A potent examination of mental illness and its understanding "in the research world and in society at large."British academic psychologist Foulkes addresses readers with a mix of pedagogical and colloquial language. "We know mental illness exists," she writes, "we know it's widespread, but few people really know what any of this means." The author dismantles misperceptions while sharing her thoroughly researched opinions of matters related, primarily, to depression and anxiety, and she poses questions that she seeks to answer: "What are the core deficits or issues that are familiar across many different mental illnesses?"; "What happens outside the body that increases our risk of mental illness?"; "What impact does social media really have on mental health?" Foulkes credits Dutch psychologist Denny Borsboom's network theory of mental disorders as being "the best explanation of what mental illness really ‘is.' " It suggests that biological, psychological, and environmental components affect one another; eventually, this web can become self-sustaining, even after a trigger has disappeared. Not only does Foulkes relay studies, she casts through them with direct summations: "If you're ever going to develop a mental illness, more likely than not, it will start in your adolescent years." In opposition to simplistic, alarmist headlines about social media causing depression in adolescents, the author looks at longitudinal studies of not just how much time people spend on apps, but also how they use them and the ensuing underlying psychological behaviors. "I think part of the reason that social media has been so demonized boils down to one truth: it's new," she writes. Foulkes also integrates reports of current events and published personal accounts of mental suffering and healing to take aim at pop-culture language used in conversation around mental illness. Foulkes is a compassionate, rational guide through modern-day mental issues that are neither easily categorized nor treated. "Time," she writes, "teaches that recovery is not linear."Helpful to anyone interested in a deeper understanding of psychological distress.