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Over the years, and more since the population has become more vulnerable to anxiety, there have been hundreds of books about anxiety and depression and the ways out of these debilitating complaints. Many are wonderful works and helpful, others are downright misleading and can have a devastating effect when the sufferer gets no relief from reading them.The immediate reaction is that, since the author sounds so convincing, there must be something really wrong with me if I can't do what they say. There are many well established authors on this subject and the first thing to find out is have they been there? Are they speaking from experience or theory? How much are the books? A lot of authors and others cash in on the fact that anxiety is on the increase. That is a statistical fact. It is reckoned that one in five of the population in the UK and US (and probably in Europe as a whole) suffer from some form of this illness and that is only the disclosed cases. I saw recently a book that said if you have Bi-polar disorder you can recover in a week if you follow their wonderful suggestions. This is, of course, utter nonsense as anyone with this debilitating disorder will tell you. With most of us it has taken years to get in our present state and while I am not for one moment suggesting it will take years to get out, it certainly is not done instantly, as some suggest. I have found (I don't read them any more) that the books I used to read gave me a boost to start with then a deflated feeling after when not much happened. There is no real substitute for one to one counselling coupled with mild medication. I know, especially in the States, that cost comes into this but if it is possible to get to a counsellor who you can trust then make the effort. Read books by all means but make sure they are the right books and recommended by those who have experience of the debilitating illness they give advice on. There is more useful advice on this site than in a lot of the so called self help books because everyone here has 'been there' and know what they are talking about. Regards to all. J.