Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The first step in solving any problem is realizing that you have one.”

Depression is such a big problem today – it’s something many of us have had the displeasure of experiencing throughout our lives in one form or another and quite frankly, we don’t speak about it enough! This book has really opened my eyes to how depression affects a variety of people and just how you can approach it. I feel this book will help those suffering on their way to recovery as well as those who are looking to do a little more research. So happy to share my review of this book!

On one eventful day, Mr Quill decided to give himself a shot at a better life. And he never regretted his decision. Now he is confident about himself, has run a marathon and volunteers with a palliative care organization. He has also become so spectacularly productive that he was promoted twice within 2 years.

The Quill Method to conquer depression in 10 steps is an unconventional approach to a very conventional problem – Depression. It is a malady that affects men, women, kids, teens, and older adults.

The author, Sylvester Quill, was raised by a single mother and fought poverty, abuse, depression and anxiety for a good part of his life. Overcoming and conquering depression was one of the greatest challenges in his life. The Quill Method has its roots in his struggles.

Introduction

The start of the book helps readers to firstly identify clinical depression and I found the level of detail the book goes into to be really eye opening. The author includes symptoms that are easy to identify which will be very helpful to those who are looking to self diagnose in the first instance before seeking medical help. Some people may not even realise they are suffering from some form of depression, but the author, speaking from experience, highlights exactly what can be classed as depressive symptoms. The author’s style of writing made me feel at ease just by reading and I felt this tone was perfect to get readers to trust the information given. It was almost as if I was speaking to a friend! The information is easy to digest too, which is always a plus. Such a good start!

“The second step in solving any problem is to identify what the problem is.”

The more I read, the more I realised exactly how complex and detailed the book is and I already felt the book would be such an invaluable tool for so many – not just those suffering from some form of depression, but also those who are interested in doing their research. Many people fail to understand the difference between sadness and depression, with sadness only being a part of someone’s suffering. Also, sadness is something we all experience from time to time, whether we’re depressed or not. I loved how the author went through a number of feelings which might seem similar to depression, and the differences between each. It made things so much clearer to me so I knew it’d be particularly helpful to those suffering. At the end of each chapter, the author gives the reader a range of different assignments to help conquer their depressive feelings which I found to be a nice touch, making things more interactive.

The middle

I was so glad the stigma around men and depression was addressed in this book, and I must applaud the author for noting the fact that just because depression is more common among women, doesn’t mean men have it easy. I was so happy the author also included depression in younger children, and is definitely something not even I thought about until now. Reading through this book made me realise how ignorant I’ve been towards symptoms of depression and already, I felt as if I’d learned so much that I could keep with me throughout life. Causes of depression, the psychological factors behind it and even understanding triggers of depression is explored so well. Just when I thought we’d gotten to the deepest point on this topic, the author pulls something else out of the bag to explore it even deeper. I don’t think I’ve read a non-fiction book so involving in my life. Each point continued to be easy to digest and read which I was grateful for!

“The sixth step in solving any problem is to develop the right mindset to deal with it.”

I was hoping the book would place an even greater focus on the road to healing the more we read, and I was not disappointed. I really liked how the author spoke about his own interests, and just how these interests helped his own recovery process. For example, the author speaks about running marathons and just how these events helped to heal himself. I felt this gave the book more of a personal touch and reminds us that the author has indeed gone through his own struggles in life. The book also includes facts and figures about depression – the figures about writers and depression were particularly surprising! I felt like the whole middle section of the book made me think about my own life, and just what changes I could make that will prevent that depression from creeping in when things get tough. The book was proving to be such a lifesaving tool!

Conclusion

The book is filled with everything you could ever think of, and even when you think the author has covered everything, we’re presented with even deeper knowledge. I felt parts of the book may be a little too thorough for some, or even a little bit daunting, but at the same time, I felt that this amount of depth is needed to really get to the bottom of this problem many of us face. Saying this, I found some of the later points in the book to be quite common sense too. For many of us, these particular points may seem obvious, but for those suffering with depression, they may be easily overlooked. This is one of the main things I like about the book. It’ll be so helpful for a whole range of people with varying needs and levels of depression, and I really appreciated the mix. It felt so diverse and something that anyone could pick up and learn from.

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”

Steve Furtic

The complete book provides some serious food for thought which any self-help book should do in my opinion. It should encourage the reader to think about ways they can make a positive change to their lives and how they can implement new ways of thinking to become the happy person they aspire to be. The ending of the book was particularly good at encouraging these thoughts and one of the final chapters about predicting depression really spoke to me. The book ends on the note of medical intervention which is the route many people go down, and advice on next steps to take. I really enjoyed the author’s input about his own life at the end of the book and it really helps you to put things into perspective. A great final touch for the book which left me feeling like I wanted to reach out and help someone!

Overall thoughts

I found this book to be an enlightening read, giving sufferers of depression hope and those interested in learning more the tools to do so. I appreciated how diverse and accessible the book was and just how it makes the reader think about the bigger picture, and mull over life in a way they may have not done before. The world needs a book like this! I must thank the author for putting his experiences down onto paper and for being so selfless in his writing. This is definitely a must read for those who are suffering from the effects of depression and are looking for positive ways to make changes in their lives.

A big thank you to the author, Sylvester Quill for the copy of this book to read and review. You can purchase your own copy of The Quill Method: Conquer Depression in 10 Steps from Amazon, available on Kindle and in paperback.

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