---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the saddest irony of depression…"
description: "\"Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide happens when the patient gets a little better and can again function sufficiently.\" — Dick Cavett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg"
---

#  Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide…

![“Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide happens when the patient gets a little better and can again function sufficiently.” quote by Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg)

> “Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide happens when the patient gets a little better and can again function sufficiently.”

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Depression can mask its danger, making suicide more likely when patients briefly improve and regain function.

**In simple terms:** Improvement can hide suicide risk.

Key Takeaway

Monitor closely during recovery.

Themes

mental health suicide recovery

Mood

cautious concerned

Type

clinical warning

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- patient discharge
- family support
- aftercare planning

Key Concepts

risk assessment clinical vigilance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can clinicians detect hidden risk during improvement?
- What safeguards help patients stay safe after feeling better?

A Different Perspective

Recovery may give false sense of safety, overlooking lingering ideation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Depression suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression-suicide-45236/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Irony Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony-depression-5339594/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [Saddest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddest/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-happens-5339593/)

## Related quotes

> [When you think of killing yourself, you think that no one cares, that no one will even notice that you're gone. Dont think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-think-of-killing-yourself-you-think-that-no-one-cares-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Now, the separation between depression and suicide is more crevasse than chasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bohjalian/now-the-separation-between-depression-and-suicide-is-more-crevasse/)

[Chris Bohjalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bohjalian/)

> [I dont remember the last time I was happy. All I know is, I just woke up in this wicked place. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broken-soul/i-dont-remember-the-last-time-i-was-happy-all-i-know-is-i-just-woke/)

[Broken Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/broken-soul/)

> [Anxiety, depression, and suicide don't discriminate based on how much money you have - though it might make it easier for you to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/anxiety-depression-and-suicide-don-t-discriminate-based-on-how-much/)

[Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/)

> [Once you've lost faith in everything you've ever belived in, you can then say you know what it feels like to be dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-culkin/once-you-ve-lost-faith-in-everything-you-ve-ever-belived-in-you-can/)

[Megan Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-culkin/)

> [Being judged isn't a good feeling for someone to feel because that's what leads to depression than suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hayward/being-judged-isn-t-a-good-feeling-for-someone-to-feel-because-that-s/)

[Courtney Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hayward/)

> [The gap between the inner and outer self is one I've found interesting, even essential, about the way we move through the world. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-brownrigg/the-gap-between-the-inner-and-outer-self-is-one-i-ve-found/)

[Sylvia Brownrigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-brownrigg/)

> [The happiest she'd ever been was with him, and the saddest. Was that the true test of love?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/the-happiest-she-d-ever-been-was-with-him-and-the-saddest-was-that/)

[Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/)

> [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [“Do they think that they have given us great pleasure by telling us that they hold our soul to be no more than wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/do-they-think-that-they-have-given-us-great-pleasure-by-telling-us/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The saddest part of love life is when you cannot live with or without the one you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-saddest-part-of-love-life-is-when-you-cannot-live-with-or-without/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I have the saddest pregnancy cravings. It's just a sad, formal shrimp meal that I didn't even really enjoy that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/i-have-the-saddest-pregnancy-cravings-it-s-just-a-sad-formal-shrimp/)

[Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/)

> [Sometimes the saddest thing in world is loving someone who used to love you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-saddest-thing-in-world-is-loving-someone-who-used-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The saddest thing about selling out is just how cheaply most of us do it for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bernard-frost/the-saddest-thing-about-selling-out-is-just-how-cheaply-most-of-us-do/)

[James Bernard Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bernard-frost/)

> [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## More by Dick Cavett

> [A conversation does not have to be scintillating in order to be memorable. I once met a president of the United States, and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/a-conversation-does-not-have-to-be-scintillating-in-order-to-be/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I don't see the future as bright, language-wise. I see it as a glass half empty - and evaporating quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-don-t-see-the-future-as-bright-language-wise-i-see-it-as-a-glass/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I'm not all that enthralled by show business, and I'm not that much of a highbrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-m-not-all-that-enthralled-by-show-business-and-i-m-not-that-much-of/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I know what it feels like to be a gun lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-know-what-it-feels-like-to-be-a-gun-lover/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [Meryl Streep belongs on anybody's list of greats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/meryl-streep-belongs-on-anybody-s-list-of-greats/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [Radio, which was a much better medium than television will ever be, was easy and pleasant to listen to. Your mind filled automatically with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/radio-which-was-a-much-better-medium-than-television-will-ever-be-was/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I guess the best advice I ever got or anyone could get for doing a talk show, though it has not been easy very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-guess-the-best-advice-i-ever-got-or-anyone-could-get-for-doing-a/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [William F. Buckley was a man who had a great capacity for fun and for amusing himself by amazing others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/william-f-buckley-was-a-man-who-had-a-great-capacity-for-fun-and-for/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [Just think of all the billions of coincidences that don't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/just-think-of-all-the-billions-of-coincidences-that-don-t-happen/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I eat at this German-Chinese restaurant and the food is delicious. The only problem is that an hour later you're hungry for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-eat-at-this-german-chinese-restaurant-and-the-food-is-delicious-the/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I have a long list of things that make me mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-have-a-long-list-of-things-that-make-me-mad/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [“The idea that hunting is one against one is ludicrous. It's one animal versus the hunter, the manufacturer of the rifle, the bullet maker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/the-idea-that-hunting-is-one-against-one-is-ludicrous-it-s-one-animal/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [Chris Matthews can't start any sentence without 'Let me ask you this... ' And I love Chris Matthews! But almost everybody in journalism does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/chris-matthews-can-t-start-any-sentence-without-let-me-ask-you-this/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [You would have to be naive to think you can appear on television and not have the material edited in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/you-would-have-to-be-naive-to-think-you-can-appear-on-television-and/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

> [I'm not sure why writing for others became harder. Probably a reluctance to give away anything you might conceivably use yourself caused a block.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-m-not-sure-why-writing-for-others-became-harder-probably-a/)

[Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

[Explore all 134 Dick Cavett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/)

## More Depression quotes

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

[Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/)

> [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/)

[Heidi Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-ames/)

> [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/)

[Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/)

> [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [“Why in depression" "If we are human, why not have the right to smile, Why in depression, young, and beautiful as earth, Why in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanilsa-pena/why-in-depression-if-we-are-human-why-not-have-the-right-to-smile-why/)

[Yanilsa pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanilsa-pena/)

> [“Depression makes me stronger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayamalan/depression-makes-me-stronger/)

[Shayamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shayamalan/)

> [“Shorter believes that psychosomatic illnesses (such as leg paralysis at the turn of the twentieth century or multiple personality disorder at the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/shorter-believes-that-psychosomatic-illnesses-such-as-leg-paralysis/)

[Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/)

> [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [Repression will provoke rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-williamson/repression-will-provoke-rebellion/)

[Hugh Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-williamson/)

> [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. My mother's battled depression, so I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-m-certainly-not-a-perfect-mother-but-i-m-trying-to-be-what-my/)

[Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/)

> [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/)

[James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/)

> [Scars by Papa Roach. &lt;3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophielianne/scars-by-papa-roach-3/)

[Sophielianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophielianne/)

[Browse all 4,965 Depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide happens when the patient gets a little better and can again function sufficiently.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dick Cavett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression-is-that-suicide-happens-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Depression"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression-is-that-suicide-happens-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77d/dick-cavett-3310_depression_perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression_3095090.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Perhaps the saddest irony of depression is that suicide happens when the patient gets a little better and…” — Dick Cavett",
                "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": "Dick Cavett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Perhaps the saddest irony of depression...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression-is-that-suicide-happens-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/perhaps-the-saddest-irony-of-depression-is-that-suicide-happens-when/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
