Posted by Dinah on February 27, 2010, at 12:12:44
In reply to depresson's upside (NYT LINK), posted by floatingbridge on February 27, 2010, at 9:18:10
I like that article. I've come to similar conclusions about my own mental health issues, in that I think some of it is caused by more general cognitive traits that have good as well as bad aspects.
But I also like that they acknowledge that depression is not one illness with one cause or one solution. While this view may apply to some people, and the insights will be useful to some people, it might not fit others.
I don't understand the criticisms that this is romanticizing depression. It seems to be more value neutral than that. Acknowledging that depression (and one type of depression at that) has more than one aspect seems sensible to me, not romantic.
My main issue right now is more productivity than depression or anxiety. I definitely see how my ruminative tendencies help me a lot at work once I manage to direct my attention to it, but at other times it's a major stumbling block because my attention is directed to something other than work. More and more as I get older it seems like I can only be totally absorbed in something or not absorbed at all, with no in between.
poster:Dinah
thread:938068
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20100119/msgs/938088.html