O'Connor, a therapist who suffers from depression, shows that depressed people have trouble digging themselves out of one episode or warding off the next because they have become adept at the "skills of depression," such as denying, procrastinating, and intellectualizing. Actively playing mentor, coach, cheerleader, and nurturer, therapists can engage patients' emotions, mitigate the effects of shame, and help them see connections between what happens in their lives and how they feel inside.

Richard O'Connor, who lives in Lakeville, Connecticut, also wrote Undoing Depression.