Monochrome Days: A First-Hand Account of One Teenager's Experience With Depression (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative)

If you are one of the nearly twenty percent of adolescents who experience the symptoms of major depression before the end of high school, then you are probably already familiar with the sadness, isolation, and confusion that depression can bring. You may have questions about symptoms, medications, treatments, and how to deal with depression at school and at home. Monochrome Days: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Depression was written specifically for you.

Cait Irwin was diagnosed with major depression at the age of fourteen, and she nearly lost her battle with the illness before she was able to receive the treatment she so desperately needed. In Monochrom Days, Irwin, now an adult and a successful artist, shares her experiences as a young woman who suffered from a crippling depression but was able to recover with the help of a supportive family and expert psychiatric care. In telling her remarkable story, Irwin and science writer Linda Andrews explain what is currently known about major depression in adolescents, demystifying the often confusing science behind the illness. In easy-to-understand language, the book also
-Provides an accessible yet in-depth look at the causes, treatment, and management of depression -Discusses such difficult topics as psychiatric hospitalization and antidepressant medications -Offers tips on how to deal with depression both at school and at home, and how to talk about it to teachers, family, and friends
Thoughtful, inspiring, and full of practical wisdom, Monochrome Days is both a compelling memoir and a useful resource that will help to ease the pain of major depression. Cait Irwin's story is one that offers hope and guidance that you yourself can use to overcome the challenges of this illness, and go on to lead a healthy, productive life.

Cait Irwin is an artist and lives in northern Wisconsin. She also serves as a spokesperson for the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, and is the author of Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won and How You Can, Too, an illustrated book about depression.

Dwight L. Evans, M.D., the medical adviser for Monochrome Days, is the Ruth Meltzer Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He is the lead author of If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents.

Linda Wasmer Andrews is a freelance health and psychology writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the co-author of If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents as well as the author or co-author of eight other books, including Stress Control for Peace of Mind. Her writing has appeared in magazines such as Self, Parenting and Psychology Today.