[Magdalen] As long as we're confessing stuff...

[Scott Knitter]

Saying things like that (the story about the cousin) probably feels
like helping, but it would help only if you could choose to be in fine
health just like the cousin. Similarly with depression, people
sometimes feel like it couldn't hurt to offer some positive
observations and thoughts, but they don't help much because your
depression isn't just a path you chose or a habit you adopted (such as
looking always on the depressing side of things).

What would probably really help is actual specific advice from someone
who has had similar specific experience (with getting tired climbing
the steps, for instance) and knows some specific, proven things that
help with that.

Wouldn't it be great if the black dog of depression could be sent away
simply by reminding the person they could be more cheerful: "Oh, OK,
thanks; that helps." If only. Nope.

On Sat, Apr 22, 2017 at 5:43 PM, Molly Wolf <lupa at kos.net> wrote:
> So being told heartily that "my cousin had breast cancer when she was in her forties and twenty years later, she's fine" is not especially useful.




-- 
Scott R. Knitter
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA