My Years of Her Melancholy

Jane Heath teaches psychology at Ryerson Polytechnical University in
Toronto.

My Years of Her Melancholy is written from the perspective of the
husband of a woman who suffered from severe clinical depression over a
three-year period. The author recounts the progress of his wife’s
postpartum depression, chronicles her suicide attempts, describes her
treatments (including medications, electroconvulsive therapy,
institutionalization, and a variety of psychotherapy approaches), and
describes the impact of the illness on his wife, himself, and their
children.

Bonneville and his wife found their individual identities becoming
absorbed into the institutional and therapeutic roles thrust onto them
by depressive illness. The author was not sure whether he should treat
his wife as a “lucid partner and friend” or instead act as a “care
giver, ... agent, and at times parent.” He also discusses the
difficulty of dealing with mental health professionals who at times
assigned blame for his wife’s illness and disagreed among themselves
over the best course of treatment.

Why did Bonneville and his wife stay together? The answer is
love—love as friendship and, even more, as “force of habit,” with
“duty and loyalty thrown in.” This powerful and disquieting book
will be of particular interest to those suffering from clinical
depression, as well as those involved in their care.