Darian Leader

En nuestra sociedad, normalmente la locura se identifica con sus síntomas visibles: delirios, estallidos de violencia, alucinaciones, retraimiento... Pero, ¿y si la locura no fuera lo que pensamos? ¿Por que individuos aparentemente normales pierden el juicio de la noche a la mañana y cometen actos criminales? ¿Es lo mismo estar loco que volverse loco? ¿Y si los sintomas que asociamos a la locura no fueran sino mecanismos de estabilizacion desarrollados por el paciente para tratar de llevar una vida normal? De la mano de maestros del psicoanalisis como Lacan, Freud o Brunswick, y a traves del estudio de los celebres casos de Aimee, el Hombre de los Lobos y el asesino en serie Harold Shipman, asi como de sus propias experiencias como psicoanalista, Leader plantea una nueva perspectiva sobre la locura, y expone por que es fundamental volver a los modelos terapeuticos clasicos basados en el dialogo y la curiosidad por la historia del paciente. Asimismo, cuestiona la validez de los tratamientos farmacologicos actuales, cuyo objetivo es convertir al paciente en un ciudadano normal, eficiente y autonomo, que se adapte a los sistemas normativos sociales. Que es la locura nos invita a dejar los prejuicios y las simplificaciones a un lado, y nos muestra que no existen formulas predeterminadas para tratar a los pacientes, ni etiquetas validas para clasificar las llamadas enfermedades mentales. En definitiva, no hay nada que pueda sustituir la experiencia de escuchar y ayudar al paciente a utilizar los recursos de los que dispone para hacer de su existencia una experiencia, sino satisfactoria, al menos llevadera o, en palabras del propio Leader, para crear un espacio seguro en el que vivir.

En «Estrictamente bipolar», Leader muestra que el incremento en el diagnóstico de dicho padecimiento(en los últimos veinte años ha aumentado en un 4000%) va acompañado de un cambio dramático en su pe

a Insanely readable I loved ita Slavoj iek A delightfully thought provoking study of why we have sex from award winning psychoanalyst Darian Leader a It was just sexa a Ita s a familiar claim But ita s also an impossibility as Darian Leader shows in this delightfully thought provoking study Our bodies arena t just sticks that make fire when you rub them together and our minds dona t simply stand by a as we can see from the pain heartache and regret that so often accompany the highs of sexual excitement As acclaimed psychoanalyst Darian Leader argues with his trademark clarity energy and wit sex is always about so much more than itself a ita s about phantasy anxiety guilt revenge violence love Drawing on his long analytic experience historical research and case studies to explore their importance to every aspect of our sexual lives Leader brilliantly reveals what we are really thinking about when we think about sex a and what we are really doing when we do it A thoroughly engaging and ever illuminating read iNews One of our most important contemporary thinkers Guardian Leader is as much a philosopher as a psychoanalyst and his ideas are engrossing and enlightening Metro

Parecería que las enfermedades mentales corren paralelas a la historia humana como reflejo distorsionado de lo que cada época produce en la psique de los individuos a quienes les toca vivirla. De este modo, explica Darian Leader, si el periodo de posguerra fue considerado la era de la ansiedad, y las decadas de 1980 y 1990 la era de los antidepresivos, ahora hemos entrado de lleno en la era de la bipolaridad. Sin embargo, con la erudicion y agudeza que caracterizan su pensamiento, en Estrictamente bipolar, Leader muestra que el incremento en el diagnostico de dicho padecimiento (en los ultimos veinte años ha aumentado en un 4000%) va acompañado de un cambio dramatico en su percepcion: acorde a la energia y vitalidad ilimitadas que la economia de mercado exige a sus individuos, los estados maniacos asociados a la bipolaridad son bien vistos y alentados en el entorno laboral, pues se considera (erroneamente, segun Leader) que estan en sintonia con las exigencias competitivas de nuestros dias. Incluso en el multimillonario negocio de la prescripcion de medicamentos asociados para lidiar con la bipolaridad se toman en cuenta los imperativos profesionales y de estilo de vida, para no atentar del todo contra los estados maniacos que exhiben aquellos diagnosticados de bipolaridad. Estrictamente bipolar es un libro crucial para entender el espiritu de nuestro tiempo, pues su alcance va mucho mas alla de la mera psiquiatria. Se trata mas bien, como ocurre con la mayoria de los libros de Darian Leader, de una radiografia del alma de una epoca que, en su empeño ilimitado con la productividad, la fama y el exito, convierte a los seres humanos en meras piezas de recambio, desechables, y tiene graves repercusiones en nuestra salud mental.

Emblème de notre capacité dagir, nos mains sont aussi une part de nous-mêmes qui nous échappe.De lAntiquité au XVIIIe siècle jusquaux bouleversements de la révolution numérique, Darian Leader explore

Why do men tend to keep love letters in files along with their other correspondence, whereas women keep them with their clothes? And if a letter is written but not posted, at whom is it really directed? As psychoanalyst Darian Leader shows, such questions go to the heart of sexual desire, which is never addressed to our flesh and blood companion, but always to something beyond him or her. In an engaging, at times startling, enquiry into the fundamental loneliness of each sex, Leader asks why relationships frequently run aground on the trivial question, What are you thinking? If a man chooses as his partner a woman unlike his mother, why does he try to make her behave towards him exactly as his mother did, when he was a boy? And why might a woman decide not to spend the night with a man, after one glimpse of his apartment?

Com sua escrita fluente e acessível, o renomado psicanalista inglês Darian Leader disseca neste seu mais recente livro as múltiplas relações do termo gozo com a conceituação analítica, provocando o s

Insanely readable! I loved it Slavoj iekA delightfully thought-provoking study of why we have sex, from award-winning psychoanalyst Darian LeaderIt was just sexIts a familiar claim. But its also an impossibility, as Darian Leader shows in this delightfully thought-provoking study.Our bodies arent just sticks that make fire when you rub them together, and our minds dont simply stand by as we can see from the pain, heartache and regret that so often accompany the highs of sexual excitement.As acclaimed psychoanalyst Darian Leader argues, with his trademark clarity, energy and wit, sex is always about so much more than itself its about phantasy, anxiety, guilt, revenge, violence, love. Drawing on his long analytic experience, historical research and case studies to explore their importance to every aspect of our sexual lives, Leader brilliantly reveals what we are really thinking about when we think about sex and what we are really doing when we do it.A thoroughly engaging and ever-illuminating readiNewsOne of our most important contemporary thinkersGuardianLeader is as much a philosopher as a psychoanalyst and his ideas are engrossing and enlighteningMetro

A fresh, thought-provoking and wide-ranging study of how mankind uses its handsWhy do zombies walk with their arms outstretched? How can newborn babies grip an adult finger tightly enough to dangle unsupported from it? And why is everyone constantly texting, tapping and scrolling?For anyone curious about how human beings work, the answers are hidden in plain sight: in our hands. From early tools to machinery -- from fists to knives to guns -- from papyrus to QWERTY to a swipeable screen -- the history of civilization is a history of what humans do with their hands. We have always kept our hands occupied, and if mankinds story is marked out by profound changes in how we use our hands, it is also marked by underlying patterns that never change. And as much as the things we do with our hands reflect our psychological state, they can also change that state profoundly...Drawing examples from popular culture, art history, psychoanalysis, modern technology and clinical research, Darian Leader presents a unique and fascinating odyssey through the history of what human beings do with their hands - and why.

Un adulte sur trois se plaint de troubles du sommeil et la consommation de traitements pharmaceutiques a explosé ces trente dernières années. Dormir est devenu un problème de société.C’est l’occasion

Uno de cada cuatro adultos duerme mal. En las últimas tres décadas, la prescripción de pastillas para dormir ha aumentado drásticamente, y hoy en día proliferan las llamadas «clínicas del sueño». Lo

The New Black is Darian Leaders compassionate and illuminating exploration of melancholyWhat happens when we lose someone we love? A death, a separation or the break-up of a relationship are some of the hardest times we have to live through. We may fall into a nightmare of depression, lose the will to live and see no hope for the future. What matters at this crucial point is whether or not we are able to mourn. In this important and groundbreaking book, acclaimed psychoanalyst and writer Darian Leader urges us to look beyond the catch-all concept of depression to explore the deeper, unconscious ways in which we respond to the experience of loss. In so doing, we can loosen the grip it may have upon our lives.His orthodox, psychoanalytical approach, produces an unpredictable, occasionally brilliant book. The New Black is a mixture of Freudian text, clinical assessments and Leaders own brand of gentle wisdomHeraldCompelling and important . . . an engrossing and wise bookHanif KureishiThere are many self-help books on the market . . . The New Black is a book that might actually helpIndependentDarian Leader is a psychoanalyst practising in London and a member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research and of the College of Psychoanalysts - UK. He is the author of The New Black, Strictly Bipolar, Why do women write more letters than they post?, Promises lovers make when it gets late, Freuds Footnotes and Stealing the Mona Lisa, and co-author, with David Corfield, of Why Do People Get Ill? He is Honorary Visiting Professor in the School of Human and Life Sciences, Roehampton University.

"Uno de cada cuatro adultos duerme mal. En las últimas tres décadas, la prescripción de pastillas para dormir ha aumentado drásticamente, y hoy en día proliferan las llamadas «clínicas del sueño». Lo

From the brilliant psychoanalyst behind Strictly Bipolar and What is Madness, a short and fascinating guide to the history of human sleep - and why we cant seem to sleep any moreOne in four adults sleeps badly.Sleeping pill prescriptions have increased dramatically over the last three decades, as have the incidence of sleep clinics.Sleep used to be a natural state, easy as breathing, but increasingly it is an insecure commodity....Isnt it?Our relationship to sleep surfaces and resurfaces throughout human history, each time telling us something new about our indivudual and collective psychology. From the industrial revolution to blue-light on our phones, from the ancient art of dream interpretation to the modern science of Freud, sleep is connected to wider social patterns, to shifting norms and expectations. Weaving together cultural, social, economic and psychoanalytic influences, Darian Leader delves into the truth about this universal human experience.

What is Madness? is Darian Leaders probing study of madness, sanity, and everything in betweenWhat separates the sane from the mad? How hard or easy is it to tell them apart? And what if the difference is really between being mad and going mad?In this landmark work Darian Leader undermines common conceptions of madness. Through case studies like the apparently normal Harold Shipman, he shows that madness rarely conforms to standard models. What is Madness? explores the idea of quiet madness - that at times many of us live interior lives that are far from sane but allow us to function normally and unthreateningly - he argues that we must seek a new way to assess, treat and deal with those suffering mental health problems.What is Madness? is Darian Leaders radically insightful and masterfully convincing exploration of a painful, complex but endlessly fascinating area of humanity.A terrific intellectual stylist Joseph O Neill, GuardianEngrossing and enlightening . . . Leader is as much a philosopher as a psychoanalystMetroThe mad . . . have been segregated and often confined; for fear, perhaps, that they will contaminate the rest of us. But as Darian Leader brilliantly shows, things are never so simple Hanif Kureshi, IndependentProvides valuable insights into how psychiatry can help those who have suffered psychosis to rebuild their livesSunday TimesWitty, probing. A myth-busting diagnosis of the method in our madnessIndependentLeaders insights could have radical consequences for the way we regard madnessDaily TelegraphFascinating. A formidable grasp of psychiatric history and a storytellers flair for detail. What Leader does so effectively is to give us a sense of what it might be like to live inside the mind of a psychotic. A humane and timely bookNew StatesmanSuperb insights, brilliantObserverOne of our most important contemporary thinkersGuardianDarian Leader is a psychoanalyst practising in London and a member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research and of the College of Psychoanalysts - UK. He is the author of The New Black, Strictly Bipolar, Why do women write more letters than they post?, Promises lovers make when it gets late, Freuds Footnotes and Stealing the Mona Lisa, and co-author, with David Corfield, of Why Do People Get Ill? He is Honorary Visiting Professor in the School of Human and Life Sciences, Roehampton University.

Si las pérdidas y las separaciones no son asimiladas de manera adecuada, sus efectos pueden perdurar toda la vida y provocar en los individuos un sopor eterno, un infierno psíquico disociado del entorno que los rodea. Ésta es la tesis que el psicoanalista británico Darian Leader expone en La moda negra. Duelo, melancolía y depresión. Leader explora a fondo las dos categorías que considera fundamentales: el duelo y la melancolía, y muestra con claridad cómo los matices que diferencian a una de la otra son esenciales para comprender cada caso particular. La creación de un concepto derivado de la práctica médica, la depresión, parece ser la piedra angular de un negocio rentable anclado en la frenética carrera del ser humano hacia el progreso económico y la adoración fanática por la tecnología. La industria farmacéutica moderna, a través de la venta de antidepresivos, modifica y normativiza el comportamiento de los pacientes: suprime los síntomas sin cambiar la condición de su estado mental, y crea dependencia de los tratamientos. El autor considera que la principal función del arte es la de ser un vehículo que permite acceder al dolor ocasionado por las pérdidas, un puente entre los objetos y el lenguaje que los nombra, y en esa medida es la vía suprema para elaborar uno de los elementos más constitutivos de la existencia, la pérdida. El arte permite acceder a lo irrepresentable y reconciliarnos con el dolor producido por lo que nos rebasa. Su libro es una radiografía punzante de un mundo de autómatas empastillados, empeñado en mecanizar las profundidades de lo que separa al hombre del resto de las especies del planeta.

Well-argued, thought-provoking . . . will make you think twice before reaching for the painkillersDaily MailHave you ever wondered why we get ill? Can our thoughts and feelings worsen or even cause conditions like heart disease, cancer or asthma? And what - if anything - can we do about it?Why Do People Get Ill? explores the relationship between whats going on in our heads and what happens in our bodies, combining the latest research with neglected findings from medical history. With remarkable case studies and startling new insights into why we fall ill, this intriguing book should be read by anyone who cares about their own health and that of other people.Fascinating . . . compellingObserverAn absorbing examination of the mind-body connectionHarpers BazaarIlluminating, fascinatingFinancial Times

AN ESSENTIAL, URGENT GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING AUTISM AND THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM FROM THE LEADING PSYCHOANALYST IN HIS FIELD Strikingly clear, humane and helpful, this is an essential book for anyone seeking to understand autism and the autistic spectrum. Drawing on many years of clinical experience and research, as well as the testimonies of autistic people, it is an up-to-the minute account of the many indicative features of autism and how they have been assessed and treated over almost a century.As rates of autism diagnosis escalate in almost all high-income countries, researchers today mostly agree that there is no single cause or even single clinical picture of autism. Rather than a neat and well-defined entity, autism is described as a spectrum or constellation of traits, varying in intensity, distribution and severity, with practically everyone in the general population showing at least some autistic trait or feature.At the same time, there has been a radical split between the ways in which autism is perceived. For many, it is a disorder, a pathology based on a deficit, whereas for others it is an identity, a natural variation in human cognitive and behavioural diversity.For anyone facing the special challenges of autism, it can be hard to find clarity amid such complexity and contradiction, making Darian Leaders illuminating guide to the field of autism research and treatment particularly welcome.A compelling and essential book. We grow as we read it Susie OrbachOne of our most important contemporary thinkersGuardian