From Depression to Happiness

Book excerpt: Psychiatry has developed a number of tools to help manage symptoms of mental disorders, broadly categorized as psychotherapy, or â oetalk therapyâ , and psychopharmacology, or â oemedicationsâ . One question left open in this regard, though, is what to do after those symptoms are controlled? How can those with depression be helped to build a better life after the remission of symptoms? Weaving together Positive Psychology and Aristotelian philosophy, this book details an approach to creating a path towards a flourishing life. Building on the two translations of the Greek term â oeAreteâ , virtue and excellence, it links Aristotleâ (TM)s ideas to those of Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, and Howard Gardner, a proponent of the Multiple Intelligences Theory.