Experiences of Depression is a philosophical exploration of what it is like to be depressed. In this important new book, Matthew Ratcliffe develops a detailed account of depression experiences by drawing on work in phenomenology, philosophy of mind, and several other disciplines. In so doing, he makes clear how phenomenological research can contribute to psychiatry, by helping us to better understand patients' experiences, as well as informing classification, diagnosis, and treatment. This book will be of interest to anyone seeking to understand and relate to experiences of depression, including philosophers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, therapists, and those who have been directly or indirectly affected by depression.

About the Author

Matthew Ratcliffe is a Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. Most of his research addresses issues in phenomenology, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of psychiatry. He is the author of Rethinking Commonsense Psychology: A Critique of Folk Psychology, Theory of Mind and Simulation (Palgrave, 2007) and Feelings of Being: Phenomenology, Psychiatry and the Sense of Reality (Oxford University Press, 2008).

Table of Contents:
Introduction; 1 The World of Depression; 2 Experiencing the Possible; 3 Depression and the Body; 4 Loss of Hope; 5 Depth, Guilt and Narrative; 6 Agency and Free Will; 7 Time; 8 Other People; 9 Depression and Empathy; 10 The Nature of Depression; Appendix: Depression Questionnaire Respondents; References