Portraits of Pain: A Review of Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression Edited by Nell Casey. New York:  Harper Collins, 2001.  299 pp.

Leon edel (1982) believed that artists often struggle with depression. He wrote of the aging Henry James, “In the ensuing five years we can read what seems to be characteristic of the history of every great artist—the moment when latent depression smothers the creative individual. In this crucible the artist faces the ultimate test: survive or go under” (p. 152).

The depressed writer has experience of great interest to the analyst. Depression so often renders the sufferer mute, robs his language of its vividness, and limits his will to communicate (Spiegel, 1959, 1960, 1965). But writers, with their linguistic facility, are unusually able to find words for their depressive experience. As analysts, we can learn about the nuances of depression from the words they choose. Our interest should also be aroused by the impact they have on the public. Writers (e.g., Solomon, 1998) tell the world what depression is, what causes and cures