Here's is my "All Over the Map" for next week's Arkansas Weekly.
I’m not making any more cracks about Britney Spears.
Over the past few weeks, it’s been obvious that something is seriously wrong with the woman. Say what you will about her pampered lifestyle, but pain is pain whether you’re struggling to pay the bills or you’re driving a Bentley. And mental pain, or mental illness if you will, is debilitating. It is an illness just like cancer or heart disease are illnesses. Laugh if you want, but 99% of practicing M.D.s will back me up on this.
It’s very simple and simple-minded to scoff at clinical depression. Many who have not suffered from it can have a difficult time rationalizing it and have little patience with those who are trying to deal with it. Erratic behavior and oppressing, dark moods can overwhelm those experiencing depression, and those who have not endured the illness have a rough time putting up with such bleakness. And such seemingly unsympathetic reactions to those suffering with depression can only add to their misery. The saying that goes something like, “You know who your true friends are when you are in times of trials and tribulations,” hits home with people dealing with depressive issues.
By now, you likely have realized that I have dealt with depression. I am still dealing with it. I have for over 10 years. And I wouldn’t wish such anguish on my worst enemy.
I don’t mention this because I want sympathy. I simply mention this because there are many people going through the same ordeal, whether they are your relative or friend, or someone in the public eye like Ms. Spears. Reacting with impatience, rude confusion or stubborn superiority only heightens the torment in those who are going through depression. I know my experience with it has resulted in damaged friendships and relationships, but there are also those who have continually reached out and stood by me, and for that I am humbled and grateful. You really do know who your friends are in such times.
So, no more Britney jokes. I wouldn’t make fun of a celebrity (or anyone) suffering from multiple sclerosis or brain cancer, and I certainly would not mock anyone suffering from clinical depression.
That would be the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn’t it?
I’m not making any more cracks about Britney Spears.
Over the past few weeks, it’s been obvious that something is seriously wrong with the woman. Say what you will about her pampered lifestyle, but pain is pain whether you’re struggling to pay the bills or you’re driving a Bentley. And mental pain, or mental illness if you will, is debilitating. It is an illness just like cancer or heart disease are illnesses. Laugh if you want, but 99% of practicing M.D.s will back me up on this.
It’s very simple and simple-minded to scoff at clinical depression. Many who have not suffered from it can have a difficult time rationalizing it and have little patience with those who are trying to deal with it. Erratic behavior and oppressing, dark moods can overwhelm those experiencing depression, and those who have not endured the illness have a rough time putting up with such bleakness. And such seemingly unsympathetic reactions to those suffering with depression can only add to their misery. The saying that goes something like, “You know who your true friends are when you are in times of trials and tribulations,” hits home with people dealing with depressive issues.
By now, you likely have realized that I have dealt with depression. I am still dealing with it. I have for over 10 years. And I wouldn’t wish such anguish on my worst enemy.
I don’t mention this because I want sympathy. I simply mention this because there are many people going through the same ordeal, whether they are your relative or friend, or someone in the public eye like Ms. Spears. Reacting with impatience, rude confusion or stubborn superiority only heightens the torment in those who are going through depression. I know my experience with it has resulted in damaged friendships and relationships, but there are also those who have continually reached out and stood by me, and for that I am humbled and grateful. You really do know who your friends are in such times.
So, no more Britney jokes. I wouldn’t make fun of a celebrity (or anyone) suffering from multiple sclerosis or brain cancer, and I certainly would not mock anyone suffering from clinical depression.
That would be the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn’t it?
***
Sometime head to the Wikipedia.org page on clinical depression. It contains a wealth of information, and it also features a painting from Vincent Van Gogh entitled At Eternity’s Gate (or On the Threshold of Eternity, depending on one’s translation). Van Gogh, of course, suffered from depression, and his depiction of it in this painting is unfortunately and painfully accurate.
***
Onto brighter and more trivial matters…
The 2007 Oscars have come and gone, and boy, I have to wonder why I sit through those telecasts. My picks are usually never awarded (although No Country for Old Men is a great movie). I wish There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton would have picked up more awards, but such is life.
One award I was happy to see presented was to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Best Original Song. If you haven’t heard “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once, then head to youtube.com and look up the performance of this song on David Letterman’s show. It’s a gorgeous piece and fully worthy of the Oscar. The movie’s excellent, as well.
In the latest issue of GQ, there’s an eye-opening article about nuclear power and the stigma surrounding it since the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl disasters. Wil S. Hylton, the article’s author, points out the countless opportunities this country is missing by not actively utilizing nuclear power and recycling its waste. Political ignorance and the false hysteria surrounding the miniscule likelihood of a nuclear accident, Hylton argues, are holding up an incredibly efficient and economically beneficial supply of power.
The 2007 Oscars have come and gone, and boy, I have to wonder why I sit through those telecasts. My picks are usually never awarded (although No Country for Old Men is a great movie). I wish There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton would have picked up more awards, but such is life.
One award I was happy to see presented was to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Best Original Song. If you haven’t heard “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once, then head to youtube.com and look up the performance of this song on David Letterman’s show. It’s a gorgeous piece and fully worthy of the Oscar. The movie’s excellent, as well.
In the latest issue of GQ, there’s an eye-opening article about nuclear power and the stigma surrounding it since the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl disasters. Wil S. Hylton, the article’s author, points out the countless opportunities this country is missing by not actively utilizing nuclear power and recycling its waste. Political ignorance and the false hysteria surrounding the miniscule likelihood of a nuclear accident, Hylton argues, are holding up an incredibly efficient and economically beneficial supply of power.
