Publisher:  North Point Press

Does Jeffrey Smith's talent as a writer spring from his struggles with depression? Throughout Where the Roots Reach for Water Smith speculates on issues such as this – but without a trace of ego. Smith prefers the more historically accurate term “melancholia” to the modern term “depression.” His book starts where you’d think it might end – with a trial of the antidepressant Zoloft. This chemical lifts Smith’s depression for a full six months before depositing him back into its depths. As a result of his illness he loses an important relationship and - later - a job.

Better than most writers, Smith allows us into his head to see the world from his point of view. His alter-ego, whom he calls Mr. Shoulder, speaks to him in the depths of depression and reminds him of his faults. Smith’s serious contemplation of suicide goes so far that we are privy to the details of his plan – jumping off a bridge with rocks in his pockets.

Smith ultimately finds relief from his depression by learning to live with it and with himself. The reader is left with questions about the nature of depression. It is an illness? A chemical imbalance? a lifestyle? a temperament? What role do antidepressant chemicals play in resolving it? If these medications do not work, can others, like Smith, benefit from psychotherapy which aims to help them accommodate to their depression rather than conquer it?

When the Roots Reach for Water is as riveting as non-fiction can get. Smith weaves music, spirituality, and romance into a page-turner that tackles some big issues. By helping us see depression in the larger historical context of melancholia, Smith has opened-our eyes to the complexity of this diagnosis. Our view of depression is forever changed by this process.

Leonard Holmes, Ph.D., your Guide for Mental Health Resources