What exactly is depression ? And where does mental illness begin ?Contemporary psychiatry offers many ? often contradictory ? answers to these questions. The fields of psychoanalysis, neurobiology, psychiatry and anti-psychiatry confront one another in endless debates that are not exempt from ideological excesses and abuses. But do these discussions take into account the pain experienced by patients and their families and friends ? How can they fied their way around the frightening number of theories and types of treatment that are on offer ? Without taking sides in the ideological debate, Édouard Zarifian shows that the path to mental health is one of careful attention, compassion, and respect of the iedividual. Édouard Zarifian teaches psychiatry and medical psychology at the University of Caen, France. He is the author of several best-selling works, including La Force de Guérir and Des Paradis Plein la Tête.