Commentary from March 3, 2014
Up until now depression comix has really focused on the depressed charcaters and not so much on what I call the “satellite” characters, the characters that are part of the lives of those who are depressed. This comic begins a series that focuses on the life of a satellite character and her experiences with a depressed person. I think I’ve already decided to never draw the person whom she refers to so that this series can focus entirely on her.
I’ve been on both sides of this fence, but I have to admit to being more on the other side. I’m sure I’ve put a number of loved ones through hell, and that is why most of them are no longer in my life.
I’ve been on both sides of this fence, but I have to admit to being more on the other side. I’m sure I’ve put a number of loved ones through hell, and that is why most of them are no longer in my life.
… and then you leave after 4 years and he kills himself
this just happened to me.
im sorry you had to go through this as well.
I have a coworker who went through years of this – poor woman…
Trying to ignore the problem will only make it grow. I know that from personal experience. The main key in this situation is probably communication between the girl and the guy.
Oh wow. My first relationship, and all those voices were running through my head the whole time.
I know a person who spent years like that. It was hell.
Audrey Peddie <3
Whoa, this one hit home. Reverse the genders and that’s basically how I spent most of 2013. Thank you Clay!
I have depressions. But I can understand very well when it is too much for a partner to deal with.
This is so topical it’s painful.
I know that feeling all too well
This relates to me in a different way hubbie is physically ill as well and yeah I get told both
This is me, right now, but my boyfriend is wonderful…just in a funk or rut…at least that’s what I tell myself.
Thank you for this one. I’ve just sent it to my partner as it explains better than I could why I wasn’t always as supportive as I could have been, despite also suffering from depression at time (albeit in a different way to him).
Going through this one right now. After what happened last night, this just hit WAY home.
explains why my girlfriend left me. i only exist to make myself and other people miserable. shoudn’t have called for help when I tried to kill myself.
Many of us who are chronically or terminally ill already know that we will do this to anyone we try to love, and instead spend our lives alone.
I lived that for two years. I listened to the last voices and got a divorce. I wish I listened to them earlier.
this has been my lifelong struggle. I want to ask for help and reach out to people for support but I’m so scared I’ll just destroy them in the process. And I’m even more scared they won’t tell me when it does become to much to bear.
I worry everyday about doing this to my boyfriend. I don’t want him to suffer through this because of me.
This resonates. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one.
This is the double-whammy of severe depression…it not only ( frequently) destroys the people who are afflicted with it, it also hurts the people closest to them. In my case, my severe depression cost me 2 marriages…..now I am terrified of getting intimate with anyone ever again. On the one hand, I often wish my ex spouses had been more understanding, supportive and willing to work with me, but on the other hand I know that my depression made their lives miserable too 🙁 Of it weren’t for my son, who has special needs, I would probably have “departed” already.
I’m still going through this with a friend. Most days I can listen and be willing to let her talk to me. Some days I’m not strong enough to be there and have to tell her. I know she has others to talk to, her parents, her best friend, even her fans who support her. It’s only when she starts to guilt trip me by telling everyone else (who then tell me) how horrible of a friend I am that I start to wonder whether it’s worth it.
I swear, this girl is me right now. I’m trying to grow and get better, but I’m always having to look out for HIM instead. It’s maddening. And everyone I know literally says all of these things to me. I feel conflicted and trapped.
I’ve thought all the stuff from the second panel for myself…
And I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t matter.. others matter more.. so I try to help everyone when they are down even when I am.. and if anyone gives anything to me, I am mostly really thankful… because for me, everyone thinks I am fine and nobody really ever cared for me…
I feel like I put my ex through this a year or so back. Truth be told, we were involved in a cycle of mutually assured destruction. I still feel awful about it, but we ended things on good terms at least.
This hit home, I had two relationships with depressed people (I have severe depression, btw), I needed to leave them, because it was suffocating me and also, I thought they were having a hard time dealing with me as well, one of them tried to kill themselfs, I have been hauted for this since that day, the second hate me and says that I leave when they most needed me, that I’m selfish and that I only used them, when I was only trying to avoid see other that I cared about try to kill themselfs, also, I was avoiding I try to kill myself again…
I’ve not been in a relationship for years, and part of it’s because I don’t want to afflict anyone else with this.
In my early twenties I was dating someone who was hurting herself (among other things), and my best friend was in the same position with his girlfriend. He broke up with her because he couldn’t endure the things she’d done to herself. I couldn’t believe him, leave her because it effected HIM. I stayed with mine, we’ve been truly through some hellish shit, until we broke up several years later.
A decade later she told me what an important role I had in her young life.. and all I can think is I wish I was stronger, and smarter, to end it after our first date.
So that’s me up there, fighting with my depression demons while dealing with her & her illness.
I have the constant fear that I am like this to my girlfriend. I always ask her how she thinks about my body, if I’m dumping my problems on her, if she thinks my jealousy is bad, and more. But she keeps going on. She calls me strong for living through my depression and getting help. But I fear that I’ll push her away. I fear that my family will find out I’m lesbian. I fear a lot of things. But I keep going for her, because I love her and don’t want to pass my depression on her.