Top 10 books about depression From Robert Burton’s 17th-century Anatomy of Melancholy to new insights from Ed Bullmore, these are welcome guides to one of the loneliest experiences Misunderstood and neglected … image from Logan Thomas’s 2011 film of The Yellow Wallpaper. Photograph: Nostromo/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock Misunderstood and neglected … image from Logan Thomas’s 2011 film of The Yellow Wallpaper. Photograph: Nostromo/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock AlexRiley Wed 19 May 2021 06.38 EDT Last modified on Wed 19 May 2021 08.46 EDT In the autumn of 2015, I felt numb, worthless, and had thoughts of ending my life. I was 25 years old and I was experiencing my first bout of depression, an illness that has ebbed and flowed ever since. At first, I was hesitant to take medication and opted for a course of cognitive behavioural therapy. I worried that medication would dampen my brain, dull my experience of the world and my ability to describe it. Only later did I find that the right drug is a key tool for my career. When I’m stable I can write. When I’m depressed, I can barely walk or talk.