A Cure for Darkness
The story of depression and how we treat it
Published on 13. April 2021
Book
Hardback
464 pages
978-1-78503-901-0 (ISBN)
Description
'Boldly ambitious, deeply affecting, and magisterial in scope' Steve Silberman, author of Neurotribes
'Expansive and thoughtful, it illuminates the complexity and elusiveness of his subject' New Statesman
'A rich and generous picture of research into depression to date' Financial Times
What is depression? Is it a persistent low mood or a complex range of symptoms? Is it a single diagnosis or a range of mental disorders requiring different treatments? And is there a way of curing such a complex, and diverse, condition?
A sufferer of depression himself, science writer Alex Riley has spent years thinking about these issues as he was prescribed antidepressants and underwent cognitive behavioural therapy. Throughout his treatment, he wondered-are antidepressants effective? Do short-term talking therapies actually work? And what is on the horizon for those who don't respond to these first-line treatments? A Cure for Darkness explores all of these questions and more, as the author embarks on a journey to illuminate one of the world's most prevalent disorders.
Weaving personal and family history, the book tracks treatments through centuries of science, from the 'talking cure' to electroconvulsive therapy to magic mushrooms. Reporting on the field of global mental health from its colonial past to the present day, Riley discovers new and exciting therapies, including how a group of grandmothers stands on the frontline of a mental health revolution. A gripping narrative journey, A Cure for Darkness delves deep into the science of mental health and finds hope at the new frontiers of treatment.
'Expansive and thoughtful, it illuminates the complexity and elusiveness of his subject' New Statesman
'A rich and generous picture of research into depression to date' Financial Times
What is depression? Is it a persistent low mood or a complex range of symptoms? Is it a single diagnosis or a range of mental disorders requiring different treatments? And is there a way of curing such a complex, and diverse, condition?
A sufferer of depression himself, science writer Alex Riley has spent years thinking about these issues as he was prescribed antidepressants and underwent cognitive behavioural therapy. Throughout his treatment, he wondered-are antidepressants effective? Do short-term talking therapies actually work? And what is on the horizon for those who don't respond to these first-line treatments? A Cure for Darkness explores all of these questions and more, as the author embarks on a journey to illuminate one of the world's most prevalent disorders.
Weaving personal and family history, the book tracks treatments through centuries of science, from the 'talking cure' to electroconvulsive therapy to magic mushrooms. Reporting on the field of global mental health from its colonial past to the present day, Riley discovers new and exciting therapies, including how a group of grandmothers stands on the frontline of a mental health revolution. A gripping narrative journey, A Cure for Darkness delves deep into the science of mental health and finds hope at the new frontiers of treatment.
Reviews / Votes
A fascinating history of mental health, treatments, practitioners and therapies. * Evening Standard * It is breezily written, personal and accessible, and it covers a lot of ground. I hope it will be widely read by those who are susceptible to depression, which the author has experienced and which runs in his family, and by policymakers. -- Oliver Kamm * The Times * A Cure for Darkness is both a compelling intellectual contribution and an act of generosity. Alex Riley combines meticulous reporting and evocative storytelling to reveal scientists' evolving understanding of depression and the many ways it can be treated. In this candid, accessible, era-spanning book, Riley brings rare sensitivity and lucidity to a topic that has defied comprehension for centuries, weaving a story that is both sweeping in scope and intensely personal. * Siri Carpenter, science journalist and editor of The Craft of Science Writing * An outstanding achievement * Michael Berk, head of the IMPACT Strategic Research Centre at Deakin University, Geelong. * Riley explores the long shadow of depression that winds through human history with intelligence and insight and - equally important - with courage and compassion. The resulting, remarkable book shines like a light against the night itself. * Deborah Blum *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 45 mm
Weight
567 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78503-901-0 (9781785039010)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2021
1st Edition
Ebury Digital
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Alex Riley is an award-winning science writer and the author of A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It, his first book. He received a best feature award at the 2019 Association of British Science Writers Awards for his reporting on The Friendship Bench, a project that began in Zimbabwe in 2006 and has since provided mental health care to thousands of people in New York. Since leaving academia in 2015, he began writing popular science articles for magazines such as New Scientist, PBS's NOVA Next, BBC Future, Mosaic Science, Aeon, and Nautilus Magazine. He lives in Bristol.