I always love to read what blogger John McManamy has to say in response to a blog post of mine. So far they’ve all been positive. I fear the day he disapproves. Because he is very smart, and it always gets ugly when smart people don’t like you.

In his post, “Depressed or Deep Thinking: My Take,” John writes:

Proposition One: Any depression that is not part of my temperament sucks – whether mild or severe. Take my depression – please. They throw me off my game, ruin my day, wreck my life. Whether it’s a depression that is the equivalent of a mild cold or one that is psychic double pneumonia I seriously don’t want to be inside my brain on this planet when my neurons have gone on strike. If this is the disease that Peter Kramer is talking about, I’m behind him one hundred percent.

Proposition Two: At the same time, mild to moderate depression is part of my temperament, my personality (as is hypomania). As opposed to my disease depressions, I’m very comfortable in this state. It is a part of who I am. My energy is down, my thoughts tend to be very dark, but – here’s the key difference – I thrive in this state. My neurons are working with me, or perhaps me with my neurons. It’s as if I’m calmly sifting through the ideas I rounded up in my hypomanic frenzies, whether I’m lying in bed, at my desk, or taking a walk. If this is Dr Kramer’s version of just thinking deep, I would have to respectfully disagree.

What we are talking about is the classic distinction between “state” and “trait.” Trait is who we are. State is invasion of the brain snatchers. But no distinctions are ever as clear-cut as they seem.

We tend to get hung up on DSM-IV check lists while ignoring a key DSM injunction – namely that we are only in a state of mental illness when the symptoms interfere with our ability to function (as in work or relationships). So – from my personal perspective – if I am comfortable and not struggling while depressed, then I hardly have an illness that needs treatment.

Now let’s flip it. I also get hypomanic, and I’ve written a lot about this. Here’s the test: For Marilyn Monroe to act like Marilyn Monroe (at least when she’s up) – that’s normal, for Marilyn, anyway. For someone else to act like Marilyn Monroe, on the other hand – that’s probably a sign that very bad things are about to happen.

His post is brilliant. Truly. Click here to keep on reading.

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