Shadow Syndromes: The Mild Forms of Major Mental Disorders That Sabotage UsPaperback, 1 June 1998

Millions of people who attribute their daily life problems to bad parents or low self-esteem or lack of will power are in fact struggling with a shadow syndrome. Chronic sadness, obsessiveness, outbursts of anger, the 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 course of our lives. They are shadow syndromes. Drs. John J. Ratey and Catherine Johnson explode the idea that these problems are brought on by aberrations in upbringing or relationships, and that they are prolonged by a willful refusal to change. They make it clear that, on the contrary, these patterns of behavior have their origins in the inherent structure and chemistry of the individual brain, that they are distinctly identifiable, and that for all of us, understanding our own unique biological makeup is the key to freeing ourselves from biology's bonds. Knowing who we are biologically as well as psychologically is the key to living a free and full life. Ratey and Johnson describe methods for tempering shadow syndromes and their traces.