"SO THE PLOT THICKENS": Major depressive disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(OVERHEARD ON THE DANCE FLOOR)

"YOU need to take some... HAPPY DRUGS!"

~(Friend(?)Drug Dealer)~

"I-HAVE-PERFECTLY-GOOD-REASONS-FOR-BEING-THE-WAY-I-AM!!!

And...

I-WILL-NOT-TAKE-HAPPY-DRUGS-JUST-SO-YOU-CAN-HAVE-A-GOOD-TIME!!!"

~(Customer(?)Friend)~

"OH NO!  I'm not a DRUG DEALER! I only SELL to my FRIENDS!"

~(Friend(?)Drug Dealer)~

"Well...

after all things said and done; here's the bottom line whether you like what I have to say or not:

"It's not a question whether or not another one of us ends up dead, hauled off back home by their parents after having already lost everything, or having to spend some time in jail or other similar-like-crisis-center only to just be let out and having to pick up life where we left off even more stigmatized than before!!!  It just a matter of...TIME... whether or not this depressing cycle of tragedy of the...HUMANKIND... we're heading for...EVER... gets dealt with properly...PERIOD!  These misleading quick fixes during our lifetimes should not be the only focus of our attentions.   It's called...DIFFUSION OF RESPONSIBILITY!  That's why nothing is getting done!  Everyone else is wanting to think it's someone else's responsibility.  The-ONLY-GOOD-THING-I-HAVE-TO-SAY-ABOUT-ALL-THESE-FUCKS-HERE-TONIGHT-IS-THE-FACT-THAT-THEY-ARE-NOT-ADDING-TO-THE PROBLEMS-WITH-MORE-CHILDREN-OF-THEIR-OWN-AS-THEIR-ANSWERS-TO-ESCAPING-REALITY!!!"

~(Customer(?)Friend)~

"Oh, you just being paranoid."

~(Friend(?)Drug Dealer)~

"What ever."

~(Customer(?)Friend)~

(OVERHEARD(?) LIP READING(?) NEAR-BY(?)TWO MEN DANCING)

"Wonder what that was all about?"

~(MAN#1)~

"OH..STAY AWAY FROM HIM!  HE'S MAJORLY FUCKED UP!"

~(MAN#2)~

"No.  Not really. 

There...IS...a good reason why some refer to him as Suicide Jim:

'One date with him and you just want to kill yourself."' 

~(MAN#1)~

"Whatever.  I'd rather talk about us.  May I have another bump."

~(MAN#2)~

"Back at my place or yours we can."

~(MAN#1)~

"Looks like I found myself...THE WRONG...dancing partner tonight."

~(MAN#2)~

“He awoke each morning with the desire to do right, to be a good and meaningful person, to be, as simple as it sounded and as impossible as it actually was, happy. And during the course of each day his heart would descend from his chest into his stomach. By early afternoon he was overcome by the feeling that nothing was right, or nothing was right for him, and by the desire to be alone. By evening he was fulfilled: alone in the magnitude of his grief, alone in his aimless guilt, alone even in his loneliness. I am not sad, he would repeat to himself over and over, I am not sad. As if he might one day convince himself. Or fool himself. Or convince others--the only thing worse than being sad is for others to know that you are sad. I am not sad. I am not sad. Because his life had unlimited potential for happiness, insofar as it was an empty white room. He would fall asleep with his heart at the foot of his bed, like some domesticated animal that was no part of him at all. And each morning he would wake with it again in the cupboard of his rib cage, having become a little heavier, a little weaker, but still pumping. And by the midafternoon he was again overcome with the desire to be somewhere else, someone else, someone else somewhere else. I am not sad.”

― Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated

“there are two types of people in the world: those who prefer to be sad among others, and those who prefer to be sad alone.”

― Nicole Krauss, The History of Love

Major depressive disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Major depressive disorder (MDD) (also known as clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, or unipolar disorder; or as recurrent depression in the case of repeated episodes) is a mental disorder characterized by a pervasive and persistent low mood that is accompanied by low self-esteem and by a loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. This cluster of symptoms (syndrome) was named, described and classified as one of the mood disorders in the 1980 edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual.  The term "depression" is ambiguous. It is often used to denote this syndrome but may refer to other mood disorders or to lower mood states lacking clinical significance. Major depressive disorder is a disabling condition that adversely affects a person's family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health. In the United States, around 3.4% of people with major depression commit suicide, and up to 60% of people who commit suicide had depression or another mood disorder.

The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a mental status examination. There is no laboratory test for major depression, although physicians generally request tests for physical conditions that may cause similar symptoms. The most common time of onset is between the ages of 20 and 30 years, with a later peak between 30 and 40 years.

Typically, patients are treated with antidepressant medication and, in many cases, also receive psychotherapy or counseling, although the effectiveness of medication for mild or moderate cases is questionable. Hospitalization may be necessary in cases with associated self-neglect or a significant risk of harm to self or others. A minority are treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The course of the disorder varies widely, from one episode lasting weeks to a lifelong disorder with recurrent major depressive episodes. Depressed individuals have shorter life expectancies than those without depression, in part because of greater susceptibility to medical illnesses and suicide. It is unclear whether or not medications affect the risk of suicide. Current and former patients may be stigmatized.

The understanding of the nature and causes of depression has evolved over the centuries, though this understanding is incomplete and has left many aspects of depression as the subject of discussion and research. Proposed causes include psychological, psycho-social, hereditary, evolutionary and biological factors. Long-term substance abuse may cause or worsen depressive symptoms. Psychological treatments are based on theories of personality, interpersonal communication, and learning. Most biological theories focus on the monoamine chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, which are naturally present in the brain and assist communication between nerve cells.

***

“When God Created Mothers"

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said. "Six pairs of hands.... no way."

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," God remarked, "it's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word."

God," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "Get some rest tomorrow...."

I can't," said God, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

But tough!" said God excitedly. "You can imagine what this mother can do or endure."

Can it think?"

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model."

It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

What's it for?"

It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride."

You are a genius, " said the angel.

Somberly, God said, "I didn't put it there.”

― Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers

C.S. Lewis: He comes; he sleeps; he goes. So the plot thickens.