The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

The field of depression is wide open now as more people learn about it and realize that they too might be a victim. New treatments,different approaches in pharmacotherapy,genetic studies,dialectics and better understanding of neurotransmitters all add to the jumble one faces when having to deal with and get help for depression.These endless and sometimes opposing vistas can boggle the mind of both the treater and the sufferer.Depression, taken alone is and of itself most vexing in its ability to resist effective,long lasting treatment and cure however,cure is possible as is symptom relief.Solomon has written a comprehensive book both in scope and explanation of not only depression but all the ancillary factors that encircle it. The writer who is also a sufferer has put forth for all to see his own battle and deftly describes the ongoing war he fights daily from within and without.He incorporates his own life and compares it to the current discussion if applicable amid the twelve or so chapters.Because of his own plight it is easy for him to understand the plight of those he interviews, relate his experiences with acute exacerbations,the need to withdraw from life, his attempts at suicide and use of medication and hospitalization and how his interpersonal relationships evolved or devolved because of it.Insights abound as you digest his clear,well written self analysis and struggles. Many areas are intelligently covered for the clinician to incorporate into a more complete armamentarium as well as a clarified,engaging sympathetic compass to help the depressed chart their way through the dark.At times the data,and discussion can get heavily clinical as it is clear that he did his homework on this topic so this book may not be for everyone as it goes deeper than some books that relay simply what happened and how I got better so do what I did and you'll be better too.No, this book does not do that at all, in fact it leaves one with the feeling that perhaps this battle will continue for sometime.As our world gets smaller our self contracts as well with isolative,impersonal e- mail,texting and a lack of person to person connectedness as in the past.This unwittingly can create anxiety and further ones sense of isolation which is a fertile breeding ground for depression.Twenty years ago, William Styron wrote his classic,Darkness Visible,which explored his own personal involvement with depression with a clarity and openess that it is unimaginable to me how he could remember and relate such a deep and enveloping flight into hell. His ability to convey that to the reader under such conditions was truly amazing and a work to be admired for its honesty and ability to find a nerve in fellow sufferers and help them come out of it using his strength as a hopeful guide.Here too, the author has utilized his own struggle to engage the reader,helping to maintain the awareness of and difficulty for those outside looking in to maintain an empathic stance not running to the old standby 'just snap out of it already',a stance easily stated by a family member, friend or even a clinician, not from any lack of empathy mind you, but from frustration at just how hard depression is to treat.Watching someone suffer from this is exhaustingly taxing because progress is so slow, avoidance is sometimes the only defence left to utilize when all other modes of treatment fail.This is what we as clinicians and others must guard against.I first learned of this book while watching a documentary on Abraham Lincoln which discussed his own fight with depression and suicidal thinking.I looked it over and was glad I read it.I don't think a more comprehensive compilation of depression and its parameters from its early history to current thought exists as good as this one.It is both honest,personal yet Solomon has the ability to step back and give concise,current information as well as write it clearly,intelligently and on a level for all to digest. This book will enhance understanding of this dreaded disease on both sides of the table. It should,in my opinion be required reading for all those who plan to enter the field or who are already in it and hopefully will be someday as well as for those who suffer from depression and want a mature guide or atlas, if you will, to help you get through it.All will benefit from this book, as did I.

This is a truly remarkable book. You might wonder why on earth anyone would want to read a 400+ page book about depression, but this is not just any book about depression. It is an intelligent, comprehensive, and compassionate study of one of the most pervasive illnesses of our time. Mr. Solomon, himself a victim of severe depression, has explored every possible aspect of this devastating condition: Psychological, sociological, historical, scientific, and more. Solomon attempts to demystify the illness, offering insight into how, and possibly why, it affects its victims. I myself have been in treatment for depression for almost 20 years. I have a highly stressful job working for the District Attorney's Office, have raised two daughters (17 and 21), and have been married for 25 years. I have been successful and productive in all these aspects of my life. This book is invaluable to those who suffer from depression. It helps us better understand what is happening to us, and how to somehow make sense of the "why me" aspect of depression. But more important, this book should be read by anyone who knows, or loves, someone who suffers from depression. Knowing, loving, and/or living with someone who suffers from depression can be a miserably frustrating experience. Solomon attempts to shed insight into the physiology and psychology of depression, as well as a comprehensive exploration of the many treatment options available. Not all of his stories have happy endings. He doesn't pretend to have all the answers. But sometimes just understanding the illness makes it less overwhelming and frightening. This book could save lives. At the very least it will educate both the depressed and non-depressed, allowing them to accept depression as a real and valid illness, which for many is highly treatable. Mr. Solomon even goes so far as to suggest that those who suffer from depression can be better people for it. I am certainly one of the lucky ones. I will never be "cured", but I have learned how to work around the illness. Mr. Solomon has done the same. For your sake and/or the sake of a loved one, you should read this extraordinary book.

I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to better understand the complexities of depression, from those who live with it personally to those who have/lost a loved one who does/did. It articulates how the lows of depression feel in a way that I couldn't put to words until I read it. Atlas may throw some off a bit. It's not so much a clinical book on depression. There are certainly clinical references given that lay a foundation of the science of depression and it's treatments. But it is also a bit of a memoir, which I didn't mind at all. Some may feel the author's inclusion of personal accounts come from a place of privilege and thus negates the validity of his experience. That thinking is precisely why this book needs to be read. This misunderstanding that the struggles of those who are perceived to "have it good", arbitrarily decided by whom I don't know, don't count is part of the reason some people suffer in silence and for much longer than necessary. Shaming them into silence because their circumstance seems ideal to YOU is why many take so long to get help and only get worse as a result. Depression knows no tax bracket, no gender, no race, no age. Circumstances certainly may trigger it, but bank accounts, passports, degrees matter less and less when you're in the midst of a downswing of emotion. Depression lives outside the realm of reason. All that said, I appreciate the picture of depression that was given by the author. I was personally able to find a foundation that will help me fully understand and describe to others what goes on in my head when I'm going through an episode. Even better that such a vivid picture may help me better manage my own.

I got this to help understand a friend dealing with mental issues and it really opened my eyes. Its a little slow in spots but the information is good to have.

This book hasn't yet (I'm about 2/3ds the way through) offered any cures, solutions, tips, or "magic bullets" for those of us suffering from depression. What it does offer is empathy. Solomon's description of being "afraid of showers" and how immobilized he was by his depression made me burst into tears - of relief. To know that I am not the only person who's ever felt this way -- to know that it's not something about me, personally, but something that another person can understand, has experienced, and can articulate much better than I have ever been able to -- was such a relief. I do find myself envious of Solomon's support system -- depression has been very isolating for me, and my "support system" consists of those few toxic bonds I haven't yet severed, and one or two people who would certainly be helpful in an emergency, but not on a day-to-day or caretaking basis. I am also envious of his ability to find (with an effort)responsive doctors, and an insurance plan that apparently doesn't place limits on medication benefits. (I've been through every MH specialist enrolled in my insurance plan without finding a "fit," and now have to choose between suffering, or getting a second job to pay out of pocket for therapy with someone else. Further, many of his medication "cocktails" would not be covered by my insurance, and I'd have to sell a kidney or something.) I also found myself wondering what his outcome would have been if he'd been a single parent, like myself; if he'd lacked the extensive support system; or if he didn't have health insurance, like many people I know. However, what's important to me is not comparing who's got it easier, but simply the knowledge that I AM NOT ALONE. There are many things Solomon mentions that, although I've heard them from doctors and mental health specialists over the years, didn't sink in until I was able to hear it from a fellow sufferer. I highly recommend this for anyone who has suffered from long-term depression, or who has a friend or family member dealing with the disease. I would not advise reading it while in the depths of a "downswing" (likely to make it worse) nor on a really good and "up" day (likely to bum you out, or you may feel so distanced from "the demon" that you can't relate at that time). BTW the book was recommended to me by a physician, who called it "the best book on the subject [he'd] ever read."

I can't believe I didn't want this thick book to end. It is anything but depressing. Andrew Solomon is an excellent writer and researcher, and he delves into all aspects of depression with a driving curiosity that stems from his own struggles with the condition. His unflinching honesty about his own extreme behavior makes his writing accessible and true. His compassionate interviews with fellow sufferers open relentless sadness to our full understanding. He concludes by describing depression as, not a single disease, but as a cluster of symptoms stemming from many different causes; thus the doctor's conundrum about tweaking treatments until finding a suitable one. He emphasizes the importance of correctly diagnosing and treating this condition to prevent suicide, and discusses moral views about how responsible one is or is not for one's own listlessness. His history of how depression has been viewed and treated historically is fascinating. During the nineteenth century, when it was called "melancholia," it was common and even fashionable among artists and writers. He examines broad social issues about how to best treat the under-diagnosed poor, and writes candidly about mental institutions. He interviewed many patients, and his main focus is on how the disease tramples down the daily lives of its victims, and on what kinds of treatments work. He explores conventional medicine and also alternative treatments, and concludes that whatever makes the person feel better is the key, because feeling better is the goal. He concludes that we are in the dark ages as to knowing which medications should work for which people, but there is an overall hopeful message that successful treatments can help people with depression to live long and productive lives. Melanoma Mama: On Life, Death, and Tent Camping

When the author was retelling his own experiences, or interviewing himself and his co-depressives, this was an insightful and amazing book. When the author was waxing poetic about philosophy, I often wanted to throw this book across the room--some very problematic assumptions about race, class, and gender are made even though the author tries to avoid such (and occasionally manages to do so). The general format of the book was not the problem--I think a general book about depression, interspersed with history and personal anecdotes, was generally a good idea. However, there was too much unedited personally-biased philosophizing in this book's non-fiction sections for me to give it a rating higher than three stars.

Through my own fear and ignorance, I had never really found out much about what depression really is and, like most people, I confused simply being "blue" with being depressed. You have a bad day at the office or the plant, you have a prickly run-in with a neighbor and when a friend asks how you are, you answer "Oh, I'm so depressed!" In Andrew Solomon's wise and beautifully written self-described "atlas" he explains immediately and interestingly and clearly exactly what depression is and what it is not. The author never shrinks from using himself as his main subject telling personal stories from his own struggles, his successes and his falls. But he also uses scientific and cultural examples to place this illness in its perspective. Other sufferers are interviewed as are doctors and, even philosophers. To be honest, I came to this work of non-fiction because I so loved Solomon's novel A STONE BOAT which covers some of the material in this book. Solomon is an extraordinary writer. I hesitate to give too many specific examples that are covered in the book, because, frankly, I believe many people will say to themselves, "Oh, that sounds like such a downer...I don't need to read such a SAD book." Well, here's the shocker: THE NOONDAY DEMON is so completely fascinating, so well-written and so intelligent that it is, in Adam Gopnik's ("The New Yorker") words, "charming, lively...never the least bit depressing." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Really good book, excellent condition and shipped quickly. Good price.

This is the most well-researched and beautiful account of depression and anxiety I have ever read, backed up by countless studies and personal experiences. Solomon is one of those rare writers - so eloquent that you want to highlight every other sentence and re-read it, so precise in his descriptions, and so humble and honest too. This is essential reading for anyone who has experienced anxiety or depression, or knows people who do.

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Ce livre est un témoignage personnel autant qu'un tour de horizon sur le sujet sous toutes les angles. C'est intéressant, c'est bien écrit et documenté et on tourne les pages facilement. C'est aussi oppressant par moments, tellement la dépression semble terrifiant et omniprésent. On se surprend souvent à penser: et moi? Ça va m'arriver quand?

Excelente leitura. Muito bem escrito!