Manic Depression - Renewing Courage

Manic Depression affects its victims in insidious ways. It weakens resolve and undermines the spirit. It agitates the ability to concentrate and focuses the individual afflicted on the edge of social norms, a place where he is vulnerable to the loss of mental health. This is not particularly unique as many illnesses follow a similar course. So it is that many bouts with illness are universal. It is from this perspective that I offer the following: the struggle to maintain stability, the sensitivity of human dignity, and the drive for courage.

Courage, which is about living dreams daily, is not just about physical courage, but mental courage as well. It is about persistence, not taking no for an answer. Reaching a goal is a daily decision to pursue that goal. It is resisting intimidation and focusing quietly without fanfare.

We all hear stories of tenacity in the face of odds. They speak to us everyday: the businessman who strives to improve his business, the worker who works three jobs to support his family; the individuals with a serious illness who focus on life and refuse to be victims. They all display examples of courage.

Dana was deemed mentally retarded at a young age, five years old. His reactions were slower then other children his age. While being termed slow, he was not without grace. He had a way about him. He found comedy in everyday activities. When he made a mistake, he would laugh at himself. Though pensive about his performance at school or in a group activity, he would look back at the milestones in his life with a sense of wonderment: graduating high school or working his first job. While some collect stamps or baseball cards, Dana collected people, those who had helped him overcome the obstacles of life. Though he wouldn’t be able to define the word, Dana had gratitude. As an adult, he recollected stories of the help he received: the third grade teacher who taught him how to read, the coach who encouraged him to swim, the counselor who helped him choose a vocation, his parents who never let him feel disabled.

Today, Dana works at a major metropolitan hospital as an x-ray technician, a job he has held for over 20 years. He has also had a long-term relationship with a woman for twenty-six years. But Dana is not without his fears. A recent bout with anxiety had him question his ability to continue in his job. Over time this receded. Like all of us, his relationship sometimes has discord, which offers challenges to overcome. In spite of it all, Dana displays a resilience which could make all of us envious. He shows courage in the everyday sense of the word, perhaps not the physical heroics of the battlefield, but the daily struggle to fulfill a promise to himself to be the best at whatever he does, living out his goals one day at a time. Dana should be a lesson to us all. Life is a drama lived out on a stage.

For those with bipolar disorder, like many of my psychotherapy clients, Dana’s story is instructive. Never miss a chance to do your best. As for those out there who have never experienced a manic episode or a clinical depression, but struggle daily with their loved ones who have, take heart at the dramatic unfolding of a life lived and the small but not inconsequential victories achieved. What is already stated for a friend or loved applies to us all. Courage is about the attitude we bring to the things we do. It would seem that at some point we find common ground, both client and family alike. Sometimes, what is true for one is true for all.