The Telegraph, podcasts.

Depression isn't modern.

I think the modern terms we use might be sort of like changed over time.

So depression was first used in, I think, about the 18th century.

And that's already kind of fascinated me about researching this book.

You can see yourself in these people who are long dead.

Right now across the globe an estimated 332 million people live with depression.

And not just in Western countries is so often assumed.

Yet despite mental illness being the leading cause of disability,

very few people receive treatment that is actually proven to work.

We still aren't sure what causes depression or how to effectively deal with it

or if the term is even a helpful description of a condition

that has a huge and diverse range of symptoms.

But now the science writer Alex Riley has attempted to tackle these issues

in perhaps the most comprehensive book about depression.

Yes, I have read most only.

A cure for darkness, the story of depression and how we treat it is out now

and I'm so grateful to welcome Alex to Mad World today.

Hello Alex, how are you really?

I've actually recently just gone back on medication

because I've had a really difficult few months.

And yeah, I've had some mental health checkups and psychiatric meetings

...