Depression is second only to marital difficulties as the most common reason for individuals to seek pastoral counseling. For centuries, spiritual writers have probed melancholia, as it has been traditionally termed, to articulate the problem of meaning and the trustworthiness of existence. Today, however, depression is increasingly treated with drug therapies. Depression and Hope is an authoritative guide to appropriate ways of thinking about and treating depression for pastoral counselors. In his characteristically no-nonsense fashion, Stone explains the latest understandings of depression and its patterns, as well as the pros and cons of various drug treatments (including Prozac). Throughout he keeps before the reader the larger life questions posed by depression and its treatments. He places depression in the larger context of family and society and shows how proper handling of depression by clergy can increase the likelihood not only of a person`s strong recovery, but also of a strengthened faith.