Read The Noonday Demon An Atlas of Depression Andrew Solomon 9781501123887 Books

Product details Paperback 688 pages Publisher Scribner; New edition (May 19, 2015) Language English ISBN-10 1501123882

The Noonday Demon An Atlas of Depression Andrew Solomon 9781501123887 Books Reviews

• I have been dealing with anxiety and depression for years and this book really helped me realize that I'm not alone. This book also shows how even someone with severe anxiety and depression have found ways to push on. It would also be a great book for family and friends of someone suffering from anxiety/depression as it accurately and emotionally explains what people with anxiety/depression sometimes go through. I have yet to have any of my loved ones read it yet but I can imagine it would be very eye opening to them. This might not be the best book to read during a particularly difficult time because the author describes in great detail some of his darkest moments and that may be a trigger for some people.
• Yes, it may be dark and painful to read, but the reality could be much darker. When you are deeply depressed, there is nobody around you who would understand you and speak your language. Even therapists who know how to fix you would unlikely feel how you feel. Your friends and relatives will try to do various things to help you and most of these attempts will actually hurt you. This book speaks your language and shares your feelings. This helped me a lot to pull myself out of the dark.
• The Noonday Demon An Atlas of Depression was written over a five-year period, providing an intimate and complete work that examines scientific research, historical aspects, and public perspective of mental disease. Solomon's willingness to provide us with this no-holds-barred annal is courageous and selfless, to say the least.
  
  The author poses challenging questions such as whether suicide is a personal right or if it should be obviated no matter what, and if the benefit of dulling one's depression with the use of antidepressants outweighs the cost of emotional resilience, why the disease's focus in the medical community isn't on prevention like so many other diseases such as diabetes, and so much more. He is refreshingly matter-of-fact about his experiences with the disease, something that is difficult at best for most people, myself included.
  
  The Noonday Demon is by far the most perfectly written book about depression I have ever read. Solomon's personal experiences and those of others, coupled with research of every imaginable aspect of the disease equal a tome that is nothing short of a bible for the suffering and those who care about them.
• This is a brilliant and intense book on all aspects of depression. The author is very brave in the great detail in which he writes about his own depression. The book is not only personal but comprehensive, covering depression throughout the ages as well as its present manifestations, and in all aspects, including all forms of treatment. Parts of the book are painful to read, but the overall effect of the book is hopeful. It is also beautifully written.
• This book is exactly what it says. I am enjoying reading it, but found it amusing the copy I received had a pamphlet for suicide prevention in the front, I am unsure if that is Standard Operating Procedure for this book but if this was a special treat just for me
• I am constantly amazed at Andrew Solomon's ability to inject evocative language into what could be a potentially dry and clinical subject.
  
  As expected, there are some 1 star reviews by people who a) Are fighting an ideological war against biological psychiatry (usually Scientologists) or were b) expecting a "self-help" book. If you are thinking of buying The Noonday Demon as a self-help book, put it down now and look elsewhere (I recommend The Untethered Soul for this if you are looking for a self-help book).
  
  I am frankly amazed at some of the 1 star reviews claiming that Solomon is pushing antidepressants onto the depressed. I found the entire book incredibly balanced. The only scathing comment I found was a (deserved) disparaging comment regarding Peter Breggin. The book features a range of positive, neutral and negative experiences regarding drug treatments. It mentions people getting helped by herbal treatments.
  
  Highly recommended.
• I have been clinically depressed since my teen years, and though I've picked up a number of facts on depression, I am still amazed by the amount of information and insight this book provides. There are times when Solomon is almost unnecessarily verbose, but if you are willing to work through this a little, all the pieces of clues, so to speak, he provides can really be eye-opening and helpful on this disease.
  
  Already, I have had a number of "light bulbs" go off, in reading this book, regarding my own depression, including the insight that the part of the brain that regulates sleep is also related to depression (I have always, always since infancy had sleep problems).
  
  Also, great quotes I can very much relate to, as I learn that a large portion of my depression is related to perception
  
  "Grief is depression in proportion to circumstance; depression is grief out of proportion to circumstance."
  "In depression, all that is happening in the present is the anticipation of pain in the future, and the present qua present no longer exists at all."
• As a fellow depressive, I find this book very helpful. It helps with understanding the disease, as well as giving lots of details of history. The section on suicide was actually encouraging--the author delineates between being suicidal and having suicidal thoughts. The author is very sympathetic, and relates his own experience with depression without losing objectivity. I'd highly recommend this book if you are depressed or are living with someone who is depressed.