Shadow Syndromes

The millions of people who attribute their daily life problems to bad parents, low self-esteem, or lack of will power may, in fact, be struggling with shadow syndromes.

Chronic sadness, obsessiveness, outbursts of anger, inability to finish tasks, disabling discomfort in social situations -- these and other problems are all mild forms of serious mental disorders that can affect the very courses of our lives. They are shadow syndromes.

Drs. John J. Ratey and Catherine Johnson challenge the prevalent idea that problems like these are brought on by aberrations in a person's upbringing and relationships, and then prolonged by his or her willful resistance to change. Instead, they assert that these behavior patterns originate in the inherent structure and chemistry of the individual brain, that they are distinctly identifiable, and that they respond to a range of approaches: from medication and psychotherapy to diet, meditation, and exercise.

Elucidating for the first time the biology behind personality, Shadow Syndromes provides the knowledge and learning we need to understand the real causes of the treacherous mood swings and behavior patterns that can hold us back from what we need to achieve.  It provides the guidance we need to emerge from the shadows that often determine the courses of our lives, enabling us to effect positive and lasting change in ourselves and those we love.  

John J. Ratey, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Executive Director of Research at Medfield State Hospital in Medfield, MA. He is the co-author of Driven to Distraction and Answers to Distraction. He lives in Wellesley, MA.

Catherine Johnson, Ph.D., is a contributing editor at New Woman magazine, and the author of When to Say Goodbye to Your Therapist and Lucky In Love. She lives in Los Angeles.