[Sky Cellos]

This Sunday, the New York Times Magazine has a feature story by writer
Daphne Merkin. She writes about her experiences with depression throughout her life.

DEPRESSION — THE THICK BLACK paste of it, the muck of bleakness — was nothing new to me. I had done battle with it in some way or other since childhood. It is an affliction that often starts young and goes unheeded — younger than would seem possible, as if in exiting the womb I was enveloped in a gray and itchy wool blanket instead of a soft, pastel-colored bunting. Perhaps I am overstating the case; I don’t think I actually began as a melancholy baby, if I am to go by photos of me, in which I seem impish, with sparkly eyes and a full smile. All the same, who knows but that I was already adopting the mask of all-rightness that every depressed person learns to wear in order to navigate the world?

I feel that she is long pass being fooled into thinking that she is her current state of mind. She has been observing her own depression for a very long time.

I'd like to know if others are equally as impressed by her story.

Sky

[yutzman]

This world will beat you down .........sad to say...........

[justfloating]

I am impressed by anyone who has the courage not only to write about their depression but then to publish it for the whole world to see. Once you put it out there like that, the "mask of all-rightness" is a little harder to fool people with. I'm only open about my depression with my parents and two very close friends, and the rest of the time I am also wearing that mask for fear of what others will think of me, for fear that they won't understand, because I don't want to have to explain my illness, because I don't want people to think that because I'm ill I'm somehow less of the person they know me to be ...

So I would say yes, I am impressed by her courage in being so frank and open about her depression. Thanks for posting this.

No matter what people will always find some reason to put something or someone down.

For it to be brought to light and it helped and helped ... it's all good

[Fuzzybear]