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Introverted Depression
I am an introvert with clinical Depression. I have been introverted my entire life and was diagnosed with Depression more than twenty-five years ago. Still, looking back at my life, I have probably had clinical Depression since my late teens or even earlier. From this perspective, I can say that, at least for me, Depression isn’t cured. It goes into remission. It hides, waiting to ambush you when you are at your weakest. Being clinically depressed, even when your Depression is controlled, means being personally aware of your internal mental state and what triggers changes to that state.
Having friends and family help monitor your mental state is essential. However, as introverts, we make this much harder. We don’t wear our hearts on our sleeves. We naturally hide our emotions, cover up our current mental state, and show the same façade to the world no matter what we are feeling. This is part of being an introvert. Our life is inside our minds. The exciting and interesting parts of our world are mostly hidden from the outside. The most fun I had growing up wasn’t time with external friends. It was my time with Ben Franklin, The Hardy Boys, Kip Russell, and the Lensmen, among hundreds of other historical and fictional friends that I knew through books. My external life was always a façade shown to the world.
