The key ideas

The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

Andrew Solomon, 2001

A writer who could not make himself stand under the shower decided to find out what was happening to him. Andrew Solomon combined his own history of illness with conversations with people, doctors and healers from Cambodia to Senegal. The book is about how depression differs from sadness, why it is so hard to notice, and what helps people return to life.

Who it is for

For those who want to understand depression from the inside: people who have been through severe states themselves, and those close to them.

The opposite of depression is not happiness but vitality.

What the Book Is About

An accomplished adult lies in bed and thinks about taking a shower. He has to get up. Turn on the water. Find the shampoo. Every step looks like a separate mountain, and he never gets up. This is how Andrew Solomon remembers his depression.

Solomon is an American writer and journalist. The book grew out of his article in The New Yorker and brings together three layers: his own history of illness, conversations with people who live with depression, and what he learned from doctors, scientists and healers in different countries. In 2001 it won the U.S. National Book Award.

One thing to say at once: this is the author's personal experience and journalistic research, not a psychiatry textbook. The book helps you understand depression, but it does not diagnose you or the people close to you. And if thoughts of harming yourself appear, seek emergency help right away.

Idea 1. The Opposite of Depression

It seems obvious: depression is very strong sadness. Solomon disagrees. In his experience, sadness was not the main thing. It was as if strength had drained out of life.

He could not listen to the messages on his answering machine. He could not answer the phone.

Hence one of his most famous thoughts: the opposite of depression is not happiness but vitality. A sad person can be alive and engaged. A person in depression may not even feel sadness. Depression can show itself in different ways, and the absence of sadness does not rule it out.

A colleague does not cry or complain. He simply does not answer messages for weeks, and says he “doesn't feel like anything”. From outside it is easy to mistake this for laziness.

If you expect depression to show only in tears, you may miss it. In the author's experience, it can look like emptiness and powerlessness in front of the simplest tasks.

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About the author

Andrew Solomon is an American writer and journalist who writes about psychology, politics and culture. The book grew out of his article in The New Yorker, and in 2001 it won the U.S. National Book Award.

All books by this author: Andrew Solomon

Terms from the book

  • Cognitive therapy
  • Psychotherapy
  • Vitality: The word Solomon uses for the opposite of depression: the capacity to feel, to act and to be engaged in life. The author's image, not a medical term.
  • Grief: A natural reaction to loss. In Solomon's formula, grief is proportionate to the circumstances, while depression is not. This is the author's frame, not a diagnostic criterion.
  • Ndeup: A traditional healing ritual in Senegal, with music, dance and the participation of the community. Solomon describes it as a cultural experience, not as a method of treatment.

All terms

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