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Daily Excerpt: Depression Anonymous (Ortman) - Major Depressive Disorder

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  excerpt from Depression Anonymous (Dennis Ortman) --  MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER Paula, a middle-aged woman suffering emotional storms: “Black moods seem to come out of nowhere and take me over. I heard them once called ‘brain storms.’ That describes what I feel perfectly. When the storm suddenly comes, there’s a howling tempest in my brain. I can’t focus on anything, can’t think clearly, and can’t make any decisions. I’m so agitated I can’t sleep and have no energy or interest to do anything. I just want to curl up in a ball and die. These storms come unannounced, blow through me, and disappear after a couple of weeks. When it happens, I’m just plain miserable and intolerable to be around. I was shy and withdrawn as a child. I really became depressed in my twenties, when I was first hospitalized for a suicide attempt. I understand where my depression came from. Almost everyone in my family has some degree of depression. My father withdrew when the moods overtook him, and my mother be