Posted by Richard S (63.28.233.115) on August 28, 2001 at 22:51:58:
In Reply to: You may not want to read this, but..... posted by kbwood on August 28, 2001 at 21:40:10:
but the brain is undependable and can totally blind us to the consequences of our actions. Clinical depression is a very real, very physical disorder, every bit as real as our cluster headaches. And just as we take Imitrex and other agents to control whatever is wrong, an individual with depression may need anti-depressants. If James is really suffering with depression, there's not much, if anything, he can do to help it by changing his attitude toward others. It's a damn disease, like clusters, only it manifests as emotional rather than as physical pain. That doesn't make it any less real or any more controllable by means of conscious attitude adjustments. Otherwise, I certainly agree with your objective assessment of the situation. Maybe the "coward" accusation is a bit strong, however, since the desire to do away with ones life may be prompted by factors unrelated or unresponsive to moral and ethical considerations.