> Depression is being up at 6am when you normally have problems pulling yourself out of bed before noon. Depression is alienating all of the people you care about just because you can't seem to be civil to save your life, and in fact for some reason seem to take a perverse joy in being a prick at times. Depression is knowing you have work to do but not being able to get yourself to do it because you know you're going to fail. Depression is not understanding why anyone would ever want to praise you for anything but being all too ready to accept criticism of any sort. Depression is beating yourself up because you're not perfect. Depression is life in a hole. Depression is a world without sunshine. Depression is wanting desperately to be around people and yet, when you actually *are* around people, wanting nothing more than to be alone again. Depression is wanting to go to sleep and never wake up. Worst of all, depression is knowing exactly what you have to do to get yourself out of the mess you're in, but feeling powerless to actually do it.
>
> -- Dave

Whoa. That's, uh, a rather accurate description of the syndrome, and its attendant paralyzing and anguishing symptoms. I realize it is difficult for anyone who has never been "really depressed" to understand what you are describing. Dear Howard, a while ago, said something along the lines of "The storms [of life?] will pass within a few hours and in the meantime, I have my computer and my fireplace, and my wife is in the kitchen making good things to eat, so why should I be depressed?" The unfortunate point about being depressed is that *intellectually* you can reason that things ought to get better, but *emotionally* you cannot really believe it -- or believe that anyone else would truly value the person suffering depression. And so you end up testing the limits of your closest friends' love to see how far it will go, then hate yourself for doing so.

Dave, is there any particular reason you bring this up now? Just in case... *HUG* *HUG *HUG*

Wolfspirit