Commentary from September 29, 2013
Something I whipped up as an answer to a couple of angry bloggers who were complaining about depression imagery on Tumblr, as if romanticizing depression and suicide were somehow new things. The reality is, this has been going on for at least decades. There was the heavy metal and goth subculture in the 80s, the grunge and industrial subculture in the 90s… depression and suicidal imagery has always been a part of particular subcultures and part of its identity. So the trend continues, and I expect it will continue for longer still.
However, the alarming part to me is that there is something in these arguments that sounds elitist, and surprisingly hypocritical. I hope this comic points that out a little, because, you know, the people accused of romanticizing depression might just have it. And it’s not our place to judge them, they may be using the imagery to express themselves because when you have depression, it’s fucking hard to express it. But if somehow you identify with a picture of a box of cigarettes with a caption about self-harm, well, that’s okay. Let us know. Because when it comes right down to it, I’d rather people be open about it than feeling they have to be closed about it lest they be judged. If someone is feeling suicidal and doesn’t know how to express it, and we maintain an environment that judges you on how you express it, that person will probably not express it. And they may never get help. After all, I’d rather there be a million false positives for depression than one false negative where we lose someone because they were too ashamed to get help.
Ahem.
Anyways, the character talking in this comic should look familiar. That’s Goth Chick from Sunday Morning Coffee and eventually Sexy Losers, making her first appearance in depression comix.
However, the alarming part to me is that there is something in these arguments that sounds elitist, and surprisingly hypocritical. I hope this comic points that out a little, because, you know, the people accused of romanticizing depression might just have it. And it’s not our place to judge them, they may be using the imagery to express themselves because when you have depression, it’s fucking hard to express it. But if somehow you identify with a picture of a box of cigarettes with a caption about self-harm, well, that’s okay. Let us know. Because when it comes right down to it, I’d rather people be open about it than feeling they have to be closed about it lest they be judged. If someone is feeling suicidal and doesn’t know how to express it, and we maintain an environment that judges you on how you express it, that person will probably not express it. And they may never get help. After all, I’d rather there be a million false positives for depression than one false negative where we lose someone because they were too ashamed to get help.
Ahem.
Anyways, the character talking in this comic should look familiar. That’s Goth Chick from Sunday Morning Coffee and eventually Sexy Losers, making her first appearance in depression comix.
Huh?
Having your condition ignored or trivialised (or worse, demonised) on top of what you’re suffering already can go hand in hand with your condition becoming a crutch of sorts, and/or something to make you feel special or suchlike. Perversely, it’s this very attitude that can lead to an elitism of sorts and to trivialising others who are also suffering but who don’t fit our personal perception of the condition, thus helping to perpetuate the original problem at large.
My interpretation, anyway.
Ten points to Daniel Walker.
It’s a response to posts like this one: astrorice.com/romanticization-of-depression/
I hear this.
ok I get it. I must have been being a bit thick. I’m just used to shutting those people out. A lot of people don’t get the luxury.
While you have a point, tumblr still is not the most pleasant place to trek through
Joseph, tumblr effectively has both sides of this comic covered, and they’re locked in eternal holy war.
This comic makes me think a lot about judging people.
Does anyone ‘deserve’ negative judgment, does anyone not ‘deserve’ negative judgment?
Anyway I guess I can’t express my thoughts clearly, but it’s all big bullshit……..
IMHO, no one deserves negative judgement. What they deserve is understanding. When someone does something you don’t agree with or approve of, you should consider their circumstances, talk to them about Why they do what they do. Insulting who they are without having a clue about who they are accomplishes nothing positive for either party.
thank you for this. I get a lot of hate from people who say I don’t “really have depression” because I’m not constantly feeling down on myself or trying to kill myself. I’ve just gotten really good at hiding it, pushing it down, and pretending it’s not really there. But just because I can do that, doesn’t mean I don’t suffer for it.
And at the end of the day, pain is pain- there is no way to quantify who has more pain than someone else and we shouldn’t judge another person’s pain on our own. And pretending someone else’s pain is less than your own does nothing for you or the other person except make them feel like shit (as shown in previous comics)
The comic says “romaticizing” SB “romanticizing.”
I am guilty of this. I’m bipolar and I hear a lot of people talking about situational depression. On one hand I feel like I am the one with the “real” problem, but on the other I am jealous of them because they can get better and I don’t just mean managing it. I just have to keep in mind that if it is bad for them it is bad for them and why does it matter what I think?
I’m tripolar and I recognize myself in this comic.
What is tripolar? I am manic depressive bipolar with very aggressive outbursts(professionally diagnosed btw), and I honestly never heard of anything about a tripolar, is it like mania/depression but with another emotion added in like anger or something like that? (google did not help me in my search that is why I ask you)
I’m the opposite of this comic. Other people’s depression is a valid mental illness that they’re no way at fault for and for which they deserve help and support. Whereas my brain tells me that my own is just me being lazy and pathetic, that I’m not *really* depressed and don’t deserve any help because all I need to do is pull myself together.
Im the same way, it took forever for me to push down the self hatred enough to get a bit of help and I still feel so guilty I want to vomit when I think about it
147 http://t.co/8MZMxwaz9s via @depressioncomix
I have to stop reading all these comments. It makes me want to hug all you people.
This is how the world was to me 24/7. It’s honestly sad that people with depression accuse other people with depression of faking.