With a quote (yes, another) from John McManamy's Living Well With Depression and Bipolar Disorder:

"'Whatever works' is my two-word credo, even if that applies to something that gets only 10 percent of us 10 percent better. For one, you could be one of the lucky 10 percent. For another, a 10 percent improvement may be all that it takes to help you turn the corner to full recovery.

"There are two major qualifications to this 10 percent rule. First, it is foolhardy to risk prolonging your suffering and jeopardizing your safety at the outset by rolling the dice on a long-shot treatment. Second, the potential benefits of any treatment need to be carefully weighed against the possible dangers of that same treatment.

"But simple math dictates that you will have several 'ten-percenters' and even 'one-percenters' in your arsenal. You may, for instance, find yourself on four different meds, taking a multivitamin, drinking a daily power smoothie, doing yoga and exercise, seeing a talking therapist, attending a support groups, pursuing a hobby, and attendinig religious services.

"Add to this the 101 informal things that you find yourself doing every day—from a relaxing soak in the tub to listening to Maria Callas to watching SpongeBob SquarePants to hugging your child, and you can see why there is nothing surgically precise about treating a mood disorder."

[Photo copyright Liz Spikol]