The Scar: A Personal History of Depression and Recovery

Download or read book The Scar: A Personal History of Depression and Recovery written by Mary Cregan and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “searingly honest and riveting” (Colm Tóibín) memoir interweaving the author’s descent into depression with a medical and cultural history of the illness. At the age of twenty-seven, Mary Cregan gives birth to her first child, a daughter she names Anna. But it’s apparent that something is terribly wrong, and two days later, Anna dies—plunging Cregan into suicidal despair. Decades later, sustained by her work, a second marriage, and a son, Cregan reflects on this pivotal experience and attempts to make sense of it. She weaves together literature and research with details from her own ordeal—and the still-visible scar of her suicide attempt—while also considering her life as part of the larger history of our understanding of depression.