--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always been told that a person has…" description: "\"“I have always been told that a person has to accept that the illness is chronic,\" she says, at the end of our interview. \"You can be 'in recovery,' bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_i-have-always-been-told-that-a-person-ha_570506.jpg" --- # I have always been told that a person has to accept that… ![“I have always been told that a person has to accept that the illness is chronic," she says, at the end of our interview. "You can be 'in recovery,' but you can never be 'recovered.' But I don't want to be on disability forever, and I have started to question whether depression is really a chemical…” quote by Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_i-have-always-been-told-that-a-person-ha_570506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_i-have-always-been-told-that-a-person-ha_570506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/robert-whitaker-27072_depression_i-have-always-been-told-that-a-person-ha_570506.jpg) > ““I have always been told that a person has to accept that the illness is chronic," she says, at the end of our interview. "You can be 'in recovery,' but you can never be 'recovered.' But I don't want to be on disability forever, and I have started to question whether depression is really a chemical thing. What are the origins of my despair? How can I really help myself? I want to honor the other parts of me, other than the sick part that I'm always thinking about. I think that depression is like a weed that I have been watering, and I want to pull up that weed, and I am starting to look to people for solutions. I really don't know what the drugs did for me all these years, but I do know that I am disappointed in how things have turned out." Such is Melissa Sances's story. Today it is a fairly common one. A distressed teenager is diagnosed with depression and put on an antidepressant, and years later he or she is still struggling with the condition. But if we return to the 1950s, we will discover that the depression rarely struck someone as young as Melissa, and it rarely turned into the chronic suffering that she has experienced. Her course of illness is, for the most part, unique to our times.”” [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the chronic labeling of depression, questioning its chemical basis and the reliance on medication, urging personal agency and alternative solutions. **In simple terms:** Depression is often treated as a permanent condition, but the speaker seeks other ways to heal. Key Takeaway Seek holistic approaches beyond medication. Themes mental health chronic illness agency skepticism Mood reflective hopeful determined Type personal narrative motivational critical. When to use this quote - therapy - peer support - mindfulness practices - lifestyle changes - self‑education Key Concepts biopsychosocial model patient empowerment pharmacology critique Questions to Reflect On - What personal actions can you take to manage your mood? - How might you explore non‑pharmacological support? A Different Perspective Medication may not address underlying causes and can lead to dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) ## Related quotes > [AIDS today is not a death sentence. It can be treated as a chronic illness, or a chronic disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-hamied/aids-today-is-not-a-death-sentence-it-can-be-treated-as-a-chronic/) [Yusuf Hamied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-hamied/) > [“Part of my stubbornness can be put down to human nature. It is hard for anyone with an illness, chronic or acute, to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/part-of-my-stubbornness-can-be-put-down-to-human-nature-it-is-hard/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. 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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 > [Scars by Papa Roach. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophielianne/scars-by-papa-roach-3/) Sophielianne [Browse all 4,965 Depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have always been told that a person has to accept that the illness is chronic,\" she says, at the end of our interview. \"You can be 'in recovery,' but you can never be 'recovered.' But I don't want to be on disability forever, and I have started to question whether depression is really a chemical thing. What are the origins of my despair? How can I really help myself? I want to honor the other parts of me, other than the sick part that I'm always thinking about. I think that depression is like a weed that I have been watering, and I want to pull up that weed, and I am starting to look to people for solutions. I really don't know what the drugs did for me all these years, but I do know that I am disappointed in how things have turned out.\" Such is Melissa Sances's story. Today it is a fairly common one. A distressed teenager is diagnosed with depression and put on an antidepressant, and years later he or she is still struggling with the condition. But if we return to the 1950s, we will discover that the depression rarely struck someone as young as Melissa, and it rarely turned into the chronic suffering that she has experienced. 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