught themselves to live with depression can teach themselves to live without it. Recognising that medication is not a magic cure, it offers a range of therapies, from exercise to self-help and psychotherapy, and includes entirely new chapters on using meditation and the role of stress in depression.

“A clear understanding of the nature of depression and the struggles associated with it…the most important measure of this book will be whether the reader finds it helpful in recovery; I am confident that many will.”
Depression Alliance

Living with Mental Illness by Liz Kuipers

This helpful, practical book has established itself as an essential resource for all who care for the severely mentally ill, providing advice on how to cope day-to-day and what resources and services are available.

Written by a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist Living with Mental Illness explains what it feels like to be mentally ill, and the extensive resource section has been updated to make it a topical guide available to families and professionals. It looks at the new drug and psychological treatments now available and discusses legislation and the statutory rights of the mentally ill.

Sympathetic, comprehensive and understanding, this invaluable book can play a major role in helping those caring for anyone with a mental illness, easing the difficulties of those caught in what may seem a hopeless situation.

“Its aim is to provide information and practical advice to carers on mental illness, services, treatment, legal matters and benefits… it is well-ordered and clearly written.”
‘Mental Health Care’

Cognitive Therapy in Action by Ivy-Marie Blackburn and Vivien Twaddle

Cognitive therapy is the established method of helping people to overcome states of depression, anxiety or other emotional conditions.

With an introduction to the development and application of cognitive therapy, Cognitive Therapy in Action goes on to outline how it can work for a therapist or counsellor. Covering cases from depression and panic disorder to bulimia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, giving details of the process of the therapy in each case.

This is an invaluable practical guide to how cognitive therapy works for clinical psychologists, students, social workers, nurses and psychiatrists.

“It is so clearly written that I am certain a novice therapist would not feel overwhelmed by the content… If you are learning or practicing cognitive therapy and only purchase one book this year, this is the one to buy.”
‘British Journal of Medical Psychology’

Weekly Round-up

We’ve had some great reviews and some interesting bits and pieces come in this week, so we thought we’d collect them up for you here. Below you will find a couple of great reviews, and a video of one of our authors speaking at a recent event. As always, we’ve got a great mix of titles in here – just another reminder of the fantastic eclectic mix we offer at Souvenir Press.

The Heart of Care – Amanda Waring

The book is packed full of powerful, experiential learning exercises to help readers understand the older person’s perspective and gain insight into the kind of care environment they are and should be providing and the world of someone living with dementia. […] This is a ‘must have’ book for staff, managers and owner’s of services supporting older people in care homes or in their own home. – Relative Matters

Undoing Depression – Richard O’Connor

O’Connor gives the reader a good understanding of such a confusing, misunderstood disease. […] O’Connor says we must behave as if we have the power to control ourselves, because if we don’t, we have no hope. This perfectly sums up his writing – intelligent, insightful, realistic and relatable – but positive in the face of one of life’s hardest challenges. – The Pains of an Overactive Mind blog

The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter – Albie Sachs

In 1988 after decades as an anti-apartheid activist Albie Sachs lost his right arm and an eye when his car was blown up by South African security agents. He was already living in exile and had been imprisoned twice but as he recovered from his injuries he decided that he would write his way to recovery. His book The Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter is published by Souvenir Press.

Albie Sachs spoke at TEDxEuston recently, and his inspirational talk is now available to watch online.

Blue Monday

According to the experts, today is the most depressing day of the year. The third Monday of the New Year, when the festivities of Christmas seem like months ago, when it’s freezing cold and spring seems nothing more than a distant glimmer on the horizon.

For the majority of us, though, this feeling will pass. It will probably last no more than an hour or two, by which point most of us will tell ourselves not to be so silly. We will get up and carry on with our day, perhaps a little gloomy, but nothing more than the usual Monday blues.

For some, this is not the case. Depression affects, on average, one in ten of us in the UK. Clinical depression affects 1 in 20.

If depression is something that affects you, or a loved one, then we recommend UNDOING DEPRESSION by Richard O’Connor. UNDOING DEPRESSION demonstrates how to replace depressive patterns of thinking, it offers the possibility of replacing these habits with new, more effective skills. It is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and the full Depression Alliance review of the book can be found here:

“I found the book informative, helpful without being condescending, and well worth the read. But the most important measure of this book will be whether the reader finds it helpful in recovery; I am confident that many will.” — Depression Alliance

Available in paperback and in e-book format, including Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and more.

Join me on a Digital Diet

New year, new you: it’s time for a digital detox.

Technology is increasingly taking over our lives. Our digital lifestyles are more of a weight on our shoulders than we know: many of us can no longer focus on a single task or face-to-face conversation without wanting to check our emails, Facebook or Twitter every few minutes. The Digital Diet will help you to take control back of your life, find time for real friends and most importantly, make technology work for you, not the other way around.

Just today in the papers we’ve seen news that Bolton Wanderers footballer Marvin Sordell is being offered help by the club for his technology addiction, with Facebook and Twitter in particular being mentioned.

So join me, Emily, as I embark upon the four-step, twenty-eight day plan to redress the balance in my life and break my tech addiction. I will be blogging about it over at The Digital Diet blog, and am inviting you to join in.

2013 at Souvenir Press

Happy New Year!

Hello and welcome to 2013 with Souvenir Press. 2012 was a fantastic year for us, and we’ve got high hopes that 2013 will be even better! In the next few weeks details of our 2013 titles will be going up on our website, we will get our new season’s catalogues in, and the office will find itself in a flurry of new year activity.

But rather than throw that at you all, let’s ease ourselves gently into the new year with a run-down of our best-selling ebooks of 2012.

1) The Book – Alan Watts

By a huge margin, this was our best-selling ebook of 2012. Since a mention on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ by John Lloyd in mid-November, we have reprinted the paperback edition three times, and the e-book has been selling just as well! John Lloyd described it as “the best book I’ve ever read on the nature of what actually is, what the world is about, and how you should behave” – why not take a look and see if you agree with him?

2) The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

One of our biggest selling ebooks last year was from our backlist – we originally published the hardback of ‘The Artist’s Way’ in the early 1990s. A comprehensive 12-week programme designed to help you unlock your creativity, why not start the new year by reading ‘The Artist’s Way’? Or maybe your novel will wait until next year…

3) Hypnobirthing – Marie Mongan

Marie Mongan is the founder of the HypnoBirthing (R) programme which has helped thousands of couples through its practice. This book details her breakthrough approach to safer, easier, comfortable birthing. Any normal, low-risk pregnancies can use the exercises outlined in this book, leading to a peaceful birth. So if you, or someone you know, is expecting a baby this year, point them towards ‘Hypnobirthing’ by Marie Mongan.

4) The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics – Jakow Trachtenberg

Jakow Trachtenberg believed that everyone is born with phenomenal abilities to calculate, he devised a set of rules that allows every child to make multiplication, division, addition, subtraction and square-root calculations with unerring accuracy and at remarkable speed. If you or your child struggles with mathematics, read this book and give it a go – it may just change your life!

5) The Hidden Science of Lost Civilisations – David Wilcock

One of our new titles for Spring 2012, ‘The Hidden Science of Lost Civilisations’ takes a look at the myth that the world would end in 2012. As the calendar has ticked over to 2013, it is clear this hasn’t been the case. Wilcock’s theory was that it would instead usher in a new golden age for mankind, and his book provides a blueprint for this golden age. A stunning synthesis of hidden science and lost prophecies, connecting science with ancient wisdom to predict what lies ahead for mankind.

6) The Artist’s Way Workbook – Julia Cameron

The workbook accompaniment to ‘The Artist’s Way’ (number 2 on our list), this helps you to follow the 12-week programme Cameron outlines, including space to work. Unlock your creativity and introduce it into your daily life.

7) The Elephant in the Classroom – Jo Boaler

Another best-selling mathematics title from Souvenir Press, this book was the subject of a huge article in the Telegraph in October. An indispensable guide for parents and teachers, this book offers concrete suggestions on ways to teach maths well, and ways to help children in the home, that will offer new and more effective ways of learning maths. This is a new approach that helps all children, even those who think that they could never enjoy maths. If your son or daughter is struggling, why not give this a go?

8) Undoing Depression – Richard O’Connor

Richard O’Connor writes from the perspective of one who has suffered two major episodes of depression during his lifetime, and also as someone who works as a psychotherapist, giving him a unique insight into the condition. ‘Undoing Depression’ examines how depression affects emotions, behavior, relationships, and self, and discusses healthier and more adaptive ways of thinking, feeling, and living happier lives.

9) Welcome to Biscuit Land – Jessica Thom

We only published this in October 2012, but already this is one of our biggest-selling ebooks of 2012! Jessica Thom has Tourettes Syndrome, and this inspiring book tells the story of a year in her life. Insightful, funny, sad and above all honest, this book has already touched the hearts of many. Through the book, and her blog as Touretteshero, Jessica Thom aims to raise awareness of living with Tourettes Syndrome. A must-read.

10) And the Band Played On – Randy Shilts

Not a book to be taken lightly, ‘And the Band Played On’ covers the origins and early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. A masterpiece of investigative reporting, this weaves together the personal stories of those in the gay community with reports from the medical and political establishments, exposing how AIDS was ignored, or denied, as a threat by many national institutions. A phenomenal book of immense social, medical and historical importance.

World Mental Health Day 2012

Today, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is “Depression: A Global Crisis”.

“Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment.” — World Health Organization

If depression is something that affects you, or a loved one, then we recommend UNDOING DEPRESSION by Richard O’Connor. And we’re not the only ones. You can read the Depression Alliance review of the book here, as well as the countless reviews on Amazon, where it is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars.

UNDOING DEPRESSION demonstrates how to replace depressive patterns of thinking, it offers the possibility of replacing these habits with new, more effective skills. This is a practical answer to helping those who suffer from depression.

Available in paperback and in e-book format, including Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and more.