Depression In Andrew Solomon's Anatomy Of Melancholy
Solomon’s memoir, Anatomy of Melancholy, was an amazing and clear view and portrayal of the disease, depression. Solomon, gifted as a great writer before his depression, was able to articulate the debilitating symptoms of depression on the mind, the body, and I would go as far as to say, the soul. He covers his journey of depression while sharing very intimate details of his thoughts, other’s stories, treatment, and statistics of the illness. As someone who is studying psychology, my understanding of his experiences have shifted after looking at it through the 4 d’s, the lens of a therapist, and as a unbiased reader.
The four D’s described by the DSM-5 are all present in Andrew Solomon’s experience of depression and the story he tells in his memoir (1998). The big ones that I recognized right away was distress and dangerousness. Those stand out very evidently and when examining Solomon’s personal encounter with the mental illness, you can see the dysfunction and deviance play its part.
Solomon explains his distress very clearly throughout the whole story. He is seen being very upset, confused, and embarrassed by the fact that he could not complete simple mundane tasks such as showering or eating food. This proves as distress because it was …show more content…
Dysfunction is abnormal behavior that disrupts daily life. Deviance is differing from cultural/societal norms. I believe that when Solomon is experiencing what he considers “vegetative depression”, he is experiencing both of these symptoms. He is deviating from the norm of eating, drinking, keeping good hygiene, and other life essentials that people take part in every day. It is unnormal to be immobile and have a fear of eating, drinking, or showering. This type of depression is also dysfunctional because he is unable to keep up with the tasks needed to stay alive and
The four D’s described by the DSM-5 are all present in Andrew Solomon’s experience of depression and the story he tells in his memoir (1998). The big ones that I recognized right away was distress and dangerousness. Those stand out very evidently and when examining Solomon’s personal encounter with the mental illness, you can see the dysfunction and deviance play its part.
Solomon explains his distress very clearly throughout the whole story. He is seen being very upset, confused, and embarrassed by the fact that he could not complete simple mundane tasks such as showering or eating food. This proves as distress because it was …show more content…
Dysfunction is abnormal behavior that disrupts daily life. Deviance is differing from cultural/societal norms. I believe that when Solomon is experiencing what he considers “vegetative depression”, he is experiencing both of these symptoms. He is deviating from the norm of eating, drinking, keeping good hygiene, and other life essentials that people take part in every day. It is unnormal to be immobile and have a fear of eating, drinking, or showering. This type of depression is also dysfunctional because he is unable to keep up with the tasks needed to stay alive and