Lori Gottlieb
Lori is the author of the book and at least part of it is her own partial memoir. She is a therapist, a job she came to after working as a scriptwriter on a medical drama series, considering medical school at first but ultimately choosing to become a therapist so that she could help people who were emotionally struggling. The book begins as she is dealing with the shocking abandonment inflicted upon her by her boyfriend, who has suddenly decided that he does not want to be with her anymore because he does not want to be in a relationship where there is a child living under his roof. This turns her world upside down and throws her into a depression. Although Lori knows what the emotions are that she is experiencing and also the reasons for them, she cannot seem to pull herself out of her depression and turns to a therapist of her own for help. She writes the book as both therapist and patient.
Wendell
Lori's own therapist helps her to understand that her current depression might seem to be caused by her boyfriend leaving but in reality is caused by an underlying emotion or situation that she has not yet dealt with. He looks more like a philosophy professor than a therapist and is never seen without his trademark cardigan.
John
The first patient that Gottlieb tells us about is John. John is successful. He is married, has children, is great at his job, but is surrounded by idiots. At least, that's what he thinks is wrong with his life, and he attributes the problems within his marriage tothe fact that his wife, too, is an idiot.
The reality is that John is not surrounded by idiots. He is a man who has an underlying issue that makes him angry, intolerant and depressed. He lost a child, and has never dealt with the feelings of loss properly.
Julie
Thirty-something Julie is a newlywed, and very happy in her marriage. During her honeymoon she thinks that she is already pregnant because her breasts feel different. A visit to her doctor's office brings the devastating news that she has cancer.
Rita
Rita is depressed because her life has gone by and has never amounted to what she had always believed that it would. She is estranged from her children and wants their forgiveness. However, their anger towards her might well be misdirected as during their childhood she was abused by her husband. She has also suffered bullying. Rita's career never came to much either and she feels wholly unfulfilled. Rita is intending to kill herself on her next birthday.
Charlotte
Charlotte is only twenty-one but has already ruined most of her relationships because of her drinking. She is seeking help to find out the underlying cause of her alcohol abuse but is not succeeding in achieving the level of introspection that is required in order to do this.
