Depression as Mere Sadness

This article on depression was in the new york times today. The guy, in the end, decides that it is better to play it safe and assume that people are actually telling the truth and feeling overwhelmed with their sadness, than it is to try the "buck up little camper" approach to psychiatric treatment. I think that this is a very kind position to take. I feel that i have been in both situations, those in which I needed to just get out and get some more exercise and try a little positive thinking, and those, like now, when I'm feeling totally powerless and victimized in my job, in which I need some professional supervision to be sure that I don't veer into the dark beyond. I have never been to the dark beyond. I can only imagine that the severe depression that I have sensed, lurking at the edge of my psyche, must be nothing short of hell. I have heard people say that they have shock therapy to end depression because, even though it's excrutiating, and only works for a short time, these people would do anything to lift the veil of their depression. I have no reason not to believe these people.

I don't know why there is so much "suck-it-up" sentiment going around all the time. People seem to be very un-sympathetic these days. Why do they even care so much? There are people with very strong opinions about how depressed people just need to direct their feet to the sunny side of the street. I guess I'm somewhat un-sympathetic to people who constantly miss work and have a zillion excuses. I think that it's because I hate having to show up on time and do things and I don't think anyone else should get out of it, if I have to do it. So, maybe that's it. Maybe, when times are tough, people get angry. They are having to suck it up so they don't see why they should make allowances for other people. But why are they so hard on the depressed? The depressed are not asking for anything from the critical people. And why would the critical people think that someone would choose depression? I have a friend who had a wife with severe morning sickness. In the third month of this poor woman throwing up every second, at the drop of a hat, the friend told me that they had not believed pregnant women before. The friend wanted to stress to me that morning sickness was very serious and that I should believe him on that. I was not surprised. I believed that it was terrible before. I had been told that it involved a lot of vomiting. And I've vomited before and it sucks. And no one would do it voluntarily, without some sort of psychosis. Do you know what's worse than vomiting? The feeling you have when you know you're going to vomit. And when that lasts a long time and you don't actually throw up but you don't feel like you can go anywhere far from the toilet because you can't tell... You know what can be worse than that? Never-ending depression. People need to stop being dickheads and just believe that it's real. What damage is done if they believe it and they're wrong as opposed to the damage that's done when they deny people's pain?