William Styron writes “. . .the word [depression] has slithered innocuously through the language like a slug, leaving little trace of its intrinsic malevolence and preventing, by its very insipidity, a general awareness of the horrible intensity of the disease when out of control.” He recounts that in most instances of physical pain, one knows if one sticks it out eventually it will end, and things will go back to normal. Not so with depression.
“In depression this faith in deliverance, in ultimate restoration, is absent. The pain is unrelenting, and what makes the condition intolerable is the foreknowledge that no remedy will come. . .If there is a mild relief, one knows that it is only temporary; more pain will follow. It is hopelessness even more than pain that crushes the soul. . .The sufferer from depression finds himself thrust into the most intolerable social situations. There he must, despite the anguish devouring his brain, present a face approximating the one that is
associated with ordinary events and companionship. He must try to utter small talk, and be responsive to questions, and knowingly nod and frown and, God help him, even smile.” Darkness Visible
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