A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781501198786)

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).

Author: Alex Riley
ISBN-10: 1501198785
ISBN-13: 9781501198786
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Language: English
Published: 03/01/2022
Pages: 464
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.50w x 1.30d