it is pretty harsh, and i don't mean it as a reflection on anyone in particular.
it's just... true. depression is a disease of intense self-absorption. most people who really suffer from it are in their own little black holes. and most people around them end up being just exhausted from trying to keep that person going in the world... trying to include them, raise their spirits, anything.
this isn't something i came up with myself, by the way... it's a point that has been brought up in every literary writing i've ever read on the topic. i just don't disagree with it. and i think most people who would disagree probably don't distinguish ups-and-downs sadness, even if the lows are pretty low, and actual "clinical depression" (or its cousin, dysthymic disorder). someone posted something on lj the other day from elizabeth wurtzel's prozac nation, about how depression needs to not be romantically classified as "madness" (with the connotations of drama, brilliance, acting out) because it actually robs artists of their best working time. etc.
no subject
it's just... true. depression is a disease of intense self-absorption. most people who really suffer from it are in their own little black holes. and most people around them end up being just exhausted from trying to keep that person going in the world... trying to include them, raise their spirits, anything.
this isn't something i came up with myself, by the way... it's a point that has been brought up in every literary writing i've ever read on the topic. i just don't disagree with it. and i think most people who would disagree probably don't distinguish ups-and-downs sadness, even if the lows are pretty low, and actual "clinical depression" (or its cousin, dysthymic disorder). someone posted something on lj the other day from elizabeth wurtzel's prozac nation, about how depression needs to not be romantically classified as "madness" (with the connotations of drama, brilliance, acting out) because it actually robs artists of their best working time. etc.