See, I don’t think the word itself is the problem. I think the problem is that some people can’t deal with the reality of depression, or what it can be for many of us. It’s much easier to attack the political correctness of the word than to acknowledge that depression can be terrifying enough to burst out of the confines of even the most dry, clinical word we can apply to it.

I like to face things head-on, stare them in the face and see them for what they are. So if you want to sugarcoat your depression, that’s up to you, but I prefer mine straight up and sugar-free. I have been made mad in the past by my illness, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.