When someone suffers from depression, friends and family members naturally want to help—but too often their good intentions come out all wrong. This practical, compassionate guide helps readers understand exactly what their loved one is going through, and why certain approaches help and others have the potential to do damage. Talking to Depression offers specific advice on what to do and what not to do—and what to say and what not to say—to avoid frustration and give the kind of caring, effective support that will make a difference. ...a really important tool for knowing...how to connect when people in your life are struggling with depression. -- Jo Cohen Hamilton, Ph.D ...a war chest of tools to aid our understanding of something that defies understanding unless one has experienced it firsthand... -- Christine B. Smith, Ph.D., President of Survivors of Loved One's Suicides, Inc. - SOLOS This magical book...makes numerous practical, valuable, and doable suggestions. -- Catherine M. Schultz, School Counselor, Reading High School Claudia J. Strauss is an award-winning communication consultant and educator. An adjunct professor of English at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, she runs a business in strategic communication and coaches adults with ADD and other learning disabilities. Martha Manning  is a clinical psychologist and the author of The Common Thread: Mothers, Daughters, and the Power of Empathy ; Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface ; Chasing Grace: Reflections of a Catholic Girl, Grown Up ; and All Seasons Pass: Grieving Miscarriage . She has been featured on Dateline , Good Morning America , CBS This Morning, 60 Minutes II , and the Emmy Award–nominated HBO documentary Dead Blue: Surviving Depression .