A Mood Apart: Depression, Mania, and Other Afflictions of the Self

by Whybrow, Peter C.

• ISBN13: 9780465047253
• ISBN10: 0465047254
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-02-01
• Publisher: Harpercollins

Summary

In A Mood Apart, Dr. Peter Whybrow examines mood disorder as "an affliction of the self," exploring the human experience of manic-depressive illness, rediscovering the human being within the diagnosis.
Our culture stigmatizes and romanticizes mental illness confusing it with questions of willpower, personal weakness, or creative impetuosity. Dr. Whybrow teaches us that we live our lives by systems of regulation and control - a process he calls "emotional homeostasis." The primary goal of treatment, using a combination of psychopharmacology and talk therapy, is to restore to the patient a new understanding of and healthy mastery over mood disorders, a recovery of the self.
From one of the country's most distinguished psychiatrists and an internationally renowned authority, A Mood Apart consoles by combining the intimacy of detailed case studies with the objectivity of a lifetime's scientific research and clinical experience. It is essential reading for all those curious about how our brains "work" and our lives "feel," for those suffering from mood disorders and for those who care about them.

Author Biography

Peter C. Whybrow, M.D., is Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Prologue: The Masks of the Human Carnival
A Glimpse of Melancholy: Grief, Emotional Homeostasis, and Disorders of Mood	p. 1
Darkness Visible: The Experience of Depression	p. 21
A Different Drummer: The Experience of Mania	p. 43
A Mind of One's Own: The Development of the Emotional Self	p. 67
Unique and Similar to Others: Moods, Morality, and Medical Diagnosis	p. 91
The Legacy of the Lizard: The Anatomy of the Emotional Brain	p. 121
The Vital Balance: Stress, Homeostasis, and the Seasons of Mood	p. 149
Of Human Bondage: Stress, Vulnerability, and the Feeling of Control	p. 169
Pills to Purge Melancholy: Neurons, Chemistry, and the Pharmacology of Mood	p. 195
Thoughtful Reconstruction: Adaptation and the Care of the Self	p. 231
Epilogue: The Human Carnival	p. 253
Antidepressants and Other Medications for Mood Disorder: A Glossary and Guide	p. 253
Notes	p. 261
Names Index	p. 341
Subject Index	p. 347
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