Depression and the Erosion of the Self in Late Modernity : The Lesson of Icarus

"Depression is not a disease of the brain, a genetic disability or even a mood disorder. Rather, shutdown, numbness or sadness are non-pathological adaptations to adverse childhood and adult environments. This challenging book thus understands depression as a wise response to an unliveable situation. It can teach us what is wrong with our lives and what we must learn in order to go beyond symptom relief and reconnect to our most fundamental needs, relational, existential and spiritual. Because moods shape how we engage with our outer and inner worlds, they underlie all human behaviour. If the sociocultural world is toxic or frustrates our core needs, we will withdraw to protect ourselves. Those who have encountered a non-facilitating environment in childhood will be even more sensitive to adult stresses, since their self-organisation is fragile and non-resilient. As depression is so complex, understanding it demands an integrative approach."--Publisher's website Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- About the Author -- Introduction -- Part I: The Self: Experience and Development -- Chapter One The experience of depressive breakdown: the role of loss and rejection -- Chapter Two The many ways of not being true to yourself -- Chapter Three Depression as consequence and cause of somatic conditions -- Chapter Four Childhood development: what does it take to build a self? -- Part II: The Science of Depression -- Chapter Five Low mood as an appropriate adaptive response: an evolutionary perspective on depression -- Chapter Six What science can tell us about depression: neuroscience -- genetics and epigenetics -- gut microbiota -- Part III: A Depressive Society? The Impact on the Self, Relationships, and Meaning -- Chapter Seven A non-facilitating environment? The role of contemporary society and culture -- Chapter Eight Empty (narcissistic), false, or fragmented: disorders of the self in late modernity -- Chapter Nine Relatedness under threat: anxiety and ambivalence -- Chapter Ten Depression and meaninglessness: the loss of connecting and experiencing -- Chapter Eleven Fundamental human needs: a conclusion -- References -- Index