Dick Cavett on depression
Dick Cavett, the former talk-show host who now writes a blog for the New York Times, has been discussing depression lately. Both of his posts have produced an avalanche of comments, reminding us again of how epidemic this disorder is.
One of his more interesting observations, via Marlon Brando, is that the depressed often don’t seem as affected as they feel. In certain situations, he writes, the psyche goes on auto-pilot to get a task done. This of course has the unwelcome secondary effect of causing people unfamiliar with depression to question the depressed person’s felt experience.