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by: John J. Md Ratey  List Price: $4.99 Price: $3.75 You Save: $1.24 (25%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.89 EAN: 9780679439684 Edition: 1st ISBN: 0679439684 Label: Pantheon Manufacturer: Pantheon Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 389 Publication Date: February 04, 1997 Publisher: Pantheon Release Date: February 04, 1997 Studio: Pantheon Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Freud once said that nobody is "normal," and after reading Shadow Syndromes, you may well be convinced of that. While more than 50 million Americans suffer from full-fledged mental illnesses such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, millions more suffer from milder forms--yet they likely don't realize it. From chronic sadness to low self-esteem to shopping addiction to intermittent rage disorder, compassionate authors John J. Ratey, M.D. and Catherine Johnson, Ph.D. chronicle the often-undiagnosed (yet definitely insidious) "shadow" disorders. One of the most eye-opening points the authors make is that men who "can't commit" to a relationship may in fact be suffering from an unrecognized adult form of attention deficit disorder. Shadow Syndromes is thorough, but at the same time it simplifies the technical aspects of mental illnesses--no stacks of footnotes or complicated neurotransmitter charts here. The authors use plenty of anecdotes to illustrate how everyday people have recognized and overcome shadow syndromes. They also prevent the book from becoming one big bundle of bad news by stressing that these disorders are treatable with medications such as Prozac, which Johnson took to handle her mild depression. Specific lifestyle changes are also advised, including more sleep, changes in diet, and more exercise. The "Care and Feeding of the Brain" chapter compiles other empowering, healing approaches. This book will be valuable not only for those who believe they're suffering from a shadow syndrome, but for doctors and therapists as well. --Erica Jorgensen Product Description: The millions of people who attribute their daily life problems to bad parents, low self-esteem, or lack of will power may, in fact, be struggling with shadow syndromes. Chronic sadness, obsessiveness, outbursts of anger, inability to finish tasks, disabling discomfort in social situations -- these and other problems are all mild forms of serious mental disorders that can affect the very courses of our lives. They are shadow syndromes. Drs. John J. Ratey and Catherine Johnson challenge the prevalent idea that problems like these are brought on by aberrations in a person's upbringing and relationships, and then prolonged by his or her willful resistance to change. Instead, they assert that these behavior patterns originate in the inherent structure and chemistry of the individual brain, that they are distinctly identifiable, and that they respond to a range of approaches: from medication and psychotherapy to diet, meditation, and exercise. Elucidating for the first time the biology behind personality, Shadow Syndromes provides the knowledge and learning we need to understand the real causes of the treacherous mood swings and behavior patterns that can hold us back from what we need to achieve. It provides the guidance we need to emerge from the shadows that often determine the courses of our lives, enabling us to effect positive and lasting change in ourselves and those we love. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Not a big helpThe book don't share the objetive information that I waited.It don't help you to diagnose or perceive the "shadow syndromes".A lot of real cases but little epidemiologic, neuropsychiatric, and treatment information.And it don't do the most important in my opinion: to diferenciate from a shadow syndrome to the other. Rating:  - an important bookThis is an important book that should be read by everyone who has an interest in mental health, and that includes just about all of us. In many ways, this book is an extension of the ideas of Peter Kramer's Listening to Prozac and Michael Norden's Beyond Prozac, especially the former book. It's filled with useful information and plenty of detailed case studies, where I think case studies are a very useful and entertaining way to learn about the effects of psychiatric drugs. Is there really a large ... Read More Rating:  - Hidden Syndromes An interesting book to read and understand all syndromes and how they appear. Although too much on the side of using Prozac which now is not used as much as many patients become hooked on such medicines . If you take that away,or do not pay much attention to this part, it is very informative and you can understand those who are near you who have these syndromes. Rating: - Insightful observations, well writtenI was familiar with John Ratey due to his involvement with Dr. Hallowell in books like "Driven to distraction" however I had never read any thing written by Dr. Ratey himself. I found his book surprisingly informative. This book is an easy read even for the lay-person.His explainations are easy to follow and understand. I have referanced this book several times when writting about mental conditions and sharing information with other who are intersted in mental health. As some one who is very familiar ... Read More Rating: - Cultivate your shadow hypochondriasisShadows Syndromes is a worthy read, in that it does a good job of highlighting the major disconnect between diagnostic categories and reality. While the DSM model has its uses (research and billing being the only two I can think of right now), it also serves to reify the notion that mental illnesses are precise, discreet disorders. Any one with an ounce of clinic experience will tell you that real cases don't fit neatly into categories. The diagnostic questions sometimes help think through and ... Read More 
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