Depression

by William Styron

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Mental Health, Biography, Memoir

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

William Styron (1925–2006), born in Newport News, Virginia, was one of the greatest American writers of his generation. Styron published his first book, Lie Down in Darkness, at age twenty-six and went on to write such influential works as the controversial and Pulitzer Prize–winning The Confessions of Nat Turner and the international bestseller Sophie’s Choice.

Reviews

[Loredana (Bookinista08) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this little book, although that sounds weird considering the theme is depression. I found myself drawn into William Styron's narrative on how he dealt with depression at its nastiest, which must mean I really clicked with his writing style. This was my first Styron read, but it will definitely not be the last.
In these 70 something pages the author reminisces a period of 4-5 months in which his depression hit hardest and relentlessly. He felt captive in a downward spiral and he knew he should get help as soon as possible. After he started having serious suicidal thoughts, his last grain of sanity determined him to get himself admitted into a hospital and get treated there. At last, with isolation from outside world and also a change in medication, he started feeling better and gradually renounced all thought of suicide.
It was a wonderful book because it is one man's real life story of the battle against depression and it plants the seed of hope that things can get better. Much better. It was artistic, but also realistic. A pleasure to read, with some sort of silver lining at the end, from someone who has actually lived through a deepest, darkest bout of depression.
P.S. I think this collection - Vintage Minis - will soon be my favorite!

[Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read William Styron before but I changed my mind when I came across this Vintage Minis one in the Books Kinokuniya, SiamQuartier branch in Bangkok on August 23, 2017. I wondered what and how he would tell his readers on this elusively notorious 'disease' in his memoir extracted from his "Darkness Visible" first published in 1991. Acclaimed by his "Lie Down in Darkness" (1951), "The Confessions of Nat Turner" (1967) and "Sophie's Choice" (1979), he wrote this memoir from his experience suffering since his first bout of depression in 1985 and it has long been best known during the last twenty years of his life. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...)

I liked his simple definition on depression, that is, "disorder of mood" (p. 4) because, as far as I read and know, I've neither found it printed nor heard before; however, from his opening sentence of this booklet there is a brief symptom mentioned there. Let me quote it for clarification:

In Paris on a chilly evening late in October of 1985 I first became fully aware that the struggle with the disorder in my mind -- a struggle which had engaged me for several months -- might have a fatal outcome. (p. 1)

I mean "disorder in my mind" which was his message to reveal how he suffered from a kind of mind-related illness. So when someone has been in trouble like him, he should be informed that it may need time, expertise and practice to deepen and apply our knowledge or wisdom (philosophy, I think, tends to be not direct to the point because it is a formidable discipline in theory) in discussing on why the mind in question is in disorder and how physicians or psychiatrists should take action on treating their patients. This approach should, I think, lead to its fundamental analysis and effective cure of any depression case that eventually arises and needs their professional help and care instead of ignorance or derision.

This memoir should be interesting to general readers and those facing depression since it has been written from his own objective and logical account in which, I think, we could take his advice into consideration by applying what and how to cope with such a bout. I especially liked one of his consoling encouragements to those in despair, that is, "it is conquerable" (p. 78).

To continue ...

[Kate Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE Vintage Minis. They pull extracts from novels that reflect what it means to be human. They are affordable, quick reads that you can carry anywhere. When I'm with one, I'm not alone.

This particular mini is an extract from Styron's 'Darkness Visible' and details his personal experience with the god-awful demon that is clinical depression. In it, he is open and beautiful in his efforts to describe the disease that can't be explained. The book is littered with hope, because he is alive to tell the tale. Styron also makes reference to some of my very favourite (and human) people — Camus and Baudelaire.

When Styron describes the time music made him feel something again, I found myself in tears. Personally, I can relate to this.

I will surely be reading his full memoir some time soon. A wonderful, quality read.

[Suad Shamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very...depressing...read. It was actually quite sad and heavy in the emotions department. For me, personally, I mean.

This is a memoir that Styron wrote on how he overcame the disorder in his mind - i.e. depression. How he struggled with it, how he denied it, how he watched it destroy others around him, and how it almost came to destroy him, but how he conquered it.

I loved the openness in his portrayal. I loved how human he was in describing his long and arduous journey. I loved that he did not shy away from talking about this with as much depth and honesty as he could.

It makes you reevaluate your life and look around you. Trying to notice and think if there is anyone around you, who could be suffering in silence, the way he did. It makes you want to help him...it makes you look within yourself to see if you've ever felt that way.

But this book was also about hope. About a strong support system (his wife), and about fighting this battle with his mind. And winning.

It also sheds light on treatments. On what psychiatrists immediately resort to when they have a patient diagnosed with clinical depression - pills. In Styron's case, he was on the pills for about a month and a half, and not getting any better, and his doctor kept giving him either a higher dosage or a different kind, and it eventually turned out that those pills were one of the key reasons such unbalance was happening in his brain.

He does stress that this might have just been his personal experience with a doctor, and he isn't sure if they're all like that. It's still important to question and seek second opinions though. This is a very serious condition that has been brought down to a level of triviality where people now randomly use the word to express "unhappiness" or "discontent". This condition has been known to take people's lives (mainly through suicide), over and over and over again. We see it every day, we hear about it every day, but there's yet any serious action taken to raise awareness and make a difference.

Definitely an eye-opener.

[Tereza Vítková · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krátká novela o depresi, melancholii a sebevraždě. Zpověď člověka, který rezignoval na život a každý den čelí volbě mezi životem a smrtí. Styron čtenáře provází obdobím několika měsíců, během kterých zažívá paralyzující depresivní epizody.

Knížku jsem si vybrala proto, že jsem měla hrozně vágní povědomí o depresi. Nikdy jsem depresivním lidem nerozuměla, ani se o to nijak zvlášť nesnažila. Dlouho jsem vnímala depresivní myšlení jako postoj, jako svobodný rozhodnutí člověka a otázku vůle žít život ve štěstí nebo v utrpení (laicky řečeno). No, názor jsem určitě přehodnotila a aspoň zprostředkovaně jsem zažila nesnesitelnou realitu všedních dnů lidí, kteří se s depresí potýkají. I přes opakující se pocity bolesti a beznaděje vyzařuje ze Styronových slov síla a vůle svůj osud zvrátit. Na rozdíl od jiných autorů, kteří depresi idealizují nebo nějakým způsobem čerpají z depresivních epizod pro vlastní tvorbu (třeba Woolfová), Styron se vůči nemoci jasně vymezuje a nepřijímá ji jako součást vlastního já. Odhaluje zkušenosti s nemocí jakožto pacient, ale také z pozice pozorovatele sledujícího jak stejná nemoc užírá jeho blízké – což dalo úvahám nový rozměr. Intimní konverzace s člověkem, který vám umožňuje vplout do nejtemnější myšlenek jakéhokoliv smrtelníka a ponořit se až na dřeň lidské duše. Určitě se chystám i na jeho Darkness Visible.

Co mě obzvlášť zaujalo:
- Styron si stěžoval na naprostou absenci snů – o tom jsem nikdy dřív neslyšela, je to normální u deprese?
- Velmi obdivoval Camuse, dokonce se s ním měl setkat v Paříži, po příletu do Francie se ale dozvěděl, že Camus zemřel při autonehodě (patrně sebevražda) – což byla tragédie, která ho hluboce poznamenala (jeho slovy: “I have never felt so intesely the loss of someone I did not know“)
- Přirovnává depresi k pojmu brainstorm, který má v dnešním jazyce úplně jiný význam v kontextu tvořivosti
- Tragická zkušenost s antidepresivy a psychoterapií, deprese se u něj projevila až v 60 letech po alkoholové abstinenci

[Russio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very useful book for me to read at this time, as a fellow sufferer. The recognition made me feel not alone and the possibility of a recovery was what I really wanted to hear.

[Oleksandr Rovniahin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoy this "Mini" series, since it provides a reader with an opportunity to get acquainted with the Author's style and thoughts no strings attached.
This particular pocket book is edited from the bigger and more broad memoir "Darkness Visible" by William Styron. To get straight to the point, this book succeeds in what it sets out to do, giving you a glimpse of a immense and aching solitude of a person locked in his self-destructive and agonising thoughts, portrayed carefully and insightfully by Mr. Styron. Even if you understand what the premise of this book is in some way (The title probably gives it away, right?) he still manages to capture your attention and paint a vivid picture of an individual amidst the crisis of self-destruction, leading to the exploration of contemplation of death, suicide mental illnesses and other things carefully united in a dull and bland word that is depression.
Thus, I would suggest this book to anyone curious/interested in the topic, which is explored by an articulate writer using all the literary tools of a well-established writer together with personal experience to put forward an essay of a disease (in contrast to all the specific and bland medical literature).
The goal of this book is not only to give you some food for thought, but to point you in the right direction in search of search of your own way of understanding of such a complex and intrinsically malevolent thing that Depression is.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was both haunting and beautifully written, with Styron talking about depression both as an observer and as a sufferer. He didn’t deal with depression until he turned sixty, but when it did kick in, it kicked in big time. As a sufferer of depression myself, I thought he handled it tactfully and in a way that rang true to my own experience. This is definitely recommended by me.

[Tereza Jahodová · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really interesting. I don’t think I ever read such an intimate and detailed account of depression. As @Terka put it, oftentimes in literature depression is some sort of an idealised melancholy, but Styron shows it to the reader as a neverending, agonizing pain. This is an honest window into the mind of someone struggling from mental disorder, and I think it will help me to be more understanding.

[Heather Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

"it is hopelessness even more than pain that crushes the soul."

Despite it's age, this short read is just as relevant today as it was in 1990 and surely throughout most of human's history.

For myself, who has experienced severe depression, this is a brave attempt at putting words to the indescribable horror the soul experiences during it's darkest days.

But more importantly, for anyone who has not experienced depression but knows someone who has (hint, this means everyone), Styron tells his intimate story in a way that explains how maddening and misunderstood this illness is. During a time when mental health problems are rampant and still stigmatized, it is a small courtesy to your friends, family and colleagues to read this 78 page book and better understand their struggle.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the second time and realised I had judged it quite poorly the first. It's interesting, well-written, holistic in its approach, and very very important because it makes some key yet generally unacknowledged points about depression that can also apply to mental illnesses in general. Apart from putting the reader in his shoes (William Styron was very severely depressed for a period of his later life), he highlights that depression is difficult to cure because of the idiosyncratic nature of the disease, and because the brain is still largely a mystery to science. Also, mental illnesses are *illnesses* even though they are often treated as behavioural choices of patients unwilling to make the extra effort at life. Though gloomy at times, it ends on a very optimistic note. Highly recommended!

[Shaghaf Awad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a VERY important and eye-opening book for the family and friends of a depressed person, or anyone who wants to know what depression is like. Sure, people with depression might benefit from reading it too, but NOT while they are in the midst of it.. Maybe when the worst is over.
The last few pages were the ones that hit me the most for reasons I'd rather not share here. At times it was difficult to follow a thought because of the sophisticated language used, but it is still a great book that should be read more than once and a be reference when needed.

[Lani M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might be lucky enough not to know how it feels to be depressed, I got stress here and there but never in a dire state which called depression.

Styron wrote his personal experience and battle against depression, what he feels, how his body responds to it; how dreadful it is to be in that state. "gloom crowding in on me, a sense of dread and alienation and, above all, stifling anxiety."

He talked about Camus and his rather tragical accident (was it on purpose, Styron wondered), also about the Myth of Sisyphus with its austere message "in the absence of hope we must still struggle to survive, and so we do - by the skin of our teeth."

Styron eloquently detailed how suicidal thought enticed him, the methods, the final release or exit way out of this state which the act can give. But in the end, he fought back, he fought with all he can, he even admitted himself to the hospital. Because he knew that the real healers for him is seclusion and time.

In the hospital he found that one of the causative factors in producing suicidal obsession and other aberrations of thoughts in susceptible individuals is Halcion (triazolam). But mind you, it is only one of the culprits, because when it comes to why someone got depressed, there are many factors intermingled together.

The last part of the book was written when he rose from that dark valley. "by far the great majority of the people who go through even the severest depression survive it, and live even afterwards at least as happily as their unafflicted counterparts."

"and so we came forth, and once again beheld the stars."

[Willer Daza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I read on the Vintage Minis series. I found it good but was not particularly impressed by William Styron's style. The account of his depression was surely big in times when depression did not even have a name (but was rather referred to as melancholia). How he narrates it is also good and I did get to feel a lot of what he was recounting. Still, it was hard to keep pace while reading it and I do not think it is a book I will remember.

[Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is strange how one's reading of something can change with the mood that one is in when they read. It is hard to imagine the other side of your mood when you are not in it. I think there will be times in my life that I will want to return to this. Note: melancholia as something tragic and beautiful, depression as a hollow or valley, there is both, there is either, some days no words sound right.

[Juan Carlos Escalante · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I had now reached that phase of the disorder where all sense of hope had vanished, along with the idea of a futurity; my brain, in thrall to its outlaw hormones, had become less an organ of thought than an instrument registering, minute by minute, varying degrees of its own suffering."

Una de las primeras tragedias de la depresión es una falla comunicativa.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely thought provoking. Very well written. Read it in less than a day as you get immersed in it (and it isn’t very long!)

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, yet entirely clear, journey through Styron's depression.

[Apeksha Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must-read book for understanding depression.
William Styron perfectly portrays depression in this novel which is autobiographical and researched based too. He talks about the struggle a depressive person goes through to accept his illness and ask for help. It's a short read for understanding depression and mental illness.
It's not necessary to know about the author before reading this book.

PS: This book is not recommended for the ones going through depression. Don't read it if these things trigger you. This book is only for the ones who want to learn about depression. And for the ones who have been through mental illness but don't get triggered anymore.

[Matej Semelak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep look into depression. I've never really quite understood true, clinical depression as I have after this book.

[Thaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rip William. This book was a testament to the thoughts running inside a person who suffers with depression.

[Alya Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

small book but, unnecessary and hard wording. yes he explained depression extremely well but i just... couldn't bare myself to turn the pages,on the other hand when i did actually get through the book i was feeling even more hopeless about myself. amazing description of how terrible and mind altering major depression disorder is.

[tisasday · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unabridged text of Darkness Visible, the eloquent and hopeful ode to melancholia.