The Great God of Depression

<p>Actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001724/"><strong>Tony Shalhoub</strong></a> is well known for his role as one of the few openly mentally ill characters in television – an obsessive compulsive detective on the long-running show <em>Monk</em>.</p><p>In this bonus episode of <em>The Great God of Depression</em>, Shalhoub sits down with co-producer Karen Brown to read passages from William Styron's work, and share his perspective on mental illness and creativity.</p><p>If you haven’t

<p>In the final episode, after years of struggling with depression, William Styron keeps his bargain with his readers, and his wife works hard to keep his spirits up until the very end. Alice Flaherty emerges from her own years of madness to a happier life, albeit a less literary one.</p><p><em>The Great God of Depression</em> is a production of <em>Showcase</em> from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s produced by Karen Brown and Pagan Kennedy, with support from New England Public Radio. Music and sound des

<p>William Styron could never finish the war novel that was meant to be his masterpiece. Did that failure lead to his final depression? Or did depression stop him from writing? He and his doctor Alice Flaherty pore over the question together, trying to ward off his suicidal fears and a baffling paralysis, until his wife makes an unconventional and risky suggestion.</p><p><em>The Great God of Depression</em> is a production of <em>Showcase</em> from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s produced by Karen Brown

<p>After writing a revolutionary memoir, William Styron declares he has beaten depression, but he is wrong. A frightening repeat of madness and writer’s block brings on shame and desperate measures. He seeks help from brilliant neurologist Alice Flaherty, who has herself admitted to being “openly crazy.” Can she save him?</p><p><em>The Great God of Depression</em> is a production of <em>Showcase</em> from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s produced by Karen Brown and Pagan Kennedy, with support from New Eng

<p>On the heels of enormous literary success, author William Styron experiences a near-fatal depression and emerges as a defender of the mentally ill. Neurologist Alice Flaherty tries to balance a rare mental disorder with the birth of her healthy twins.</p><p><em>The Great God of Depression</em> is a production of <em>Showcase</em> from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s produced by Karen Brown and Pagan Kennedy, with support from New England Public Radio. Music and sound design by Ian Coss. Julie Shapiro

<p>After a personal tragedy, newly minted neurologist Alice Flaherty falls into a rabbit hole of mania, delusions and creative overload—and encounters a famous writer who revolutionized the conversation about mental illness.</p><p><em>The Great God of Depression</em> is a production of <em>Showcase</em> from PRX’s Radiotopia. It’s produced by Karen Brown and Pagan Kennedy, with support from New England Public Radio. Music and sound design by Ian Coss. Julie Shapiro is the executive producer.</p>