I think depression is interesting as all obstacles to happiness are interesting. Please do not confuse 'interesting' with 'enjoyable.'
I feel very lucky now that my illness is under contol with medication and therapy. I cannot avoid confronting my illness everyday nevertheless if I want to accomplish anything at all. And yes that makes it interesting.
I don't doubt that there exist some individuals who make their problems too interesting, too complicated and too important. I think that those types want glamour; if their problems are interesting and important, then transitively so are they as the bearers of bad news. I know a few people like this and have difficulty hiding my contempt from them because my sensibility is that such individuals are intensely manipulative. Such a person will try to show how insoluble their problems are and then try to vector their melancholy to others. Sometimes a woman will play the role of 'damsel in distress' when there is no problem at all, hoping to socialize this way and finding her 'prince charming.' But alas the world doesn't work like that and I pity the poor fool who lets such a woman screw him up.
I also know about people who think of their mental illness as some sort of a gift from god. Usually these folks are manic depressive and get to enjoy half of their illness. Their is even a web page hosted by such like-minded individuals. It is called the 'icarus project' like the greek myth. These persons believe that all genius borders on madness, that they are in fact gifted and not particularly ill. I feel sorry for them and their grandiosity. I guess this is some form of rationalization of the problem of mental illness when it is too powerful to be confronted head-on.
mille grazie, stephano. Thank you for raising this thread.
What still puzzles me is what to do with the ideas I am thinking about here and apply them to my therapy. And how can I wash away my sin of anger at some mentally ill people who don't know better but probably should?
ariverderla, pi