Re: woman discovered dead after 18 months

I believe every human emotional mechanism (pleasant or not) has a positive purpose - and especially so with depression.

This isn't being Pollyanna since I've dealt with Depression on and off my entire life. But I have absolutely no doubt that the purpose of Depression is to bring about drastic action to tackle your problems that you otherwise would never consider.

In other words, it's our internal sensor that tells us that our life is SO divergent from our hopes and dreams that we have to take RADICAL action to turn it around. Maybe like Scrooge, we see the futility of our lives and make a total fool of ourselves reaching out to other people in ways we never would have dreamed of. And finding a great satisfaction and reconnection to life in the process.

Maybe we do something radical like pull up roots, move to another country and start a new life - or a new profession. All things we never would have had the guts to do before - and wouldn't make sense if our live's weren't becoming so intolerable.

I believe your depressive thoughts of being alienated and alone for life are there to trigger a radical new look at and new actions for your life. Maybe you embarrass yourself by getting out there and asking for friendships - or join organizations you never would have dreamed of and become totally open despite your fears and memories.

What your Depression is telling you is that you ARE NOT going to both solve your problems AND stay in your comfort zone. It's time for radical action and nothing less.
And they you'll appreciate the role depression can have as an agent for transformation.

We Americans somehow were sold on the idea (thanks Madison Avenue) that we should get through life pain free. And if we DO experience pain we should get rid of it immediately by distraction, consumption, meds or inebriation. Anything but looking its source straight in the eye and having the courage to do what it takes to change our lives in ways that we'll ultimately find more satisfying and more worth living.

Again, depression gives us the NOTHING TO LOSE freedom to take the crazy and radical steps to get our lives back on track. And we're so off track, that maybe we have to cut through some forests, swim across some lakes or cut through some back yards to get back to our path (figuratively speaking of course).

Depression through its profound pain creates a primacy where smaller concerns like fear, embarrasment, appearences, reputation, vanity, etc that normally loom large and hold us back from change can dissolve in significance - freeing us to change our lives.