Clinical Case: Mary May M., a 38-year-old mother of four children, had been deeply depressed for about 2 months when she first went to see a psychologist. Three years earlier, she had returned to work...

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Extracted text: Clinical Case: Mary May M., a 38-year-old mother of four children, had been deeply depressed for about 2 months when she first went to see a psychologist. Three years earlier, she had returned to work when health care bills made it hard for her family to get by on her husband's income as a high school teacher. About 7 months before her visit to the psychologist, she was laid off from her job as an administrative assistant, which was a serious blow to the family's finances. She felt guilty about the loss of her job and became preoccupied with signs of her overall incompetence. Each night, she struggled for more than an hour to fall asleep, only to wake up frequently throughout the night. She had little appetite and as lost 10 pounds. She also had little energy for and no interest in activities that she had enjoyed in the past. Household chores became impossible for her to do, and her husband began to complain. Their marriage had already been strained for 2 years, and her negativity and lack of energy contributed to further arguments. Finally, realizing that Mary's symptoms were serious, Mr. M. cajoled her into making an appointment with a psychologist. (You will read about the outcome of Mary's treatment later in this chapter.) result had