Dennett, I TOTALLY get depression.

Depression is an evil black hole that one is drawn into. As a long-time sufferer of Manic-Depression, (Not Bi-Polar, which is the PC name for it, which enrages me).

I understand only too well the evil and hurt of depression. You are so alone, so helpless, you just want to be completely left alone. You might even want to die. But, if one person or something reaches out, you can sometimes begin to recover.

With Manic Depression, for me at any rate, when the lows come, I hit rockbottom. It's a cycle. If I am unprepared for it, it can be very destructive.

Over the years, when the lows have hit me I have had some amazing and very unexpected people reach out and help drag me back. I have also lost a beloved friend who was angry with me for the depressive cycle and completely turned her back on me.

That was 50 years ago, and it still hurts like stink.

She abandoned me at a time when I was at the lowest place I have ever been. The support from a beloved and trusted friend would have been a beautiful thing. Instead, the life-saving support came from a relative stranger who did not judge me.