If you like Sally Brampton
...here's two more memorable memoirs of depression...
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness by William Styron
William Styron, author of the classic novel Sophie’s Choice details his own battle with depression in Darkness Visible: A Memoir Of Madness. Styron’s depression took hold in 1985 at the age of 60. The book describes his ‘dank joylessness’, insomnia and ‘fantasies of self-destruction’ which eventually led to hospitalisation and psychiatric treatment, but also his ultimate recovery.
Prozac Nation: Elizabeth Wurtzel
Elizabeth Wurtzel is an American writer and journalist who found fame for her work in the confessional memoir genre. She published the best selling Prozac Nation at 26 It’s an autobiographical account of her clinical depression and her dependence on. Wurtzel’s story is at times funny and at times almost unbearable to read as she goes through suicides attempts and breakdowns whilst trying to finish college and work as a writer. It’s a frank no holds barred description of both the illness and attempts to combat addiction.
