I Had a Black Dog

‘I Had a Black Dog says with wit, insight, economy and complete understanding what other books take 300 pages to say. Brilliant and indispensable.’ – Stephen Fry

‘Finally, a book about depression that isn’t a prescriptive self-help manual. Johnston’s deftly expresses how lonely and isolating depression can be for sufferers. Poignant and humorous in equal measure.’ Sunday Times

There are many different breeds of Black Dog affecting millions of people from all walks of life. The
Black Dog is an equal opportunity mongrel.

It was Winston Churchill who popularized the phrase Black Dog to describe the bouts of depression he experienced for much of his life.

Matthew Johnstone, a sufferer himself, has written and illustrated this moving and uplifting insight into what it is like to have a Black Dog as a companion and how he learned to tame it and bring it to heel.