Category Archives: depression
A First-Rate Madness
x I (Ben) picked up Nassir Ghaemi’s book A First-Rate Madness after reading his op-ed in the New York Times last week. The premise is straightforward: Ghaemi, a professor of psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center, argues that mental illness may … Continue reading
Filed under books, depression, faith
Random Thoughts on Fatherhood: Four Months
1. Wednesdays have been my weekday off for the past four years. My routine rarely varied: I woke up, took our MacBook and a good book (or two) to a coffee shop, and hung out there as long as I … Continue reading
Filed under depression, faith, parenthood, Sam
Friday Recommends: Joey Votto
“He’s intense but mellow. He’s Canadian, you know.” x Reds first baseman and Triple Crown threat Joey Votto graces the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, and we recommend him today not necessarily because he’s a Red (though we’ve got … Continue reading
Filed under depression, Friday Recommends, sports
Baseball and Mental Illness
Pablo S. Torre has an article in the current Sports Illustrated [June 21, 2010] about a number of baseball players who have recently “come out” about their struggles with mental illness. The article, entitled “A Light in the Darkness,” delves … Continue reading
Filed under depression, sports
Depression’s Downside
Mark Linkous, best known as the leader of Sparklehorse, committed suicide one week ago. An immensely gifted and chronically depressed fellow, Linkous’s music was an acquired taste — the sound of sadness itself, usually, which meant it was best taken … Continue reading
Filed under depression, music, things that make you sad
Depression’s Upside
Jonah Lehrer has an article in yesterday’s New York Times Magazine entitled “Depression’s Upside.” He begins with an anecdote about Charles Darwin, who suffered from, variously, “fits,” “excitements,” “flurries,” “air fatigues,” “extreme spasmodic daily and nightly flatulence” and “hysterical crying” … Continue reading
Filed under depression, things that make you sad
Hurry Down Sunshine, Michael Greenberg
x When I (Ben) wrote about my ongoing battle with depression recently, several people responded with the same question: Are we crummy friends? They expressed that they didn’t realize the extent of my mental illness. They wondered if they had … Continue reading
Filed under books, depression, faith, things that make you sad
Broken Places
A friend recently shared with us a great Hemingway quote: “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.” After some consideration, we’ve decided to change our page header on mental illness and depression from HURRY … Continue reading
Filed under depression, Uncategorized
The Deepest Silence, Part 2
This is my sixth attempt to write this post. The first three times I (Ben) stopped because I thought, “The people who won’t be freaked out by depression will be freaked out by faith/Christianity. And the very few who may … Continue reading
Filed under depression, faith, things that make you sad
The Deepest Silence, Part 1
For three days running now, I (Ben) have sat down to write a follow-up to Monday’s post. The response I got — online and offline — was very encouraging. Friends who I know have struggled with many of the same … Continue reading
Filed under depression, faith, things that make you sad
