The author on how the deluge Massachusetts is experiencing is as brutal on the mind as it is on basements.
Mood music for this post: “Rain When I Die” by Alice in Chains:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMm0bpbOOkU&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
This isn’t a new topic for me, since I’ve mentioned it many times. But New England is currently getting pounded by another deluge, so it’s worth repeating.
This weather is brutal for people who suffer from depression. The dark-gray sky leaves the sufferer feeling as though they’re locked in a tomb.
Abraham Lincoln, who suffered from severe depression his whole life, was driven to the brink of suicide more than once in the 1840s — two decades before he was president — during periods of prolonged, intense rain, according to “Lincoln’s Melancholy” by Joshua Wolf Shenk.
It’s especially rough on children who suffer from anxiety. Just hearing the weatherman say the word flooding is enough to cause panic.
I tend to experience dark moods during heavy rains, but I think the short daylight of winter hits me harder. Fortunately, an adjustment of my Prozac intake has helped considerably.
Not much more to add here that I haven’t already said before, except that if you know someone who suffers from depression and addiction, show them some friendship and keep an eye out for them.