Depression and the Self
Meaning, Control and Authenticity

Argues that in depression, perceptions of control and the self are intertwined - with important implications for diagnosis and recovery.

Tamara Kayali Browne (Author)

9781316503478, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 November 2019

191 pages, 2 b/w illus.
15 x 23 x 1 cm, 0.27 kg

'This is a highly readable book, excelling in being led by the respondents themselves, and exploring nuanced differences between their accounts, for instance in how they relate medication to authenticity. … It will be of use to sociologists of (mental) health and illness, and applied mental health scholars and practitioners alike. Her arguments for how to draw on, and take advantage of, people's own accounts of depression are particularly appealing and relevant, and stand to make a timely intervention in mental health research and practice.' Tineke Broer, Sociology of Health and Illness

Depression is widely recognised as the leading disability worldwide. Though classified as a medical condition, depression also contains very personal and social aspects which are integral to the experience - as those who have experienced it know all too well. Drawing on research interviews with women who have experienced depression, this psychological study elucidates experiences of depression and the meanings attached to it. In so doing, Browne challenges current understandings of depression as a chronic and endogenous illness and stresses the importance of the perception of authenticity among depression sufferers. Written in plain language accessible to non-specialists, Depression and the Self argues that in depression perceptions of control and the self are intertwined - and that this has important implications for diagnosis and recovery.

1. The self and related concepts
2. The view from inside: the variety of views of depression
3. Going for help: the impact of diagnosis on the self
4. Taking the medicine: the impact of medication on the self
5. Crossing your fingers: predicting depression's role in the future self
6. Conclusion
Appendix A: listening and learning
Appendix B: women interviewed
Appendix C: interview guide.

Subject Areas: The self, ego, identity, personality [JMS], Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR], Psychology: emotions [JMQ], Social, group or collective psychology [JMH], Psychology [JM], Society & social sciences [J]