On Clinical Depression

Clinical depression is a darkness that comes from deep within.  It is not born of an innate sadness, but it will readily throw its sufferer into a pit of despair.  If mild, it means the difference in how one sees the rain:  as a great excuse to spend the day reading, or a disappointment of ruined plans.  When it’s severe, there are no plans--because it’s way too much effort to even get out of bed.

“Sadness” is transient and will fade with time.  Depression is an illness, a condition like high blood pressure or diabetes.  In all but the mildest cases, chemical intervention (whether “natural” or pharmaceutical) is needed to activate the  body’s faulty or depleted neurotransmitters, which are necessary for proper brain function. 

A sick person cannot be bullied into good health.  Telling those with clinical depression to “snap out of it,” “pull up your bootstraps,” or “hey, things could be a lot worse” is useless--and will probably make them feel even worse.  Still, a sympathetic ear at the right time can give the sufferer a ray of hope...and perhaps the strength to hang in there another day. 

For some of us, that ear belongs to a patient horse--who can somehow encourage and cheer us without uttering a word. Others are fortunate enough to have a good friend who offers not only a listening ear, but a shoulder to cry on when we need it--perhaps with sound advice, but always without judgment or platitudes.  As for myself, even in the midst of my depression, I feel thoroughly blessed...to have had both.