Brain Beast
Depression is a funny beast.
It’s a chemical imbalance. It’s a psychological state. It’s a chameleon, able to mimic and masquerade as countless other disorders. It’s both crippler and crutch. It’s seductive. It’s repulsive. It loves company. It’s bad company. It’s a habit. It’s a worldview. It’s a noose around the neck and a comfortable old shoe. It’s an emotional squatter that stubbornly refuses to quit the premises.
Given my pick of funny beasts, I’d probably choose a pit bull instead. They’re very sweet animals, notwithstanding propaganda to the contrary, and easier to housebreak than depression.
But I’m convinced that the brain beast can be tamed, too, in time.
May 17th, 2005 at 5:10 AM
The beast can be tamed, but you must always be wary. When you least expect it, the monster can turn around and have you in its jaws once more. I know.
May 17th, 2005 at 5:45 AM
This is one of the most fitting descriptions I have ever seen. Depression is not something I welcome, but it is always there… roots deep within. It is both misunderstood and exaggerated by most, and yet it happens to most everyone. I am waiting for the day when I can say that it is not on my mind.
May 17th, 2005 at 7:11 AM
…and the people who don’t understand it or share it make it worse by their sheer frustration with you for having it…
May 17th, 2005 at 12:18 PM
I took anti-deressants for several years and they seemed like a miracle, at first. The problem with them, for me, was that I was happy all the time and they took time to work. I quit taking them a couple of years ago and switched to weed, which works for me much better in the sense that I can more easily regulate the dosage and the effects are almost instantaneous. Hopefully we’ll get the stuff legalized here in Nevada. It’s been a lifesaver for me.
I second the notion that your description of depression is top-notch writing.
May 17th, 2005 at 8:58 PM
The worst part of depression in my view is that people who have it get scared live without it, and usually are more likely to quit taking their meds when they start working because the people get scared. Depression may suck, but it’s the Devil you know.
May 18th, 2005 at 5:12 AM
I’m not sure “it” is a chemical imbalance or any other “it” for that matter.
“There’s nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so” Hamlet
Ali