Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Book for Men with Mood Disorders
Review: Until now, all the books on depression or bipolar illness I have read were written by women, psychiatrists citing endless cases and dry statistics, or "Mood Disorders 101". This book is different: It is by a man whom is a gifted writer, it is well-researched, and often profound. It is the best book I have read that addresses a man's experience with depression. Worth reading more than once!
Rating: 
Summary: Impressed but distracted
Review: The author, Andrew Solomon should be commended for the research and variety of ideas that he presents in the book. The sections on medications, biology, and history of depression were full of useful information. It may be a personal bias, but I did not ever grow to appreciate the author's writing style, especially his transitions. I also found that too much of the information provided was painted by the author's personal experiences which tended to limit the scope of the content and unnecesarily draw attention to his individual issues while allowing the larger context of depression to be overlooked. In sum, I learned a lot of information about depression, but as a sufferer myself, I never felt a kinship with the author and his experiences. The book is very dense, and for me, presented a struggle to want to continue reading; this is saying something as the content could have been more interesting coming from a different author's point of view. So, it is with caution that I recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Noonday Demon is Comforting, Frustrating,and Complicated
Review: Andrew Solomon has touched on many of the same feelings that I have endured in my life long battle with depression. The battle goes on day to day. There are times when I feel I am winning and making strides against this illness and others when the hopelessness of the illness brings me down. There are many things in this book that I could identify with. There are some that I can not relate to, some that I disagree with, but so many that reinforce what I have come to know as true. I am thankful to the researchers who have developed the drugs that are available to sufferers today. Eighteen years ago when I suffered what is incorrectly called a "nervous breakdown" the medication that allows me to cope with "my demons" did not exist. Mr. Solomon touches on many that I tried and failed me. I do not agree with the mixing of drugs but acknowledge that what works for one person may not be the correct thing for someone else. All in all if you suffer from depression do read this book, it provides reinforcement that mental illness should not be hidden away and that we have a right to receive treatment without hiding in the shadows.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Depression Book
Review: An absorbing analysis of depression from one who's been there and returned -- mostly. The personal accounts were riveting, and the background information absorbing. I read the entire book over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant observations of melancholy.
Review: This tome, and the UK edition has some 450 pages PLUS a very extensive bibliography, is a worthy addition to the literature on depression. Solomon manages to use wit to explain the hopelessness that sufferers feel, how and why treatments may or may not work, but most of all that it is worth the struggle to carry on until a solution is found.As an academic (as well as a psychologist) I was particularly struck by the chapter notes and very extensive bibliography, and these will surely be enough to point most readers to more in-depth articles, papers and books should they wish to delve. The book is a great read for those who live with (just!) people with depression, as well as their wider families, friends and carers. It's not a substitute for professional help. One slight downside in a 'resource for sufferers' is that most people who have marked depression also have very marked lack of concentration, which might make this lively but weighty book unaccessible.
Rating:
Summary: "NEVER THE LEAST BIT DEPRESSING"
Review: Through my own fear and ignorance, I had never really found out much about what depression really is and, like most people, I confused simply being "blue" with being depressed. You have a bad day at the office or the plant, you have a prickly run-in with a neighbor and when a friend asks how you are, you answer "Oh, I'm so depressed!" In Andrew Solomon's wise and beautifully written self-described "atlas" he explains immediately and interestingly and clearly exactly what depression is and what it is not. The author never shrinks from using himself as his main subject telling personal stories from his own struggles, his successes and his falls. But he also uses scientific and cultural examples to place this illness in its perspective. Other sufferers are interviewed as are doctors and, even philosophers. To be honest, I came to this work of non-fiction because I so loved Solomon's novel A STONE BOAT which covers some of the material in this book. Solomon is an extraordinary writer. I hesitate to give too many specific examples that are covered in the book, because, frankly, I believe many people will say to themselves, "Oh, that sounds like such a downer...I don't need to read such a SAD book." Well, here's the shocker: THE NOONDAY DEMON is so completely fascinating, so well-written and so intelligent that it is, in Adam Gopnik's ("The New Yorker") words, "charming, lively...never the least bit depressing." HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Well researched, well written, invaluable, changed my life.
Review: I thought I knew what depression was. Afterall, I was diagnosed as chronically depressed in 1973, my mother was diagnosed in 1962. But this book changed my life for the better in one reading. The first chapter, not only describes the author's own struggles but many others which for the most part, though very different than how my symptoms manifest, were so clearly described and deconstructed that I finally began to really see the extent and breadth this disease takes and how many it affects. The chapter on "Treatments" is openly biased towards using anti-depressants which should have put me off since I have tried valiently to avoid them. Instead, the clear explanations about not only what is available but examples of how they work and why it's so important for people who suffer from chronic depression to get on medication and stay on it was very eye opening. (I finally realized that the reason my last breakdown that began in January of 2000 was not going to just "go away" eventually as all the other ones had. The book shows research that the older one gets without treating with medication, the more frequent depressive episodes become and the worse they become. I had actually been learning this the hard way for over a year but it took this book to wake me up and see the writing on the wall.) I was glad to see he also included a chapter on alternatives, and that he encourages people to never just use medication alone but go to a good therapist and possibly explore behavioral therapy or other experimental therapies as adjuncts to treating the chemical imbalance. The chapter on suicide is clear and much needed. He doesn't sidestep this difficult subject but he also doesn't use it as a way to be too dramatic or sensational. Most importantly the book in general has for the most part just the right tone. Authoratative but not stuffy or difficult. Descriptive and informative but not too depressing (very important!) or heavy to read. It is also replete with invaluable examples of other peoples struggles with this disease. The chapters on the politics and history of depression and on poverty are fascinating and very affecting and were important elements of the book for me but you could probably skip them altogether and still it would be worth the price of the book. There is a great bibliography and reference section at the back. In the end I finally saw that I needed to try the modern medicines that have come out in the last 20 years. (In the 70's and 80's everything they prescribed for me gave me migraines or made me sicker. I had instead become quite educated about and helped to a limited degree by herbs and homeopathy.) I believe I found this book exactly at the right moment in my life. I had been seeing an licensed, clinical social worker for a year and felt that I finally had made some real progress in understanding my situation... but despite the intellectual progress, emotionally I was still sliding downhill. After reading this book I finally went to a psychiatrist. She said I had the clearest understanding of any client she had ever encountered of what and how my disease manifested. She was able to find a combination of meds that helped right away (it can sometimes take months or even years to get the right meds. (Another deterrant to those who struggle with the disease, distrust meds and do not have deep pocket books.) The book gave me the confidence to not only seek out a good shrink, and take anti-depressants, but it has empowered me to become a better advocate for myself with my therapists and for those I encounter who ask my advice on the subject. If you are suffering from depression and haven't gotton help or need help explaining to others what you are going through or in understanding what perhaps a loved one is going through, this book will be like a best friend. It helped me communicate more openly and honestly wiht my close friends and family my situation and my needs. It, along with my very wonderful, patient and competent therapist, literally changed and saved my life. I asked her after deciding to go on antidepressants why she hadn't pushed me in that direction. She wisely replied I would have walked out and never come back; it was something I had to come to on my own, of my own choosing and understanding. She was right.
Rating:
Summary: A landmark work
Review: This book is the most thoroughly researched piece on depression I have found yet. Solomon is immensely readable; charming, witty, and revealing. I enjoyed it very much. A must read for anyone affected by depression, or wanting to understand this painful disease.
Rating:
Summary: The Noonday Demon
Review: Solomon has taken on the tast of synthesizing personal and clinical data in a very thoughtful manner. This book explores all apsects of depression, and threads them together for the reader. It is a resource for those who suffer from depression, and those who have loved ones who suffer.
Rating:
Summary: There IS Hope
Review: The Noonday Demon is the most thorough work I've read on the subject of depression. Solomon's ability to communicate all facets of this ailment is uncanny and eloquent. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who suffers from this ubiquitious disease.
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