Depression In Andrew Solomon's TED Talk

Andrew Solomon is a writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts winner of the National Book Award. In his TED Talk lecture, he shares his own experience of depression and how he became close to committing suicide. Depression is defined as a mental condition indicating feelings of despondency and dejection, including frequent feelings of inadequacy and guilt, guided by lack of sleep and disturbance of appetite. Solomon talks about the year 1991. In which he had a series of losses. His mother had died, a relationship that he was in ended, causing him to move back to the United States to get through those experiences intact. It constructed him to lose interest in almost everything, lacking motivation to do anything that he previously …show more content…
That’s what makes a relationship strong, not having problems, but how well you resolve them in the end. There was a time where they parted ways. It was my sister’s decision. Not because she found someone else but because she wanted him to mature and think like an adult more than a teenage boy. Her intentions were to still be with him once he worked on himself. She waited, but as time went on she began to do her own thing as well, being more focused on school and work. He went through a phase where he had to get help, so he was sent to a mental institution to recover. I will never know the exact details of what happened to him there and what caused him to go into such a deep depression. He would only talk to my sister about it. Then whenever she would try to help him he would say the most common statements that anyone going through depression would say, “It’ll get better,” or “I’ll be fine”. I do remember from time to time he would find a way to contact my sister, like as if she was what kept him going, what got him through the day. My sister told me that the last time they spoke he seemed fine. They were both looking forward to seeing each other again set to be on Thursday, March 13, 2014. I recall her being so happy and nervous to see him again, and the messages she read to me that were sent by him, how it sounded he was happy to see her as …show more content…
For instance, a few years ago he had a three-day conference, a participant pulled him aside to tell him that she’s was suffering from depression. She was so embarrassed about it because she was taking medication to help her cope with it, so she wanted to see what he thought of it. He did his best to give her any kind of advice. She seeks for his guidance because she felt that no one else would understand. Not even her own husband because he’s the kind of guy to whom wouldn’t make any sense of it. She wanted it to just be between her and Solomon, and he gave her his word and said yes. Solomon explains that the next day at the same conference, her husband took him aside for some advice as well. Turns out he too is suffering from depression and is embarrassed by it, so he hides his medication from his wife. He tells them both instead of hiding the medication from each other and keeping it secret it’s best to communicate and let it all out. Only then will they see by doing this maybe it will help them both get through