STASIS IN DARKNESS
The nervous breakdown was soon diagnosed as a major depressive disorder, and I began a pathway through treatments that I still explore today. And, as is not uncommon, the diagnosis was soon accompanied by the failure of my marriage; the end of my career; and a move into a two-bedroom unit, albeit one with glimpses of the Brisbane River. All these regretted endings are my responsibility, not the illnesses, but depression does leave you somewhat disadvantaged in dealing with life as it collapses around you. These opening paragraphs invite three questions:
• How did I arrive at this turn in my life?
• What has it been like to live these past years?
• What health strategies do I use to get through this wasteland?
The following explores each of these questions. My intent is to sketch a broad landscape, leaving you, if so inclined, to elsewhere explore the issues raised. [Trigger Warning: This article does reference attempted suicide
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