Jumping At Shadows

A couple of weeks ago, The Washington Post reviewed Peter D. Kramer's latest book, Against Depression (see "There's Nothing Deep About Depression", an essay adapted from the book). The reviewer (and, I guess, the book) made an important point:

The opposite of depression is not happiness, but resilience.

"Obsessions Rule Compulsions' Fool, a song ostensibly about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, touches on this point:

Cast adrift upon the ocean of life
Every breeze is a storm.
I've got no rudder and I've got no sail
Don't know which way I am going.

Chorus:
Feel buffeted upon all sides
North and South
East and West.
Tossed about
Left and right
Up and down.
My mind can't get no rest.

Every breeze is a storm ...

"Ocean Storm"
by Joyce Wright

Double Takes

The unlikely juxtaposition of things often gives pause for thought, if not a little confusion and comedy at times.

My psychiatrist has a photograph of two adjacent shops in a strip mall:

• "SOUTHERN SEAFOOD" restaurant
• "tropical fish" store

A recent HealthyPlace.com newsletter had these two headlines, one right after another:

• "Antidepressants May Improve Heart Attack Survival"
• "FDA Re-Warns Adults About Antidepressants, Suicide"

A more macabre mix-up occurred on the cover of one of my daughter's teen magazines, with two headlines for unrelated stories placed one above the other:

• "Guys' Most Embarrassing Moments ... Revealed"
• "Real-Life Story: My Boyfriend Killed Himself in Front of Me"

Ugh ...