On the occasion of his 65th birthday, Garry Cosnett took stock of his full and eventful life and was "stunned" to realize how much of it had been flavored by his largely hidden and recurring battle against clinical depression.

Cycling through numerous colleges and universities, and seeking a relief from pain through a remarkable series of psychiatrists, hospitals, relationships, jobs and drugs, he realized that sharing his candid story might bring hope to other sufferers. Because, at the end of it all, he has found a kind of peace - one preserved by attentive physicians and never-ending vigilance on the part of him and his wife, to whom he dedicates the book.

"Most important," he writes, "this is a book about hope. Hope that even in the most pernicious cases, depression can be managed, like so many other chronic diseases. I am a living example of that possibility."