GeologicalScienceBlog - subjects include Geology, Climatology, Environmental Science, NASCAR, Beer, Property Rights, Random Thoughts, & Politics from a Christian Conservative/Libertarian/pragmatist viewpoint. As a Dad & Grandad, I am concerned about the overgrowth of government at the expense of freedom. Background - two degrees in Geology (BS '77, MS '90), started studying Geology beginning Senior Year of high school (1971 - 1972) <68>

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Revisiting the Depression of William Styron

I just started reading Alexandra Styron's book "Reading My Father", a memoir of her experiences growing up and dealing with her father's unipolar depression.

Here is the text of the above-linked post of September 4, 2007:

"William Styron's "Darkness Visible" is short enough (84 pages) to read in one day/night period, but because of the importance of the material, you might want to spend a little more time on the subject.

William Styron is best known for "The Confessions of Nat Turner", "Lie Down in Darkness", "Sophie's Choice" and other works of literature. "Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness", 1992, Vintage Books div. of Random House, ISBN 0-679-73639-5, details Styron's rapid descent into severe clinical depression, after reaching the age of 60, and his subsequent treatment and recovery.

Styron attributes some aspects of the depression to genetics, as his father suffered the same affliction. After-the-fact, he became aware of some his central characters (in his books) suffering depression, perhaps a sign that it was "just under the surface of his psyche" (my paraphrasing). Three of his central characters committed suicide.

As with numerous other writers, Styron had a relationship with "the bottle", not writing while he was drinking, but using his episodes to "travel throughout his imagination" (my paraphrasing). Oddly enough, it seemed that it wasn't his "hitting bottom" after he turned 60 that caused him to suddenly stop drinking, he seemed to "lose interest", perhaps his body somehow rebelled against it.

Styron attributed the rapid cessation of drinking as the "trigger event" that started his rapid downward spiral. Being part of the "writing community", Styron was well-aware of the legion of writers that had preceeded him in severe depression, some of which ended in suicide. He almost reached that point, but "was pulled back" at the last instant. Somehow it seemed that depression in some fashion contributes to a measure of creativity, perhaps once one is subconciously (or conciously) aware of the territory, they can see possible depression in others. They can perhaps empathize with "broken people" more easily than those that travel through life unaware of what it is like "on the inside".

The unipolar depression suffered by Styron is different from the up-and-down of manic (bipolar) depression. Unipolar depression - attributed to imbalances of norepinephrine, serotonin, and cortisol - is not always constant. Styron's seemed to "hit" him more in the afternoon and evening.

There may be more than one "triggering event" that precipitates (or exaggerates) changes in brain chemistry. In the case of Abraham Lincoln, it was the death of his mother, Nancy Hanks, when he was nine, then the death of his sister when he was 19. For Styron, he believed that one of his early triggering events was the death of his mother when he was 13. For Ernest Hemingway, perhaps it was the suicide of his father.

Styron describes the descent of most people (including himself) with depression in this way (p. 47):

"But with their minds turned agonizingly inward, people with depression are usually dangerous only to themselves. The madness of depression is, generally speaking, the antithesis of violence. It is a storm indeed, but a storm of murk. Soon evident are the slowed-down responses, near paralysis, psychic energy throttled back close to zero. Ultimately the body is affected and feels sapped, drained."

People with depression generally blame themselves, thus they are probably not planning on "going postal". Those people that do "go postal" are people that blame others for their problems.

The self-doubts and frustrations of a creative person - at not being able to reach their capabilities (because of depression) - may have been reflected in the doubts of Mother Teresa (addressed in the previous post)."

[I wrote the immediately-linked post because I was pissed off at Christopher Hitchens' opinions regarding Mother Teresa.]

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Posted by: on-the-rocks / 10:58 PM
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