Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age

Depression, Once A Subfield Of Neurosis, Has Become The Most Diagnosed Mental Disorder In The World. Why And How Has Depression Become Such A Topical Illness And What Does It Tell Us About Changing Ideas Of The Individual And Society? Alain Ehrenberg Investigates The History Of Depression And Depressive Symptoms Across Twentieth-century Psychiatry, Showing That Identifying Depression Is Far More Difficult Than A Simple Diagnostic Distinction Between Normal And Pathological Sadness - The One Constant In The History Of Depression Is Its Changing Definition. Drawing On The Accumulated Knowledge Of A Lifetime Devoted To The Study Of The Individual In Modern Democratic Society, Ehrenberg Shows That The Phenomenon Of Modern Depression Is Not A Construction Of The Pharmaceutical Industry But A Pathology Arising From Inadequacy In A Social Context Where Success Is Attributed To, And Expected Of, The Autonomous Individual. In So Doing, He Provides Both A Novel And Convincing Description Of The Illness That Clarifies The Intertwining Relationship Between Its Diagnostic History And Changes In Social Norms And Values. The First Book To Offer Both A Global Sociological View Of Contemporary Depression And A Detailed Description Of Psychiatric Reasoning And Its Transformation - From The Invention Of Electroshock Therapy To Mass Consumption Of Prozac - The Weariness Of The Self Offers A Compelling Exploration Of Depression As Social Fact.