A Cure for Darkness - by Alex Riley (Paperback)

About the Book

"What is depression? Is it a persistent low mood or a complex range of symptoms? Is it a single diagnosis or a diversity of mental disorders requiring different treatments? In A Cure for Darkness, science writer Alex Riley explores these questions, digging into the long history of depression and chronicling the lives of psychiatrists and scientists who sought cures for their patients"--

Book Synopsis

A fascinating, "rich, and generous" (Financial Times) look at the treatment of depression by an award-winning science writer that blends popular science, narrative history, and memoir.Is depression a persistent low mood, or is it a range of symptoms? Can it be expressed through a single diagnosis, or does depression actually refer to a diversity of mental disorders? Is there, or will there ever be, a cure? In seeking the answers to these questions, Riley finds a rich history of ideas and treatments--and takes the reader on a gripping narrative journey, packed with fascinating stories like the junior doctor who discovered that some of the first antidepressants had a deadly reaction with cheese. "Interweaving memoir, case histories, and accounts of new therapies, Riley anatomizes what is still a fairly young science, and a troubled one" (The New Yorker). Reporting on the field of global mental health from its colonial past to the present day, Riley highlights a range of scalable therapies, including how a group of grandmothers stands on the frontline of a mental health revolution. Hopeful, fascinating, and profound, A Cure for Darkness is "recommended reading for anyone with even a peripheral interest in depression" (Washington Examiner).

Review Quotes

"Interweaving memoir, case histories, and accounts of new therapies, Riley anatomizes what is still a fairly young science, and a troubled one." -New Yorker ""A substantial and revealing history of [depression]... grappling with the opposing psychological and biological therapies of pioneering psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Emil Kraepelin, and their divided successors." -Nature "Offers a rich and generous picture of research into depression to date...Riley's own postgraduate brush with depression structures his book, but the most striking thing about A Cure for Darkness is its acknowledgment of disparate experience - for patients, as well as their physicians or therapists - and extreme complexity." -Financial Times "Recommended reading for anyone with even a peripheral interest in depression." -Washington Examiner "Breezily written, personal and accessible ... a valuable addition to a literature that will be especially needed as the pandemic recedes." -The Times (UK) "[An] eye-opening survey of the many shapes and forms of depression, from ancient history to today. As science writer Riley notes in his concise, refreshing debut book, depression is a vastly complex collection of overlapping mental states, the product of genes, neurotransmitters, upbringing, health, trauma, diet, lifestyle, and other factors ... The author delves into these moments with notable vigor, insight, and scientific background information." -Kirkus, starred review "In his broadly researched and compassionate debut, Riley traces the history of treatments for depression and our changing understanding of the human brain ... An essential book that brings much-needed awareness to depression and the lingering stigma and misinformation surrounding it." -Library Journal, starred review "Expansive and thoughtful, [A Cure for Darkness] illuminates the complexity and elusiveness of [Riley's] subject." -The New Statesman

About the Author

Alex Riley is an award-winning science writer living in Bristol, UK. His work has been published by Aeon Magazine, the BBC, The Guardian, PBS's NOVA Next, and New Scientist, among others. In 2019, he received a best feature award from the Association of British Science Writers for his reporting on The Friendship Bench, a project that provides mental healthcare to low-income communities in Zimbabwe and has been adopted in countries around the world.