Writing through Depression
The age-old saying “misery loves company” really doesn’t hold much clout, being
a hackneyed excuse for people to smack a label onto those who are miserable. In the case
of depression, misery usually would like to slowly choke its “company” in a dark, dank
alleyway—a fine reflective setting for the mental state of those who actually suffer from
depression. Depression likes to be left alone, likes to revel in banality and antipathy. It
likes to shield itself from the world, who insists that “you’ll grow out of it” or “you’re
just seeking attention.” It stifles and asphyxiates the victim like a vindictive hand on a
powerless throat.
This is my experience with depression, and it likely parallels many others’
experiences as well. I constantly was of the mind that there was no way out; that there
was no way to express my feelings in a way that even I could understand. Contrary to
what I thought, this didn’t last forever. Because I was able to write my feelings.
It may be difficult to believe, but writing is a completely viable and clinically
proven method to navigate through the seemingly endless labyrinth of depression. In
support of this method, called “writing therapy”, a certified occupational therapist named
Melanie Thompson discovered that writing therapy can have “the potential to reach a
deep level of exploration and analysis.” I found this to be a veritable explanation in my
experience, being able to twist and warp my words into what I hadn’t been able to reveal
within myself.
Often with depression, there is a lack of desire to audibly speak your problems or
feelings out loud. There’s a crippling embarrassment or fear of judgment from others that
may or may not actually occur. Speaking to a therapist, for me, only made me want to
close up even more. However, I knew that I have never been one gifted with the finer
aspects of conversation; writing was my best bet for evaluating myself. I found my
writings to be bleak and hopeless, but it put my feelings into a visual form that I never
could have imagined if I were forced to run over them in my head. One triumphant
participant of writing therapy wrote that he practiced it “to turn the pain into a poem and
give it away again.”
If you’re interested in writing therapy, there are several different avenues you can
take. There are official programs that sponsor writing therapy, including CARE (Creative
Arts Reciprocity Experience), which grants people opportunities to explore various
creative outlets to see what works best for them, including writing therapy. Another
program is CREATE (The Center for Expressive Arts, Therapy and Education), where
mental health patients can also experiment with the arts in the care of mental health
practitioners to assist progress and practice. Other outlets are journaling, list-making, or
simply writing stories or poetry.
Depression is not something to be taken lightly, but it is something that can be
dealt with if channeled through an applicable method. Writing therapy can be that
method, and can be the cliché light in the darkness that plagues the affected. Misery
doesn’t love company, but misery can love writing.
Resources:
Thompson, Melanie, and Sheena E.E. Blair. "Creative Arts in Occupational Therapy:
Ancient History or Contemporary Practise?" Occupational Therapy
International 5.1 (1998): 48-64. Web.
Talerico, Carl J. "The Expressive Arts and Creativity As A Form of Therapeutic
Experience In The Field of Mental Health." The Journal of Creative
Behavior 20.4 (1986): 229-47. Wiley Online Library. Wiley-Blackwell
Publishing. Web.