The Anti-Depressant Book

A Practical Guide for Teens and Young Adults to Overcome Depression and Stay Healthy

By: Jacob Towery MD

Narrated by: Jacob Towery MD

Don't let the subtitle fool you: The Anti-Depressant Book is useful for teens and adults who are struggling with depression. It offers a drug-free, step-by-step solution to feeling happier quickly and developing healthy habits that will prevent relapse.

This book covers the basics of cognitive behavioral therapy for emerging from depression and staying well. It is filled with paradox, written as if Dr. Towery were having a conversation directly with you, and is neither preachy nor dry. There are also brief sections for parents who are struggling with a depressed child.

The book was written as a response to the suicide clusters in Palo Alto to help prevent as many suicides as possible. The Anti-Depressant Book can be used as an adjunct to traditional therapy or by itself, particularly for those with mild to moderate depression. It is irreverent, fun to listen to, and practical. The book is written in a straightforward, conversational style that works particularly well for teenagers and young adults, but adults who follow all the steps will also see dramatic improvement in their moods and lives.

Author's note: This audiobook is not intended as a stand-alone product. It is intended to be used in addition to the print or Kindle version of the book to make it easier to comprehend. If you struggle with dyslexia, learning differences, or reading in general, this was made so that you could listen to the book WHILE reading the print version. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful!

©2016 Jacob Towery, MD (P)2018 Jacob Towery, MD

Invaluable for ANY teenager. It is a life-changer!

Where does The Anti-Depressant Book rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Dr. Towery recorded his book to accompany the print and Kindle versions. It is not a "stand-alone" listen, but an aid to make it easier for teens to work with a written version. The material in this book is INVALUABLE. It is a guide for any teen (or person) who wants to feel better. My daughter was suffering from anxiety and depression so severe that she was unable to attend school for over a year. After reading this book, following the guidelines and then working with Dr. Towery in person, she has her life back and is thriving. Dr. Towery is not a clinician, he is a healer. Her recovery still feels like a miracle. Now when any feelings of anxiety or depression arise, this book is a guide to help her work through it. For any teenager who is struggling, they can look through the table of contents and see the areas they can work on. Most teens are exhausted and stressed out, whether or not they are suffering from depression. This book confronts all of the things we know to make life more difficult for teens (lack of sleep, not enough exercise, poor nutrition, overusing electronics, etc.) and provides the guidelines to follow if they are determined to feel better. It also provides positive things to add to their lives that are proven to uplift mood. It is a toolkit that every teenager and parent of a teenager should have.

A must read for parents

Jacob Towery’s book was extremely helpful to me as a parent of a child who suffers from severe depression. It was my first experience learning about cognitive behavioral therapy. My son had seen several therapists, but was not getting better. I contacted Dr. Towery for help. Since I was on the east coast and he and his colleagues are on the west coast he helped me locate a qualified CBT therapist closer to me. My son was finally helped and I feel listening to this audible may have saved my son’s life and certainly his life is improved from learning CBT “tools”. The book was also helpful to me as a parent and an individual. I will forever be thankful to Dr. Towery.

you'll have to do the work

The author recommends using this audio book along with the written book if you're looking for real/lasting results. I listened to it w/o anyway and I agree. I've ordered the book and it's on it's way.

I got this book because I'm looking for ways to support my teen. I think it has valuable information that I think a teen can access independently.

Should my daughter decide to try any of the activities, I am in a better place to support her because I have familiarity. Of course, I'll be waiting for her to ask.

The recording, is mostly fine. Though I wonder if it was edited prior to being released as there are several "Rollback." cues that were still included and I doubt any publisher would knowingly allow for an entire (agonizing) chapter recorded imitating a (bad) British accent (which sounded more like a bad Australian accent).

A must read for everyone!

Dr. Towery's "The Anti-Depressant Book" is a fantastic resource for teens, young adults, parents, clinicians, and everyone else looking for more help overcoming depression and staying healthy. The writing is down to earth (and even occasionally humorous), suggestions are practical, and Dr. Towery skillfully breaks down the importance of motivation in overcoming depression through cost benefit analyses which can help anyone decide whether recovery is really what they want.

I LOVE this audio version of the book. It is meant to be listened to while reading a hard copy of the book as completing all written exercises is paramount to the reader's success. That being said, the audio recording is a fabulous addition to the hard copy. The author reads his own book in an entertaining and easy-to-listen-to fashion, and he even surprises his listeners in chapter nine with a special hilarious accent ;)

I highly recommend this audiobook. Enjoy!

Great book

The begining is a bit repetative but the book overall has substance and practical, detail and clear. defiantly useful for personal or therapy aid work book.

It drove me nuts! Waste of time and $15.

This book is not for me. I regret spending my monthly Audible credit on it.
I could not push myself to listen to it over first hour.
First “red flag” was seen in “verified purchase” reviews author’s own super glorious review on his own book! Can you believe it?! He bought his own book and paid associated Amazon fees to get “verified purchase” status! Then, without any modesty he was glorifying his book left and right. Wow!
Other positive reviews tricked me and I gave it a chance.
First hour he is telling reader how and why he wrote this book (who cares?!) and asked not to give a bad feedback (?!) if you are not EXACTLY following his orders. Yes, orders. Person, whose credentials are questionable, whom I don’t know, who did not bother to establish trust, keeps giving me orders!!!
His first order is to buy paper copy of the same book. Wtf. Hey, there probably a reason why I bought this book in an audio version, correct?! If I wanted paper copy - I would buy a paper copy. Then he says that if you are not going to buy a paper copy- this audiobook is useless and should be thrown away. Cool. I am not going to buy a paper copy, audiobook is useless and now I want my money (credit) back. Nope. They are not giving you $$ back.
I went somehow through first few chapters squeezing my teeth of irritation. But his tone and orders kept continuing. Do this, do that, stop this record right now, go purchase paper book. Now, go purchase a paper notebook of this format from this source NOW, don’t continue until you do as I said!. (I am getting to a boiling point). And when he started to mock reader for not following his order, I just exploded. I was not looking for any orders to follow and certainly I was not expecting to be treated that way. By anyone. And especially “psychologist” in a book addressed to people (especially teenagers) with a problem (especially depression)!