--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He wondered if this was what clinical…" description: "\"He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.\" — Dennis Lehane" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg" --- # He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt… ![“He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.” quote by Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg) > “He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.” [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker contemplates whether the profound emptiness and loss of optimism they experience correspond to clinical depression, describing a state of pervasive numbness and hopelessness. **In simple terms:** Describes depressive numbness and hopelessness. Key Takeaway Depression can feel like an all‑consuming emptiness. Themes mental health emotional numbness hopelessness self‑reflection psychological insight Mood somber reflective melancholic Type narrative personal reflection psychological observation When to use this quote - personal crisis - therapy session - self‑diagnosis - creative writing - mental health awareness Key Concepts depression emotional state psychology human experience Practical Applications - mental health education - therapeutic writing Questions to Reflect On - How does numbness affect daily functioning? - What signs differentiate normal sadness from clinical depression? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clinical depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinical-depression/) [Clinicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinicals/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Depression Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression-felt-384624/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lack Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-hope-384627/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Numbness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbness/) [Numbness Weary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbness-weary-384625/) [Weary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weary/) [Weary Lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weary-lack-384626/) ## Related quotes > [“Lately, though, he'd just been tired in general. Tired of people. Tired of books and TV and the nightly news and songs on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/lately-though-he-d-just-been-tired-in-general-tired-of-people-tired/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [I didn't know I was depressed until years later. Actually, I went to the Minirth-Meier Clinic for ADD. I got tested for ADD. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/i-didn-t-know-i-was-depressed-until-years-later-actually-i-went-to/) [Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/) > [That's the thing I want to make clear about depression: It's got nothing at all to do with life. In the course of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/that-s-the-thing-i-want-to-make-clear-about-depression-it-s-got-2/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [You could say that clinical depression is an incapacity to aesthetic response. It's like there's a constant agreement within ourselves, a kind of mutual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/you-could-say-that-clinical-depression-is-an-incapacity-to-aesthetic/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [School performance, public health, crime rates, clinical depression, tax compliance, philanthropy, race relations, community development, census returns, teen suicide, economic productivity, campaign finance, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-putnam/school-performance-public-health-crime-rates-clinical-depression-tax/) [Robert D. Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-putnam/) > [Clinical depression is an extreme form of a 'bad mood.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/clinical-depression-is-an-extreme-form-of-a-bad-mood/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [I speak of a clinical depression that is the background of your entire life, a background of anguish and anxiety, a sense that nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-speak-of-a-clinical-depression-that-is-the-background-of-your/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“What about all the poor brothers and sisters across the city and the shit they had to deal with? Fuck, what about all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-mcdermott/what-about-all-the-poor-brothers-and-sisters-across-the-city-and-the/) [Zack McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-mcdermott/) > [“Drinking when you are depressed is like throwing kerosene on a fire", I read in another self-help book at the bookstore. What depression felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/drinking-when-you-are-depressed-is-like-throwing-kerosene-on-a-fire-i/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [One thing I do understand - after getting in my accident and being paralyzed and having to learn to walk again... the depression that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/one-thing-i-do-understand-after-getting-in-my-accident-and-being/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) > [“You have been disappointed,you have undergone defeat during the depression, you have felt the great heart within you crushed until it bled. Take courage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napolean-hill/you-have-been-disappointed-you-have-undergone-defeat-during-the/) [Napolean Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napolean-hill/) > [I just think my body can't handle it any more. I did try a little drink a while back, and I was actually physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-think-my-body-can-t-handle-it-any-more-i-did-try-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For me, when I went through my depression, I always felt like I was alone, and because people never understood me, I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-liu/for-me-when-i-went-through-my-depression-i-always-felt-like-i-was/) [Amber Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-liu/) > [I don't feel a lack of hope. It's just disappointment that after all these years we're still fighting meaningless wars for a handful of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geezer-butler/i-don-t-feel-a-lack-of-hope-it-s-just-disappointment-that-after-all/) [Geezer Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geezer-butler/) > [“I once had every hope,’ he says. ‘The world corrupts me, I think. Or perhaps it's just the weather. It pulls me down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-once-had-every-hope-he-says-the-world-corrupts-me-i-think-or/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More by Dennis Lehane > [I held her, he wanted to say, and if I knew for certain that all it would take to hold her again would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-held-her-he-wanted-to-say-and-if-i-knew-for-certain-that-all-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Everyone I know lies, breaks their word, and has perfectly legitimate excuses for why they do. Except you. Haven't you ever noticed that? Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/everyone-i-know-lies-breaks-their-word-and-has-perfectly-legitimate/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“If a man was lucky, he was moving toward something his whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/if-a-man-was-lucky-he-was-moving-toward-something-his-whole-life/) [dennis lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“After my daughter was born, I'd considered buying a shotgun to ward off potention suitors fourteen or so years up the road. Now, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/after-my-daughter-was-born-i-d-considered-buying-a-shotgun-to-ward/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“I once again felt an odd flush of admiration for my partner's faith in a religion I had long ago abandoned. She doesn't advertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-once-again-felt-an-odd-flush-of-admiration-for-my-partner-s-faith/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“And she was-definitely-a woman who did not shrink from gauntlets, but stepped up to them, and said, Okay, bring it. Bring your worst. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/and-she-was-definitely-a-woman-who-did-not-shrink-from-gauntlets-but/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Jimmy looked back over at his wife, and Celeste could feel the tenderest of aches in the look. She could feel another teardrop piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jimmy-looked-back-over-at-his-wife-and-celeste-could-feel-the/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She told him that he had the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard, that it sounded like whiskey and wood smoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-told-him-that-he-had-the-most-beautiful-voice-she-d-ever-heard/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [My daughter squealed again and both Bubba and I winced. It’s not an attractive sound, that. It’s high-pitched and it enters your ear canals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/my-daughter-squealed-again-and-both-bubba-and-i-winced-it-s-not-an/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“It’s been a complicated decade for me.” She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/it-s-been-a-complicated-decade-for-me-she/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Love, impossible, yet there was no mistaking it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/love-impossible-yet-there-was-no-mistaking-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She blew a stream of smoke up at the empty clotheslines. 'These silly dreams you have when you're young. I mean, what, Katie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-blew-a-stream-of-smoke-up-at-the-empty-clotheslines-these-silly/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“He looked back at the page, got one last glimpse before the match blew itself out. Going to find you today, Andrew. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-looked-back-at-the-page-got-one-last-glimpse-before-the-match-blew/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“What’s it about?” Danny seemed authentically curious. “The night. It’s got its own set of rules.” “Day’s got rules too.” “Oh, I know,” Joe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/what-s-it-about-danny-seemed-authentically-curious-the-night-it-s-got/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) [Explore all 231 Dennis Lehane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## More Clinical depression quotes > [“Today, our view of genuine reality is increasingly clouded by professionals whose technical expertise often introduces a superficial and soulless model of the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-kleinman/today-our-view-of-genuine-reality-is-increasingly-clouded-by/) [Arthur Kleinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-kleinman/) > [Clinical depression passes but it's tough, it's very tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-fricker/clinical-depression-passes-but-it-s-tough-it-s-very-tough/) [Brenda Fricker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-fricker/) > [Colors are important. People are in clinical depression whether they are on medication or not. Neutrals are another form of medication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stoddard/colors-are-important-people-are-in-clinical-depression-whether-they/) [Alexandra Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stoddard/) > [A lot of people don't realize that not everybody gets high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringwald/a-lot-of-people-don-t-realize-that-not-everybody-gets-high/) [Molly Ringwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringwald/) > [When I was hospitalized in 1992 with severe clinical depression I thought I was the only one. I didn't know of one other Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-walsh/when-i-was-hospitalized-in-1992-with-severe-clinical-depression-i/) [Sheila Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-walsh/) > [My mother told me she thought I had clinical depression when I was 19 years old. And I thought, you're crazy because, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/my-mother-told-me-she-thought-i-had-clinical-depression-when-i-was-19/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [I have battled clinical depression and have come out of the other side. I've been free of it for many years now. Finding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-have-battled-clinical-depression-and-have-come-out-of-the-other/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Others imply that they know what it is like to be depressed because they have gone through a divorce, lost a job, or broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/others-imply-that-they-know-what-it-is-like-to-be-depressed-because/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [This might be controversial, but sometimes I think that being happy is a decision. I don't mean that in a way to diminish clinical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-arnett/this-might-be-controversial-but-sometimes-i-think-that-being-happy-is/) [Will Arnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-arnett/) > [“Depression ... involves a complete absence: absence of affect, absence of feeling, absence of response, absence of interest. The pain you feel in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-t-welch/depression-involves-a-complete-absence-absence-of-affect-absence-of/) [Edward T. Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-t-welch/) > [“Learned helplessness is a common cause of clinical depression in people who perceive they have no control over the outcomes of their life situations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janae-b-weinhold/learned-helplessness-is-a-common-cause-of-clinical-depression-in/) [Janae B. Weinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janae-b-weinhold/) > [“That dead-eyed anhedonia is but a remora on the ventral flank of the true predator, the Great White Shark of pain. Authorities term this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/that-dead-eyed-anhedonia-is-but-a-remora-on-the-ventral-flank-of-the/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I speak of a clinical depression that is the background of your entire life, a background of anguish and anxiety, a sense that nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-speak-of-a-clinical-depression-that-is-the-background-of-your/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“It is a level of psychic pain wholly incompatible with human life as we know it. It is a sense of radical and thoroughgoing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-is-a-level-of-psychic-pain-wholly-incompatible-with-human-life-as/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“That’s the thing I want to make clear about depression: It’s got nothing at all to do with life. In the course of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/that-s-the-thing-i-want-to-make-clear-about-depression-it-s-got/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) [Browse all 44 Clinical depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinical-depression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dennis Lehane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clinical depression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/dennis-lehane-1503_clinical-depression_he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-de_16820.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.” — Dennis Lehane", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dennis Lehane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He wondered if this was what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```