Breaking Through Depression

We are often told that depression is 'all in the mind'. So why are so many of its symptoms felt in our bodies? Why can depression have such a profound impact on physical as well as mental health - from coronary disease to stroke? Philip Gold, a world-renowned expert on this devastating illness, shows how depression is a stress response gone awry, affecting the whole body, not just the brain.

Drawing on both neuroscience and endocrinology, Breaking Through Depression reveals the latest research on how depression influences every aspect of our health, from the chemical messengers that control appetite to the brain's structure and functionality. Packed with startling insights, this book transforms our understanding of different forms of depression, including related conditions such as bipolar and seasonal affective disorders, and its huge impact on global health.

Timely, urgent and important, Breaking Through Depression articulates the workings of this misunderstood illness in compelling and often surprising detail, introducing the newest innovations in treatment - from low energy lasers to genetic solutions and rapidly acting antidepressants which restore damaged brain cells - that offer hope for healing.

Review

Compassionate and wide-ranging . . . a leading researcher reveals promising new treatments for depression -- Rhys Blakely ― The Times

Gold makes a convincing argument for his theory . . . Many sections of Breaking Through Depression read like a medical memoir, intercutting stories from the frontline of this research with detailed scientific explanations. I found his descriptions of the condition to be painfully precise -- David Robson ― Observer

Masterful . . . distils extensive clinical experience, personal insights, and the scientific achievements of a professional lifetime, to offer a lucid analysis of what it will take to understand, treat, and ultimately defeat what is todays "cancer of the self" -- Peter Whybrow ― Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, UCLA and Founding Member and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

An inspiring exploration of the recent advances and remarkable new methods that offer promising paths to wellness ― Next Big Idea Club

Beautiful, humane, a masterpiece . . . exquisitely delves into one of the most pervasive causes of misery in the world . . . Those who suffer will be rewarded with a deep understanding of depression and newly available treatments, as well as with realistic hope -- George P. Chrousos ― Chairman Emeritus, Department of Pediatrics, Athens University School of Medicine

Dr. Gold combines biological research and expertise in psychotherapy in a way that makes him the preeminent expert on depression in the world . . . an unprecedented resource for those struggling with depression and for those trying to better understand depression in order to help friends and family members struggling with this dreaded disease. I recommend this stunning book with the highest levels of enthusiasm -- Julio Licinio ― former Dean and Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at SUNY

One of the greatest authorities on Earth when it comes to depression... his work points towards new cures which could see the illness one day defeated ― The Herald

Depression, Gold believes is the normal human stress response gone horribly wrong, wreaking havoc on both the brain and the body... Help, though, is at hand -- Michael Eisen ― Literary Review

About the Author

Philip Gold is one of the world's leading researchers of depressive illness. Since 1974, he has worked at the National Institute of Health, where he has served as Chief of Neuroendocrine Research, and Senior Investigator in the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, and Chief of the Section on Neuroendocrinology.