When I was reading the Stephen Ambrose book about Lewis and Clark, from time to time Ambrose interjected comments about Lewis’s inability to write his famous journals. There are huge gaps in the two year period of the expedition – gaps in which Lewis simply wrote nothing about what he was seeing. At other times, Lewis was almost garrulous... Read more
The question for today: was Meriwether Lewis of Lewis & Clark fame a man suffering from bipolar disorder (manic-depression)? Or did he commit suicide because he had syphilis, and it made him crazy?This is not a made-up question, but one of some historical and medico-historical interest. Some biographers (including Stephen Ambrose and... Read more
Reading Deborah Gray is good for me.It gives me a chance to reflect on someone who seems to have had many of the same kinds of experiences I have had – at least when it comes to depression.I’ve had a few episodes of deep depression, but dysthymia is what has dogged me most of my life.I’ve been able to manage the depression with... Read more
Two things strike me about the death, at 84, of the prolific writer, Kurt Vonnegut:The first is that he was willing to talk about his suicide attempt many years ago, and that later on, nearer the end of his life, he proclaimed:"My father, like Hemingway, was a gun nut and was very unhappy late in life. But he was proud of not committing... Read more
There are millions of people who are seriously enough depressed to consider killing themselves. That doesn’t mean they do so, but it’s very worrisome when anyone we know talks about taking his or her own life.We hear a great deal about this among teenagers. And there was a point in time when suicide among teenagers was on the rise. In fact,... Read more
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on MyDepressionConnection.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2005-2009. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. All rights reserved.
 | We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. |
