Depression

When We Can’t Hibernate, We Become Bears

by Bill Brenner January 29, 2013 Mental health

Erin recently noted that things tend to get ridiculously busy in January, during a period of winter when our bodies scream at us to slow down. On the work side we both have several big projects coming due. At school and in the Scouts, the kids’ schedules are crammed with one activity after the next. Mood music: [spotify:track:4n89Z82pA4kJYmctUeyCbt] In winter, we’re not all that different from animals that hibernate. It’s hard to get out of…  [Read More]

Lessons From the Hemingway Curse

by Bill Brenner January 25, 2013 Depression

I’ve always been drawn to Ernest Hemingway and his family, not because of his writings or his antics, but because of the deep stain mental illness has left on the Hemingway legacy. Mood music: [spotify:track:3dqpehdO04w6T38WB97sOF] I remember an English teacher talking about Hemingway’s 1961 suicide. The teacher suggested Hemingway was an asshole, that he was too macho to accept that he was getting too old to seek out adventure and thus gave up. I accepted…  [Read More]

Friends Of The Gifted Need To Learn Suicide Intervention Tactics

by Bill Brenner January 17, 2013 Depression

One thing I’ve learned over the years: Some super-smart, super-gifted, ahead-of-their-time people often battle with depression and eventually lose their war. So it was for my best friend who took his life 16 years ago. So it has been for far too many of my industry peers. Mood music: I’m thinking of them and for those who continue to struggle with depression daily. I’m grateful, particularly in my industry, for those who have stepped up…  [Read More]

Aaron Swartz and How to Deal With Suicide

by Bill Brenner January 14, 2013 Grief management

I read many articles this weekend about the suicide of Internet prodigy and activist Aaron Swartz. Most were about how we should view his legacy in the face of charges that he used MIT’s computers to gain illegal access to millions of scholarly papers kept by JSTOR, a subscription-only service for distributing scientific and literary journals. Mood music: [spotify:track:2UaBnTuNF4pSBHZDRhzvMy] Some call Swartz a hero who stood up for Internet freedoms. Others point out that he…  [Read More]

Stop Whining and Learn From Your Pain

by Bill Brenner January 8, 2013 Communication Skills

In my early 20s, I adored the Pretty Hate Machine and Broken albums from Nine Inch Nails. I still listen to them on occasion, but for the most part I grew tired of them because all Trent Reznor’s screaming about pain, loneliness, depression and rage got old. He never told us how to go from hopelessness to wisdom and personal growth. Mood music: [spotify:track:5ttpMaPCxRceWlR1kziBDZ] That’s how Kerry Cohen, an author I’ve come to admire, feels about Elizabeth…  [Read More]

When Living in the Past Is Your Only Sanctuary

by Bill Brenner December 13, 2012 Fear and anxiety

I had coffee with a friend and former coworker recently, and we reminisced about some of the colorful characters we’ve worked with. One person we particularly admired has suffered through a life of depression, fear and anxiety and is mostly a recluse these days. Mood music: [spotify:track:6KfzBFMXEOs7LgBcG4ZxyT] When this person does surface to talk to someone, the topic is always the old days. He carefully avoids the present because it’s so painful. Talking about the…  [Read More]

‘Lincoln’ Captures Presidential Triumph Over Depression

by Bill Brenner December 10, 2012 Depression

Since Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln arrived in theaters, I’ve been asking myself: Is the depression issue adequately addressed? The 16th president is a hero of mine because he showed depression sufferers how to rise above the despair and even turn it into a powerful ally. In fact, it was the subject of one of my first posts when I started this blog. Mood music: [spotify:track:0WKNW7g0aTpenB8jdsxlfD] Lincoln lived through horrific episodes of melancholy in an age where…  [Read More]

THE OCD DIARIES, Three Years Later

by Bill Brenner December 7, 2012 Adventures in writing

Three years ago today, in a moment of Christmas-induced depression, I started this blog. I meant for it to be a place where I could go and spill out the insanity in my head so I could carry on with life. In short order, it snowballed into much more than that. Mood music: [spotify:track:2o3ZNeSBuMEt7e3zZbTLk9] About a year into my recovery from serious mental illness and addiction — the most uncool, unglamorous addiction at that — I started thinking about…  [Read More]

Five Inexpensive Christmas Gifts for the Depressed

by Bill Brenner December 4, 2012 Depression

It’s easy to find Christmas gifts that poke fun at a person’s OCD. I’ve captured some good ones and bad ones in previous posts. Less easy to find are gifts that are appropriate for a person in the grips of depression. Why are these gifts so hard to find? One reason is that if you are suffering from depression, especially from the sad, suicidal variety, gag gifts can backfire, adding to the hurt because the…  [Read More]

To a Friend: Your Pride Is Killing You

by Bill Brenner November 8, 2012 Mental health

A longtime friend is letting a bout of depression hold him back. He needs a helping hand but won’t ask for it because he’s too proud. This post is for him and anyone else living under the delusion that not getting help is a sign of strength. Mood music: [spotify:track:2FEfAIvMfp24ZBRVCZIiBZ] I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there many times myself. I’ve had bouts of depression that made me lose interest in everything except…  [Read More]

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