Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live. It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it, an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide.

...Time does not heal, It makes a half-stitched scar That can be broken and again you feel Grief as total as in its first hour. -Elizabeth Jennings

Suicide is not a blot on anyone’s name; it is a tragedy

An ardent temperament makes one very vulnerable to dreamkillers.

I am by temperament an optimist, and I thought from the beginning that there was much to be written about suicide that was strangely heartening.

I think wanting to write is a fundamental sign of disease and discomfort. I don't think people who are comfortable want to write.

There is always a part of my mind that is preparing for the worst, and another part of my mind that believes if I prepare enough for it, the worst won’t happen.