an excerpt...

from a letter I received today:

I'm still reading the book about depression and it has caused me to think about certain things in a different way. For instance, wanting to die is not necessarily wanting to commit suicide. Another thing thats ironic is that legal drugs take a long time to work and illegal drugs work immediately but just for a short time. Another thing is that people make statements like "I'm going to have a nervous breakdown" and "I need my medication," and they are made in a humorous light, but they really have no idea. (emphasis mine)

The book he referred to is The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon. I highly recommend it, for those who suffer from depression as well as those who do not.