Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous Takes Own Life : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily
Those who believe clinical depression is something you should simply will yourself to overcome don't know what they're talking about. You might just as well tell someone with heart disease to shake it off and things will be better. I think part of the misunderstanding comes from the fact that there is an emotion called depression that we all feel from time to time -- or maybe even chronically if life deals us a bad hand -- and separate and apart there's a clinical condition called depression that requires medical and counseling treatment. It's not the blues, it's not being down, it's an illness rooted in the chemical structures of the brain. Yes, as with any disease the person afflicted has responsibility to fight against it, but by its very nature, the worse depression becomes the less determination the victim has to prevail. Thank God treatments continue to improve. Beyond praying for those afflicted with mental illness I pray just as earnestly that its stigma will one day turn into a rallying call for all of us to recognize that these vulnerable fellow humans need our help. Sometimes, so sadly, we cannot do enough and a battle is lost.
