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A Cure for Darkness

The Story of Depression and How We Treat It

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
A fascinating, "rich, and generous" (Financial Times) look at the treatment of depression by an award-winning science writer that blends popular science, narrative history, and memoir.
Is depression a persistent low mood, or is it a range of symptoms? Can it be expressed through a single diagnosis, or does depression actually refer to a diversity of mental disorders? Is there, or will there ever be, a cure? In seeking the answers to these questions, Riley finds a rich history of ideas and treatments—and takes the reader on a gripping narrative journey, packed with fascinating stories like the junior doctor who discovered that some of the first antidepressants had a deadly reaction with cheese.

"Interweaving memoir, case histories, and accounts of new therapies, Riley anatomizes what is still a fairly young science, and a troubled one" (The New Yorker). Reporting on the field of global mental health from its colonial past to the present day, Riley highlights a range of scalable therapies, including how a group of grandmothers stands on the frontline of a mental health revolution.

Hopeful, fascinating, and profound, A Cure for Darkness is "recommended reading for anyone with even a peripheral interest in depression" (Washington Examiner).
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    • Library Journal

      Starred review from April 1, 2021

      Science writer Riley has spent the last six years dealing with depression, which has given him feelings of sadness and hopelessness as well as thoughts of suicide. The support of his wife and friends has helped him to seek treatment from psychiatrists, psychotherapists, neurologists, and others. His experience with a range of antidepressants, psychedelic drugs, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and other talk therapies inspired him to write this in-depth study of the history of depression, and to contemplate what the future might hold for this often debilitating disease. In his broadly researched and compassionate debut, Riley traces the history of treatments for depression and our changing understanding of the human brain. His exploration ranges from physician-philosopher Claudius Galen (129-c. 210 AD), to Sigmund Freud (who also dealt with depression), to contemporary researchers. After examining treatment options and the vast assortment of antidepressant drugs, Riley concludes that "the treatment of depression is a story that connects us all no matter our sex, age, or where we live," and that we might now be at a "turning point in the history of mental illness." VERDICT An essential book that brings much-needed awareness to depression and the lingering stigma and misinformation surrounding it.--Marcia G. Welsh, former with Dartmouth Coll. Lib., Hanover, NH

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      March 15, 2021
      Eye-opening survey of the many shapes and forms of depression, from ancient history to today. As science writer Riley notes in his concise, refreshing debut book, depression is a vastly complex collection of overlapping mental states, the product of genes, neurotransmitters, upbringing, health, trauma, diet, lifestyle, and other factors. Though the depressed state of mind has always been with us, under many names and guises, there are distinct moments when it has drawn particular attention. The author delves into these moments with notable vigor, insight, and scientific background information. Riley begins in the early years of the first millennium C.E. with Galen and his theories about the four "humors," which would impact medical science for centuries to come, and then moves to the late ninth century and Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, who studied the effects of "negative thinking." Little progress was made until the first asylums in the 18th century, which focused on "respect, leisure, diet, light occupation, and a gradual realignment with reason and reality." As Riley moves into the formative work of Emil Kraepelin and Freud, he begins to weave in his own struggle with depression, effectively humanizing the narrative. The author provides a sturdy overview of the evolution of the psychoanalytical and biological worlds of psychiatry, from dementia praecox and manic depression to Freud's mission to "find what his patients were hiding away, to fill it with color and meaning." Treatments would rise and fall--e.g., various forms of lobotomies--and some would rise again (electroshock therapy). Riley discusses numerous studies and anecdotes to illustrate the positives and negatives of each approach to treatment, including modern-day investigations into cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoactive drugs (ayahuasca, LSD, etc.), and deep brain stimulation, often employed for patients whose "depression seemed intractable. A diversity of drugs--antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquilizers, mood stabilizers--couldn't budge their mental anguish." A welcome examination, both studious and intimate, of one of humanity's great miseries.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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