The Noonday Demon An Atlas Of Depression

Andrew Solomon's National Book Award-winning work of non-fiction and memoir, The Noonday Demon, examines depression in comprehensive personal, cultural, and scientific terms. Drawing on his own agonizing struggle with the illness, the book narrates his personal history and includes extensive research through interviews with fellow sufferers, doctors, scientists, policymakers, drug designers, and philosophers. Solomon confronts the challenge of defining depression and reveals its subtle complexities and sheer agony, along with the reasons for hope. The book explores the vast range of available medications and alternative treatments, the impact the malady has had on various demographic populations around the world and throughout history, and delves into the thorny moral and ethical questions posed by biological explanations for mental illness. With uncommon humanity, candor, wit, and erudition, Solomon takes the reader on a journey into the most pervasive of family secrets, contributing significantly to the understanding of both mental illness and the human condition. The original book, first published in 2001, has been updated with a major new chapter covering recent and novel treatments, suicide, antidepressants, and depression during pregnancy.

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