How to Defeat Depression

This book was published in November 1993:

It is an easy-read book in panorama A-5 format and between the text, which was written by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, are cartoons by Mel Calman.

The five-year long Defeat Depression Campaign was financed by the Pharmaceutical Industry. This book is an example of material developed and widely disseminated during this campaign. [It is understood that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has an archive of this material but it is not publicly accessible].

The book begins:

Later the book states:

Early chapters cover the causes of depression and offer to address a range of misunderstandings by the public and health professionals alike:

The longest chapter is the final one:

It was titled:Education of General Practitioners was a key theme:

The book SHOUTED this reassurance:

This book stated that it wasn’t just GPs that needed “more education and persuasion”:


Footnotes [important context]:

(1) In December 2016, Vanessa Cameron, the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said this:

(2) The Royal College of Psychiatrists Position Statement on antidepressants and depression was published on the 30th May 2019. The full document runs to 29 pages and is worth reading in full.  It includes recognition that antidepressants can cause dependence and result in withdrawal symptoms which can be severe and protracted.

(3) In February 2021, Professor Wendy Burn, who was President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists from 2017-2020, stated to the Telegraph: