Depression and Globalization or Pilates

Depression and Globalization: The Politics of Mental Health in the 21st Century

Author: Carl Walker

Depression and Globalisation is an important academic text on the political aspects of depression, specifically the relationship between globalisation and depression. In this text Dr. Walker reestablishes the link between mental health research and treatment, along with the political and economical influences outside the world of academic and clinical mental health. Overall, this book will accomplish the task of how closely and inextricably linked these diverse fields are and the way they operate together to produce not only a cultural representation of mental illness but influence the extent and type of mental distress in the 21st century.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Steven T. Herron, MD(University of Arizona Health Sciences Center)
Description:Written by an author attempting to "think outside the box," this book is a personal treatise of depression and its relation to political and social events, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States since the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Purpose:The author attempts to illustrate the importance of depression (and by association, other mental health issues) in "the context of its political and economic history" in order to "redress the balance that has contributed to (depressions) shifting precipitously close to a psychiatric epidemic."
Audience:This book might appeal to those interested in the history of mental illness (mainly depression) and its relation to global events, including sociopolitical changes occurring constantly throughout the world.
Features:Void of any tables, graphs, photographs, or other common, visually appealing breaks, this book suffers from its bland appearance and seemingly endless prose. Even the transitions between chapters can be easily missed unless the reader is paying particularly close attention. The book ends with slightly over 200 references, many timely, though more than a few are more than 10 years old.
Assessment:There are few books I am aware of with this unique focus on the relationship of global socioeconomic and political changes to depression and its impact on society. And while ideas about these theories should be openly discussed, it is unclear if these concepts are necessarily ripe for publication. An author's perspective, providedwithout substantial fact, becomes mostly conjecture that may or may not be well founded. Fortunately, to his credit, the author recognizes the limitations of his ideas and acknowledges them at the outset. As a result, this book should be used more as a starting point for discussion and further research, and less as text based on settled fact.

Table of Contents:

Preface     vii
Acknowledgments     xiii
Depression
What Is Depression?     3
The Stigma of Depression: History and Context     31
Globalization
The New Right and the 1980s     61
Globalization: Definitions and Debates     96
Mental Health
The Structures of Society and Depression     133
The Mental Health Sciences and the Depression Industry     158
Depression and the Future     182
References     190
Index     199

Go to: Olives Dessert Table or Magic of Provence

Pilates: Personal Trainer, Getting Started with Stretching

Author: Michael King

Use this beginner level workout as a starting point to increase your mobility and improve your fitness. Safe and effective, the low-impact stretches in this book will gradually build your strength as they increase your flexibility, preparing you for more challenging Pilates movements.