[stylist] Writers and depression

Tue Jan 27 00:25:33 UTC 2015

Hi Helen,
I agree with both what you and Bridgit.
There really is a fine line between unhappiness and depression, 
and from my perspective as an 18-year-old I think that in teens 
it is hard to tell which you are because of these raging 
hormones.
For me personally, when I am unhappy about something such as a 
class or specific situation and it is resolved/over, I feel much 
better, but I think that when it is happening I sometimes feel 
the unhappiness much more strongly than others in that situation 
might, that may have something to do with creativity.
On a much happier note I have heard that college is so much 
better than high school...  I go to a large high school and have 
only one good friend from elementary left and although I have 
some friends that share my interests, they have their own friends 
too.  The school is really big and people who have lots of 
friends don't really go and look for these who don't.  One of the 
things that I like about my top college choice, though, is that 
it is fairly small compared to other colleges, and there are only 
about 11-18 students in each class so you are considered more of 
an indivinchal.  It is also very community-oriented as well, 
something which I think large high schools couldn't do even if 
they tried.  (I even wrote a paper for class on how we could make 
it so that every student at our school was happy and treated as 
an individual there, which is virtually impossible) School can't 
really help you with your emotional needs-that job seems to fall 
to your family.)
I also think it generally helps to talk it out with someone close 
with whom you trust and that after you're a teenager it is much 
easier to keep your emotions in check and you don't feel things 
so strongly.
Vejas
----- Original Message -----
From: EJ Kobek <ejkobek at gmail.com
To: Vejas Vasiliauskas <alpineimagination at gmail.com
Date sent: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:56:44 -0500
Subject: Re: [stylist] Writers and depression

Hi, there, Vejas,

Thanks so much for your reply.  I'm so glad you are pulling 
through this
process and am inspired by how well you know yourself and what 
you are
facing that hurts and has hurt so much.  I'm with you on not ever 
wanting to
be medicated....weird subject to wander into on a writer's list, 
yet it's
not....people are constantly medicated out of feeling, rather 
than WRITING
about it!!! :-).  Keep up your inspired efforts, your clear view, 
your
fire-strong nature!

Warmly,

Helen

On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 11:00 AM, Vejas Vasiliauskas <
alpineimagination at gmail.com> wrote:

 Helen,
 I think that your point makes a lot of sense.
 I feel that people do not really understand the degree to which 
one is
 unhappy because they can't step into your head and really 
understand it.
 The last half of junior year, for various reasons I did not like 
going to
 my school (meaeaning the particular high-school campus I 
attend), and I
 hated/dreaded going back after taking a vacation but always went 
in anyway.
 Well I've pulled through, still go to the same school and am 
happier with
 it, but if my family really knew how unhappy I was at the time, 
I think I'd
 be at this school today.  Much of it just had to do with what 
was going on
 there at the time.
 I'm just giving this example because people know you are 
unhappy, but just
 don't know HOW bad.
 I want to be an English teacher and an advice columnist for a 
newspaper,
 and like reading Dear Abby in my spare time.  If someone wrote 
about being
 unhappy, Abby would just advocate medicating them.
 Honestly, no matter how badly that I am feeling, I would never 
want to be
 medicated.  I would be perfectly willing to talk out my problems 
but no, I
 would not want to use medicine that would change me into some 
mechanical
 person.  I've also heard that medication stalls your creative 
writing.
 I think that some of the time when we are unhappy it is about 
one specific
 issue and if that issue is resolved, it is better.  But 
sometimes when we
 are unhappy about multiple things, they all blend so much that 
it is hard
 to know the exact reason.
 Vejas
 ----- Original Message -----
 From: EJ Kobek via stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org
 To: stylist at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:33:35 -0500
 Subject: Re: [stylist] Writers and depression

 If we're thinking about depression = unhappiness, then writers' 
heightened
 consciousness could be an element.  Consciousness of injustice, 
suffering
 (ours and others')....

 As Alice James was quoted as saying in her journal, however, 
(included in
 my book *Everyday Cruelty) *"Ah, those strange people who have 
the courage
 to be unhappy! Are they unhappy, by-the -way?"

 I know there are biological underpinnings (I.e., 
neurotransmitter problems,
 poor uptake, adrenal gland burn out, thyroid issues, etc.) 
*sometimes* to
 unhappiness, but I think our culture far too often labels mere 
misery
 and yawning consciousness as depression, thus neutralizing our 
voices,
 relegating those such folks to, oh, "mentally ill," instead of 
aware and
 articulate.  Another favorite quotation, related: "Societies 
honor their
 live conformists and their dead rebels." Something like
 that.....Medicalizing unhappiness is a superior and effective 
way of
 silencing people's deep and true voices.

 Oh, joy.  Sob.  Whimper.  Sigh.  Be okay.  Be fine.  Be great.

 Helen
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