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The Depths by Jonathan Rottenberg
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The Depths

The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic

$29.38

Get for $14.99 with membership
Narrator Walter Dixon
Length 4 hours 27 minutes
Language English
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Nearly every depressed person is assured by doctors, well-meaning friends and family, the media, and ubiquitous advertisements that the underlying problem is a chemical imbalance. Such a simple defect should be fixable, yet despite all of the resources that have been devoted to finding a pharmacological solution, depression remains stubbornly widespread. Why are we losing this fight?

In this humane and illuminating challenge to defect models of depression, psychologist Jonathan Rottenberg argues that depression is a particularly severe outgrowth of our natural capacity for emotion. In other words, it is a low mood gone haywire. Drawing on recent developments in the science of mood—and his own harrowing depressive experience as a young adult—Rottenberg explains depression in evolutionary terms, showing how its dark pull arises from adaptations that evolved to help our ancestors ensure their survival. Moods, high and low, evolved to compel us to more efficiently pursue rewards. While this worked for our ancestors, our modern environment—in which daily survival is no longer a sole focus—makes it all too easy for low mood to slide into severe, long-lasting depression.

Weaving together experimental and epidemiological research, clinical observations, and the voices of individuals who have struggled with depression, The Depths offers a bold new account of why depression endures—and makes a strong case for de-stigmatizing this increasingly common condition. In so doing, Rottenberg offers hope in the form of his own and other patients’ recovery, and points the way towards new paths for treatment.

Jonathan Rottenberg is a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida, where he is the director of clinical training and director of the mood and emotion laboratory. He is an expert on the depression epidemic, on emotional functioning in depression, and on why some people thrive after depression. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and has been covered by Scientific American, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Time. Rottenberg is author of The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic and the editor of Emotion and Psychopathology: Bridging Affective and Clinical Science. He is also the founder of Depression Army, an international social media campaign that raises awareness about depression.

Walter Dixon is a winner of Audible's "#1 Editor's Choice and Customer Favorites" award. The narrator of more than 200 audiobooks, he has performed on stage in stand-up comedy, theater, and opera productions. He has also voiced animated features, vintage radio dramas, and audio tours for the Guggenheim and other museums.

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