Self-help is big business, but alas not a scienti c business. The
estimated 10 billion--that's with a "b"--spent each year on self-help in
the United States is rarely guided by research or monitored by mental
health professionals. Instead, marketing and metaphysics triumph. The
more outrageous the "miraculous cure" and the "r- olutionary secret,"
the better the sales. Of the 3,000 plus self-help books published each
year, only a dozen contain controlled research documenting their
effectiveness as stand-alone self-help. Of the 20,000 plus psychological
and relationship web sites available on the Internet, only a couple
hundred meet professional standards for accuracy and balance. Most, in
fact, sell a commercial product. Pity the layperson, or for that matter,
the practitioner, trying to navigate the self-help morass. We are
bombarded with thousands of potential resources and c- tradictory
advice. Should we seek wisdom in a self-help book, an online site, a
12-step group, an engaging autobiography, a treatment manual, an
inspiring movie, or distance writing? Should we just do it, or just say
no? Work toward change or accept what is? Love your inner child or grow
out of your Peter Pan? I become confused and discouraged just
contemplating the choices.