Someone's Depressed: How Can I Help?

A low-budget, well-meaning effort, this talking head, scripted support group meeting features Sheila Alexander, who formerly suffered from depression and pastoral counselor Tom O'Neal. The pair offer a definition of depression (and outline the symptoms), explain the importance of intervention in helping a depressed person to get treatment, and discuss some of the ways depression is treated. In addition, the program features commentary from a psychologist and psychiatrist on treatments involving cognitive behavior therapy and medication. The information is very general, the back and forth delivery between Alexander and O'Neal occasionally awkward, and--bottom line--there are simply better produced and equally affordable titles already on the market (such as Taking Control of Depression [VL-4/93]). An optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)