This article is from the WebMD Feature Archive

Alex has read more than a dozen self-help books, recognizing that only some of the advice works for him.

One recommendation that has profoundly touched his life comes from Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It encourages readers to visualize their funeral, imagining the type of eulogy they'd like to hear from people in various areas of their lives.

The exercise constantly replays in Alex's mind, affecting his daily behavior and decisions. He makes sure to volunteer for his local parish when he has the time, at least tries to acknowledge homeless people who approach him (even if he doesn't always give money), and takes a deep breath when someone in traffic cuts him off. "I restrain myself from overacting," says the 31-year-old energy engineer, noting he doesn't want to be remembered as an angry person.

Self-Help Popularity Boom

Alex is far from being alone in his reliance on advice from self-help books. The genre is so popular that The New York Times gives advice publications its own category in its best-seller list, distinguishable from fiction, nonfiction, and children's books. The current top hardcover advice book, The South Beath Diet, by Arthur Agatson, MD, has been a best seller for 57 weeks.

The inclination for self-help also appears to go beyond books, as the number of self-help organizations and online support groups has mushroomed in recent years. In 1986, the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse had 332 associations in its roster. Now, it has more than 1,100 groups that meet either face to face or online.

To further illustrate the popularity of self-help, John C. Norcross, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Scranton, says studies indicate that at least 18% of Americans will visit at least one self-help group meeting in their lifetime, and at least 75% to 80% of all people with access to the web have already gone there for health information.

In fact, the help-yourself movement has become so pervasive and accepted that most psychologists recommend self-help resources to their patients as an adjunct to psychotherapy, adds Norcross, who has authored his own self-help book, The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources and Mental Health.

Why Seek Self-Help?

A glance at several best-seller lists, including The New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly suggests that concerns about weight loss and diet (The South Beach Diet), finding the meaning of life (The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren), and pregnancy (Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth, by Jenny McCarthy) are some motives for people to buy self-help books.

On the other hand, people who look for self-help groups or online support groups often do so because they want to connect with others who are going through the same problems, says Edward J. Madara, director of the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse. The most commonly shared troubles, he says, have to do with illness, addiction, bereavement, disabilities, and parenting.

Online, people who look for health information typically seek mental health topics, including how to deal with anxiety and depression, how to handle relationships, and how to manage kids, says Norcross.

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