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Adventures in Depression

ACAD- 1601: Academic Writing

October 07, 2022

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Adventures in Depression

The “Adventures in Depression” and “Adventures in Depression Part Two,” by Allie

Brosh is an emotional article that highlights her very own struggles with a mental health issue for

19 months: depression that recurs multiple times throughout the story. In her first piece on

depression, "Adventures in Depression," Brosch starts by taking the readers on an emotional

rollercoaster ride as she explains how her emotional sadness with no true reason for suicidal

thoughts to paralysis around simple tasks such as getting up in bed. The sadness accompanied by

depression continues in” Adventures in Depression Part Two,” Brosh deals with in-depth

boredom and loss of interest in activities she loved when she was younger. Brosh (2013) explains

that “depression is not something that easy fixed with hope, there is absolutely nothing you could

do to fill it up or mask it, it simply exists. I agree with Brosh that depression is a challenging

situation, but I disagree that depression seems hopeless to cope with, in fact, there is hope to

survive depression.

As someone who has struggled with depression that started from anxiety over little things

to not being able to handle emotional reactions, I was able to connect with Brosch’s article and I

believed her use of language and tone effectively captivates that keeps readers reading her work,

on the other hand, there might some readers that do might not appreciate humor that finds the

article offensive. Furthermore, it really blew my mind and brought back tears to my eyes how

Brosh clearly and accurately described what depression is and how it feels to have it. In fact,

some readers from Brosh’s article commented on the story such as Dartanian (2011) stated that

he was “totally relatable,” The Beans (2011) said her “thoughts were completely described” and

Laura (2013), who had never suffered depression claimed that they could now clearly understand
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fully what depression is. I find an uncomfortable scene in illustrations such as when Brosh does

not want to live anymore, however, I found myself laughing and thought that the picture was

hilarious because the images describe the feeling I had before that words could not always

express. That shows how Brosh knows how to write in a way to keep readers interested.

Brosh is right that depression is awful that anyone can feel yet could not feel anything.

Brosh’s (2011) descriptions of being overwhelming, self-pitying, self-hating, and verbally

abusive to herself are ineffable over simple things. For instance, going outside, she thinks that

these things make her a bad person. In addition, Brosh (2011) explained that she had trouble

communicating when someone offer support and solutions, even though advice is not helpful.

She could compare the experience of dealing with depression to having a couple of dead fish, but

no one would ever acknowledge the fish are gone. Looking back on my depression experience,

every time I say I feel alone, empty and broken, my few friends take this against me, they feel I

am a boring person to be with and gives me weird answer such as “cheer up” which it ends up

trouble accepting the response. Brosh (2011) expresses that having a conversation with other

people is not easy, there is no uncomplicated way to approach others and tell what is going on

because even she does not understand what is going on.

Furthermore, when depression hits the bottom part of life, it feels hopeless however there

are ways to enlighten things. Based on my experience with a unique way of approaches it is

possible to bounce back from depression such as seeking help from professionals and trusted

friends. Brosh (2013) demonstrates through her article that she asked for help from professionals

to address her depression although she only does this to please people who love her. I believed

that the primary foundation to help overcome depression is only one thing, the person
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him/herself. Therefore, seeking help does not make a person less and help will only be available

if the person allows himself to receive it openly.

Finally, Brosh’s story really scaffolds how accurate and honest the intention of her work,

is to inspire readers and make them feel that they are not alone in depression battle. Personally,

the article “Adventures in Depression” helped me immensely understands a unique perspective

from another person’s point of view that sharing positive or unpleasant experience might inspire

others. Overall, depression might not be easy but there are available resources to help, keep

moving forward, happy moments will pass but sad moments will pass too.
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References

Brosh, A., (2011). Adventures in Depression. Hyperbole and a Half.

https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

Brosh, A., (2013). Depression part Two. Hyperbole and a Half.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

Dartanian. (2011, October 27). Suffering from depression. [ Comment on the blog post “Adventures in

Depression”]. https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

Laura. (2013, May 09). This was wonderful, I am so glad you are back. [ Comment on the blog post

“Adventures in Depression”]. http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2013/05/depression-part-

two.html

The Beans. (2011, October 27). Wow, I am going through this myself for a while. [Comment on the

blog post “Adventures in Depression”].

https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html