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Darkenss Visible

Depression and suicide are mysteries to many people. Those who have neither experienced the pain and anguish nor been the passive receiver of someone with these feelings and thoughts may have difficulty comprehending and empathizing with someone who has. In addition, those who are experiencing the feelings and thoughts that accompany these states of being may have difficulty understanding what and why these feelings are. Supplementary to verbalizing the criteria of depression and how it may lead to suicidal thoughts, intent, or plans, reading about a person's experience with major depressive disorder and their suicidal thoughts may increase the awareness and understanding of such an illness.

Darkness Visible, by William Styron, is just this kind of book, an autobiography of the experience of major depressive disorder. This short novel could be a helpful supplement to psychotherapy for numerous individuals, particularly someone experiencing depression or an individual that has a loved one suffering from depression. Although the symptoms of depression may vary, certain unvarying characteristics are presented in Styron's novel.

Styron's vivid portrayal of major depressive disorder explains the realistic and excruciating physical and mental pain of the illness taking over his body. He depicts the lack of a moment's comfort from the ceaseless pain that refuses to lessen, and emphasizes the feelings of hopelessness as the touchstone that crushes the soul. These explicit details may unnerve the reader, but also help them feel the relentless pain of the illness. This intense, yet accurate depiction of depression can help label the often-unfamiliar feelings a depressed individual experiences. In addition, it may help others understand the lack of control experienced by individuals with this illness, removing the belief that the sick individual is being "willful." Styron points out that ignorance of such an illness "demonstrates the outsider's inability to grasp the...