On Depression

With the shocking passing of two cultural icons in one week, we're seeing a similar collective reaction to what we see when faced with such difficult realities. Basically, on this front, there's a deluge of posts sharing suicide hotlines. Of course, I'm in favor of making these numbers widespread. A good friend of mine volunteered at a suicide hotline in New York City for many years, and I'm certain his work, and the work of his colleagues, saved countless lives. But there's something about these soft, predictable posts that gets under my skin. It's somewhat similar to the gun reaction. Post something, move on. Did your deed. I guess it irks me for two reasons.

First, depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, and countless other mental health maladies, are issues that can't be solved with a phone number. There are many massive challenges facing mental illness in this country. Health care is an abomination. Only the wealthy can afford regular mental-health care. Psychiatric wards and hospitals tending to the mentally ill are in tatters and are, more often than not, horrific places. But I'm not sure anything truly moves until we start talking about this. Talking about depression. What it feels like and what will help. As a society, we run from it. And we always have. In an age when, despite Trump, we're making rapid advances on many social issues, mental health remains in quicksand. Sure, the stories shared by Kevin Love and the like, help. No doubt about it. It feels like the winds are shifting, ever so slightly. But the pace needs to be picked up. And, again, first and foremost, we need to talk and listen. Not just nod, offer up a platitude, and move on. We need to sit with it and try and understand it. This is the foundational work that will hopefully lead to change, both in how we address these diseases and how we treat them.

And secondly, when I think of Anthony Bourdain, I think of someone who ran against the current. One of the many articles I read about him, cited him as a "badass," someone that the present-day sterile country we live in desperately needs. Woody Guthrie, Chuck D, Malcolm X, and sure, Anthony Bourdain. Where are these people? Do we really need a wave of people posting the same exact thing on social media? Copy/paste. No, we need discussion. Something that Bourdain seemed to seek out, across classes and cultures. We need independent thought. Desperately.

We all know someone who has or is suffering from mental illness. Call them. Tell them you'd like to meet them for a meal. Tell them that you want to hear what it's like. Tell them that your phone number is one they can always reach to. It's a start.