Less Than Useful

Could be about many things really but my thought was that it might be about a family member, girlfriend, friend or even professional counsellour asking about his dis-association with society or depression.

In that people who don't get it say things like "Cheer up" and "Dont worry, be happy".

While they mean well, such suggestions are incredibly

condescending and un helpful. Like the depression sufferer is going to suddenly shake their hand and say "Do you know, I really hadn't thought of that, thank you".

The "less than useful" could be the narrators way of expressing low self esteem, a lack of self worth.

If people tell you that you are useless over and over again, you eventually stop shrugging off their ignorance and begin to believe it and it becomes a reality. For example if you are told it at work, then you get home, hoping for respite but you are told the same thing by your family. So you escape to your room to watch TV and you see the media portrayal of the ideal society and you realise you don't fit in. The only respite is sleep. But you can't sleep because you are worried about work. So you have a drink to make sure you sleep. Then you wake up feeling groggy and looking rough and now you feel even less like going to work but you struggle in and the manager is on your case all day. Then you go home for more abuse. A never ending cycle of being told you are a failure. That's when the problems start, when you start to believe them. I can take it from someone else but even I think it's truthful"

Then the lines "If you don't mind, I'll keep my thoughts to myself" because depression is a deeply personal thing and all too often people come along expressing a genuine desire to help. Yet once the sufferer gives them a glimpse into the darkness, they back off and the depression victim feels even more alienated and Isolated.

Obviously it might be about something very different but since there are no other comments, I thought I'd throw it in.