--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Depression, when it's clinical, is not a…" description: "\"Depression, when it's clinical, is not a metaphor. It runs in families, and it's known to respond to medication and to counseling. However truly you be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/jonathan-franzen-801_believe_depression-when-it-s-clinical-is-not-a-m_1063813.jpg" --- # Depression, when it's clinical, is not a metaphor. It runs… ![“Depression, when it's clinical, is not a metaphor. It runs in families, and it's known to respond to medication and to counseling. However truly you believe there's a sickness to existence that can never be cured, if you're depressed you will sooner or later surrender and say: I just don't want to…” quote by Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/jonathan-franzen-801_believe_depression-when-it-s-clinical-is-not-a-m_1063813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/jonathan-franzen-801_believe_depression-when-it-s-clinical-is-not-a-m_1063813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/jonathan-franzen-801_believe_depression-when-it-s-clinical-is-not-a-m_1063813.jpg) > “Depression, when it's clinical, is not a metaphor. It runs in families, and it's known to respond to medication and to counseling. However truly you believe there's a sickness to existence that can never be cured, if you're depressed you will sooner or later surrender and say: I just don't want to feel bad anymore. The shift from depressive realism to tragic realism, from being immobilized by darkness to being sustained by it, thus strangely seems to require believing in the possibility of a cure...” [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clinical depression is a real illness, not a metaphor; acknowledging its seriousness can lead to seeking treatment and hope for recovery. **In simple terms:** Depression is a medical condition needing help, not just a feeling. Key Takeaway Seek help and believe in possible recovery. Themes mental health stigma hope Mood empathetic hopeful Type personal informative When to use this quote - personal crisis - family history - medical treatment Key Concepts psychology family genetics therapy Questions to Reflect On - How can society better support those with depression? - What steps can individuals take toward healing? A Different Perspective Recovery can be slow and uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Counseling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counseling/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Depressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressive/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Medication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medication/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Realism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realism/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickness/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Tragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic/) ## Related quotes > [I never define depression, clinical or otherwise. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Depression, when it's clinical, is not a metaphor. It runs in families, and it's known to respond to medication and to counseling. However truly you believe there's a sickness to existence that can never be cured, if you're depressed you will sooner or later surrender and say: I just don't want to feel bad anymore. 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