David D. Burns

Most mental health professionals, including clinicians and researchers, endorse the deficit theory. They're convinced that we wage war simply because we don't know how to make love. We desperately want loving, satisfying relationships but lack the skills we need to develop them. ”

Practically everybody knows what it's like to feel anxious, worried, nervous, afraid, uptight, or panicky. Often, anxiety is just a nuisance, but sometimes it can cripple you and prevent you from doing what you really want with your life. But I have some great news for you: You can change the way you feel. ”

Depression is an illness and not a necessary part of healthy living. ”

It's very rare to have a patient who isn't absolutely delighted when you say, 'I read your feedback. The session didn't go well. You actually got more upset, and I made about three really horrible errors.' If you do that from the heart and not as a gimmick, boy, it's a wonderful thing. ”

I always wanted to see people's lives transformed from depression and anxiety to joy and peace. ”

Negative thinking patterns can be immensely deceptive and persuasive, and change is rarely easy. But with patience and persistence, I believe that nearly all individuals suffering from depression can improve and experience a sense of joy and self-esteem once again. ”

Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve the problem rather than finding the truth in what the person is saying. ”

That's one of the peculiar things about bad moods - we often fool ourselves and create misery by telling ourselves things that simply are not true. ”

When you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel. ”

I've been interviewed for hundreds of magazine articles, and they come out incredibly goofy about 90 percent of the time. ”