Those who live with a mood disorder often wear a social mask of normalcy and calm even though they are living with disruptive psychic pain on the inside. Some people may be carrying around a traumatic event from the past that causes great despair, or they may be in constant inner turmoil, yet they present as being “just fine” in appearance and demeanor.

But You LOOK Just Fine offers candid counsel and acts as a user-friendly guide of innovative information and compassion to those with mood disorders. It is also a unique tool for mental healthcare providers. The book includes creative coping tools and heartfelt insight from those individuals who know firsthand what it’s like to wake up with these disorders.

This second volume in the “JUST FINE” series, But You LOOK Just Fine offers a clear resource for individuals dealing with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, eating disorder, and many other mood disorders. The book provides an in-depth discussion of each and exploring vital topics including mood disorders and: disclosure; dating; looking one way while feeling another; impact on family; intimacy; employment and career; treatment options; spirituality; children and seniors; the connection between chronic pain and depression; not only surviving, but thriving; the “worry window”; how to help someone with a mood disorder; the military; and mind-body medicine.

Often referred to as “a support group in a book”, But You LOOK Just Fine is both astonishing and inspiring. The authors bravely and lovingly present a remarkable series of personal portraits and telling profiles, sharing the stories and experiences of men and women who each live with various mood disorders and mental health challenges. These poignant examples – once anonymous faces seen in a crowd, or perhaps within one’s own circle of family, friends or coworkers – will serve as a valuable reminder to those facing depression and anxiety disorders that they are not alone. By making these individual stories available and familiar, there is hope that a greater understanding and awareness of those experiencing chronic and unseen challenges might be realized.

The book begins with an important quote by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD. “I’m not okay, you’re not okay, and that’s okay.” Most people are carrying around something that causes them to feel “not quite right” or different from the masses. And guess what? It’s okay. Locating others who are dealing with something similar can often lighten that burden.

It is the authors’ greatest hope that But You LOOK Just Fine will act as “a support group in a book” as it has already been proclaimed, and as a system for others who may be suffering in silence or who may be feeling terribly alone on their journey. They are not. They are invited to come inside and meet the people on the pages of But You LOOK Just Fine.

If you want to know what it’s like to live with a mental illness, you ask the people living with one. Abdulaziz and Sveilich asked. Prepare to be surprised. Prepare to be enlightened. But You LOOK Just Fine won’t disappoint. – John McManamy, author, Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Finally…a first-rate resource to hand to patients or to those with family members living with depression or any anxiety disorder. A SUPPORT GROUP IN A BOOK! – Sidney Cassell, MD

This book literally puts a FACE on mood disorders. My clients and colleagues will greatly benefit from this resource. – Nancy Gordon, LCSW

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