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by: Andrew Solomon  List Price: $17.00 Price: $10.67 You Save: $6.33 (37%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.85270092 Edition: 1st Touchstone Format: Bargain Price Label: Scribner Manufacturer: Scribner Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 576 Publication Date: March 26, 2002 Publisher: Scribner Studio: Scribner Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Sometimes, the legacy of depression includes a wisdom beyond one's years, a depth of passion unexperienced by those who haven't traveled to hell and back. Off the charts in its enlightening, comprehensive analysis of this pervasive yet misunderstood condition, The Noonday Demon forges a long, brambly path through the subject of depression--exposing all the discordant views and "answers" offered by science, philosophy, law, psychology, literature, art, and history. The result is a sprawling and thoroughly engrossing study, brilliantly synthesized by author Andrew Solomon. Deceptively simple chapter titles (including "Breakdowns," "Treatments," "Addiction," "Suicide") each sit modestly atop a virtual avalanche of Solomon's intellect. This is not a book to be skimmed. But Solomon commands the language--and his topic--with such grace and empathy that the constant flow of references, poems, and quotations in his paragraphs arrive like welcome dinner guests. A longtime sufferer of severe depression himself, Solomon willingly shares his life story with readers. He discusses updated information on various drugs and treatment approaches while detailing his own trials with them. He describes a pharmaceutical company's surreal stage production (involving Pink Floyd, kick dancers, and an opener à la Cats) promoting a new antidepressant to their sales team. He chronicles his research visits to assorted mental institutions, which left him feeling he would "much rather engage with every manner of private despair than spend a protracted time" there. Under Solomon's care, however, such tales offer much more than shock value. They show that depression knows no social boundaries, manifests itself quite differently in each person, and has become political. And, while it may worsen or improve, depression will never be eradicated. Hope lies in finding ways--as Solomon clearly has--to harness its powerful lessons. --Liane Thomas Product Description: With uncommon humanity, candor, wit, and erudition, award-winning author Andrew Solomon takes the reader on a journey of incomparable range and resonance into the most pervasive of family secrets. His contribution to our understanding not only of mental illness but also of the human condition is truly stunning. The Noonday Demon examines depression in personal, cultural, and scientific terms. Drawing on his own struggles with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, doctors and scientists, policymakers and politicians, drug designers and philosophers, Solomon reveals the subtle complexities and sheer agony of the disease. He confronts the challenge of defining the illness and describes the vast range of available medications, the efficacy of alternative treatments, and the impact the malady has had on various demographic populations around the world and throughout history. He also explores the thorny patch of moral and ethical questions posed by emerging biological explanations for mental illness. The depth of human experience Solomon chronicles, the range of his intelligence, and his boundless curiosity and compassion will change the reader's view of the world. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - A great supplement to graduate level texts on depressionI literally cannot put this book down. I am not a sufferer of depression, but a grad student majoring in psyschology. I have been looking for a text book would give me lots of accurate and valid information on depression but also give me the patient's point of view on this disease. This book fills the bill. Morever, at it's heart this is a well-researched "Atlas" that guides you through all the phases of depression, external perceptions of the disease, and includes psychosocial effects ... Read More Rating: - Great Layperson's Perspective on DepressionOne of the best books I have read on depression, and probably the best written by a layperson/patient. Not only the author has great perspective on his own illness struggles, but his personal experience does not over-dominate the volume. He did his homework, seamlessly mixing personal stories and interviews with people he met from all walks of life with more global depression facts. Chapters on treatment alternatives and politics are superb, as well as an excellent chapter on the history of depression ... Read More Rating:  - This is no "atlas"On the positive side, the personal experience of the author's depression is daunting and even insightful (it may make anyone think twice about whether they really suffer from depression, compared to the extent of his illness). But I feel mislead: from the synopses and reviews I read, I expected more than an extended self-portrait. He could have condensed his own trauma into the introductory portion and spent more time with the "atlas" and "cross-cultural" analysis that is supposedly the focal point. It lost ... Read More Rating: - A compelling, comprehensive volume detailing the experience of depression In this remarkable work, author Andrew Solomon offers an incredibly thorough and engrossing account of the landscape of depression. He skillfully manages to weave together a virtually endless supply of scientific knowledge and up-to-date information on depression statistics and literature with excepts taken from a seemingly tireless series of interviews with fellow depression sufferers. It is these anecdotal vignettes which make up the heart of the book, as Solomon completely captivates his readers with these ... Read More Rating: - Nothing new here....I looked forward to reading this book, but mainly found it unenlightening and if you're depressed, it certainly won't improve your mood. The author does nothing to look at clinical trial results of SSRIs and newer antidepressants that conclude 50% of people do not respond or the percentage responding is no better than placebo. Many therapists will tell you most people on SSRIs go from one drug to another with some relief but eventually none work or patients end up on multiple drug therapy that barely keeps the illness ... Read More 
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