On the first foray into the subject of depression

The subject of depression is, sadly, still regarded as taboo. Hard to admit, even to yourself, that you may be suffering from depression; harder to admit to others that you, in fact, are. It’s still seen more of a personal flaw, or weakness, and less of a disease or illness. It’s hard to recognize, diagnose and treat. What works for one person, and ‘fixes’ them, may not work for others. Gone are the days, thankfully, of immediately being hurried away to an institution; out of sight of the general public and no longer a burden, or embarrassment, to family. But, treatments are still woefully inadequate, and can have an intimidating or difficult hurdle, to get to.

I’m a believer in exposing the difficulties of life. Don’t beat around the bush, don’t hide behind insipid small talk, get to the point. As hard as it could be to open up about, or admit to, what may be perceived as a failing, it’s harder to live with it, bottled inside.

Fortunately, there are others who also do not shy away from difficult, and complex, subjects. Andrew Solomon is an award winning writer and lecturer. For almost a decade, from 1993, he was a regularly contributing writer to the New York Times magazine. He has written a number of books ranging in subject matter from Russian artists living during Glasnost, to family issues, and depression. He has also been a TED speaker, on a couple of occasions. This brings me to the following video.

Depression, the secret we share, is easily one of the best presentations of the subject of depression I’ve come across. Mr. Solomon shares a personal account of his depression, along with accounts of others’ experiences, he learnt whilst researching his book, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression.

I plan to write further pieces about depression, and mental health in general. Below is a link to the official TED Talk Mr. Solomon gave at the TEDx Met in October of 2013. I hope you’re able to take something away from it as I have.