Reply #18: Yes, agreed....that just makes intuitive sense. Part of it is cultural

[Dover]

too. Our collective rituals for grieving do not encourage or provide enough opportunity for full expression nor have we embraced emotional pain as acceptable and natural. It's "messy" and "dark". We are supposed to botox ourselves and put on a happy face. As a result, I think many have learned to withdraw in order to deal with their emotional issues in private. I'm not too convinced that that's the best solution in most cases, but until we collectively create rituals and acceptance for more open expression of the full range of our feelings, I suppose that's certainly one way to assure you are not compounding the problem with inappropriate responses to your condition.

Perhaps there is a collective reason for all this 'clinical depression' that we should be addressing as well, instead of simply medicating.