> But what if the Devil came and offered to cure my depression, and the price was my right arm? That question is easy. I would say “sounds great, but what's the catch?” Depression is not something with upsides and downsides. It is a terrible illness, the blight of my life, the worst thing that has ever happened to me. It is neither an adorable character trait nor an annoyance to be managed with medical treatment. It is a severe chronic illness, one that is often fatal. In a good year it is kept in check by medical treatment but it is always lurking in the background and might reappear any morning. It is the Joker: perhaps today he is locked away in Arkham, but I am not safe, I am never safe, I am always wondering if this is the day he will escape and show up at my door to maim or kill me.
As a constant sufferer who's been dealing with a debilitating case for over a year now, I love the way the author framed depression. It perfectly describes my fear that if I ever get "better", it's only a local maxima, and I will never be freed of this curse. It's laughable to even think, given how I can suffer from day to day, but I'm honestly afraid of finding something that improves my condition, because of the unknown of how depression might still be lurking in the shadows. I still try (often not very hard), but that fear is there nonetheless.
As a constant sufferer who's been dealing with a debilitating case for over a year now, I love the way the author framed depression. It perfectly describes my fear that if I ever get "better", it's only a local maxima, and I will never be freed of this curse. It's laughable to even think, given how I can suffer from day to day, but I'm honestly afraid of finding something that improves my condition, because of the unknown of how depression might still be lurking in the shadows. I still try (often not very hard), but that fear is there nonetheless.