On living with depression

I thought it would be helpful to give a little primer on depression, for the uninitiated. Obviously, you don't need to have depression to understand someone who does. Just like you don't need to be sad in order for happy things to make you happy. But understanding, any understanding, helps.



Right, so you know that one kid at school?  That one bully who was relentless.  Who seemed almost psychic in her ability to zero in on the things that you fear most, that you hate most about yourself... and manipulate and magnify those things, pick at them relentlessly like an indian rope burn, but on your soul.  And she did this day in and day out and day in again.  A constant reminder of everything that is wrong with you - picking and poking and prodding and cruel.

Now imagine you couldn't graduate and move away from her because she is you, so she follows you whereever you go.

That's what living with depression is like.



Isn't that absolutely paralysing? Yep. It sure is. But not always. Some days I am able to appear quite normal. Some days I even feel normal.

Humans are a tremendously resourceful species with an amazing ability to find ways to cope. My way is usually humour.

I think it's actually hard for people to understand how you can be funny and extroverted, and also have depression.  How can you be both? It doesn't make sense. You love attention; you must be faking it to get attention.

The only real answer I have to that was said better by Robin Williams than by me:

















The truth is, I probably am faking something, it's just not the thing you think I am.

Baby, baby, baby... take a good look at my face....