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Doctors Are Now Prescribing Books to Treat Depression | Smart News.

Sample of article:

William Nicholson once said, “We read to know that we are not alone.” And that sentiment, of reading to connect with the world and to feel less isolated, may be more than just a poetic thought. Doctors are now prescribing books to patients with depression, hoping that reading will help them find connections.

Leah Price at the Boston Globe reports on the a new program that launched in the United Kingdom this June:

If your primary care physician diagnoses you with “mild to moderate” depression, one of her options is now to scribble a title on a prescription pad. You take the torn-off sheet not to the pharmacy but to your local library, where it can be exchanged for a copy of “Overcoming Depression,” “Mind Over Mood,” or “The Feeling Good Handbook.” And depression is only one of over a dozen conditions treated. Other titles endorsed by the NHS include “Break Free from OCD,” “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway,” “Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e),” and “How to Stop Worrying.”

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/12/doctors-are-now-prescribing-books-to-treat-depression/#ixzz2pHkNT3OX
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