David D. Burns, M.D., is an American best selling author and an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has also served as Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Medical School and Acting Chief of Psychiatry at the Presbyterian / University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia. He is viewed as one of the most influential psychotherapists in history and has been centrally involved in the development of Cognitive Therapy.
Burns received his B.A. from Amherst College in 1964 and his M.D. from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1970. He completed his residency training in psychiatry in 1974 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine was certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in 1976.
Burns is the author of numerous research studies, book chapters and books. He also gives lectures and conducts more than 20 two-day psychotherapy training workshops for mental health professionals throughout the United States and Canada each year. He is known to be one of the most engaging and dynamic educators.
His most famous and classic book, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, has sold over four million copies in the United States alone, and has also been published in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Yugoslavia and many other countries. In total, it has sold 45 million copies worldwide. It was named as one of the top ten behavioral science books of 1980 by the journal Behavioral Medicine and was named by The Authoritative Guide to Self - Help Books (New York: Guilford Press, 1994) as the book most frequently recommended for depressed patients by mental health professionals in the United States. It was also rated as the top self-help book for depressed individuals. This rating was based on a national survey of more than 500 mental health professionals’ evaluations of 1,000 self-help books. His Feeling Good Handbook was rated #2 in the survey.
Feeling Good grew out of dissatisfaction with conventional Freudian treatment of depression. Burns’ mentor, Dr. Aaron T. Beck, (considered the 'father' of Cognitive Therapy, Dr. Albert Ellis considered the 'grandfather') concluded that there was no empirical evidence for the success of Freudian psychoanalysis in treating depressed people.
Burns is on the voluntary faculty of the Stanford University School of Medicine where he is actively involved in research and training. He also serves as a statistical consultant for Stanford's new Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research.
Awards and Honors
- 1975: Winner of A. E. Bennett Award for Basic Psychiatric Research (Society of Biological Psychiatry)
- 1991: Commendation from the Georgia State Senate “for contributions. . . helping people overcome emotional troubles. . . in times of trouble and anguish. ” (State Resolution 15 EX)
- 1995: Distinguished Contribution to Psychology through the Media Award from the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology
- 1998, 2000, and 2002: Recognition of excellence in teaching (Clinical Faculty Teacher of the Year Award), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
- 2002: Outstanding Contributions Award from the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists, for "outstanding contributions & dedication to the theory and practice of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy."
Books
- Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (preface by Aaron T. Beck). New York: Wm. Morrow and Co (hardbound); New American Library, 1981 (paperback). Revised and updated, 1999. - ISBN 0-380-81033-6
- Burns, D. D. (1984). Intimate Connections. New York: William Morrow and Co., (hardbound); New American Library, 1985 (paperback).- ISBN 0-451-14845-2
- Burns, D. D. (1989). The Feeling Good Handbook. New York: William Morrow and Co., (hardbound); Plume, 1990 (trade paperback) Revised and updated, 1999. - ISBN 0-452-28132-6
- Burns, D. D. (1993). Ten Days to Self - Esteem. New York: Quill. 1999. Revised edition. - ISBN 0-688-09455-4
- Burns, D. D. (1993). Ten Days to Self - Esteem: The Leader's Manual. New York: Quill.- ISBN 0-688-12708-8
- Burns, D. D. (1995). Therapist’s Toolkit: Comprehensive Treatment and Assessment Tools for the Mental Health Professional. Philadelphia: Author. Updated in 1997 and 2006.
- Burns, D. D. (2002). Let's Get Started. Alexandria: Time-Life Inc.
- Burns, D. D. (2002). Fifty Ways to Untwist Your Thinking. Alexandria: Time-Life Inc.
- Burns, D. D. (2002). Selecting the Techniques that Will Work for You. Alexandria: Time-Life Inc.
- Burns, D. D. (2006). When Panic Attacks. New York: Morgan Road Books. - ISBN 0-7679-2071-6
Audio
- Burns, D.D. (2006). When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Treatment That Can Change Your Life (CD). HarperAudio, 2006. - ISBN 0-06-057710-X