Combining a scholar's care and thoroughness with searing personal insight, this title brings the private experience of depression into sharp relief, drawing on a remarkable series of intimate interviews with fifty depressed men and women. By turns poignant, disturbing, mordantly funny, and wise, the interviews cause us to marvel at the courage of depressed people in dealing with extraordinary and debilitating pain. Throughout, the title probes the myriad ways society contributes to widespread alienation and emotional exhaustion. This volume pierces through the terrifying isolation of depression to uncover the connections linking the depressed as they undertake their personal journeys through this very private hell. It will bring a new understanding to professionals seeking to see the world as their clients do, and provide vivid insights and renewed empathy to anyone who cares for someone living with the cruel unpredictability of depression.