Against Depression: Summary and book reviews of Against Depression by Peter Kramer, plus links to an excerpt from Against Depression and a biography of Peter Kramer.
Against Depression
by Peter D. Kramer
Hardcover: May 2005,
368 pages.
Paperback: Jul 2006,
368 pages.
A decade ago, with his breakaway bestseller, Listening to Prozac, Peter Kramer revolutionized the way we think about antidepressants and the culture in which they are so widely used. Now, he returns with a profound and original look at the condition those medications treat—depression. He asks: If we could eradicate depression so that no human being ever suffered it again, would we?
Depression, linked in our culture to a long tradition of “heroic melancholy,” is often understood as ennobling—a source of soulfulness and creativity. Tracing this belief from Aristotle to the Romantics to Picasso, and to present-day memoirs of mood disorder, Kramer suggests that the pervasiveness of the illness has distorted our sense of what it is to be human. There is nothing heroic about depression, Kramer argues, and he presents the latest scientific findings to support the fact that depression is a disease—one that can have far-reaching health effects on its sufferers.
Frank and unflinching, Against Depression is a deeply felt, deeply moving book, grounded in time spent with the depressed. As his argument unfolds, Kramer becomes a crusader, the author of a compassionate polemic that is fiercely against depression and the devastation it causes.
Like Listening to Prozac, Against Depression will offer hope to millions who suffer from depression—and radically alter the debate on its treatment.
A thoughtful, sometimes controversial look at depression. However, the audio book, read by Kramer in an ironically depressing monotone, is a disappointment. No doubt Kramer is a fascinating man stuffed full with fascinating ideas but his reading style is a little dull! (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Publisher's Weekly
Resolute but not preachy, this book is an important addition to the growing public health campaign against depression.
Kirkus Reviews
A clear, valuable exposition of the progress researchers are making in understanding an all-too-common disease.
The Washington Post
In his new book, Peter D. Kramer examines depression with a cool, intelligent and sympathetic eye. He asks two interesting questions: If we could eradicate depression, would we? And if we did, would we lose anything of value?
San Francisco Chronicle
Kramer makes an eloquent case for considering depression a disease... Captivating, convincing and thorough.
Prozac has been taken by more than 54 million people since its
introduction in 1986, making it the most widely described anti-depressant
medicine in history.
More than 18 million Americans suffer
from some type of depression, and one in eight persons need treatment for
depression during his or her lifetime.
Depression is a recurring illness.
If you have one episode there is a 50% chance of another, if the recurrence
rate increasing with the number of episodes.
Untreated, depression can last up to
6 months or longer.
An estimated 15% of people with
chronic depression commit suicide.
Due to the social stigma still
surrounding depression, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates
two-thirds of people suffering from depression do not seek help.
From other sources:
In the 1960s it was discovered that
the antihistamine Diphenhydramine hydrochloride (trade...
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