That's one of the peculiar things about bad moods - we often fool ourselves and create misery by telling ourselves things that simply are not true.
David D. BurnsRead
Depression can seem worse than terminal cancer, because most cancer patients feel loved and they have hope and self-esteem.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Depression can be more debilitating than terminal illness due to the lack of love and hope often experienced by those suffering from it.
In this quote, David D. Burns highlights the devastating emotional impact of depression as compared to terminal cancer. While cancer patients often receive love, support, and maintain hope, many individuals struggling with depression can feel isolated and worthless, leading to a profound despair that may overshadow even the most dire physical conditions.
Themes
DepressionMental HealthHopeSupportSelf-Esteem
In practice
Example use cases
During a mental health awareness seminar, you can use this quote to illustrate the severity of depression.
More from David D. Burns
All quotes βMost people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve the problem rather than finding the truth in what the person is saying.
David D. BurnsRead
Negative thinking patterns can be immensely deceptive and persuasive, and change is rarely easy. But with patience and persistence, I believe that nearly all individuals suffering from depression can improve and experience a sense of joy and self-esteem once again.
David D. BurnsRead
A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.
David D. BurnsRead
I'm all for 'tools,' not 'schools,' of therapy. To me, the schools of therapy compete much like religions, or even cults, all claiming to know the cause and to have the best method for treating people.
David D. BurnsRead
It's very rare to have a patient who isn't absolutely delighted when you say, 'I read your feedback. The session didn't go well. You actually got more upset, and I made about three really horrible errors.' If you do that from the heart and not as a gimmick, boy, it's a wonderful thing.
David D. BurnsRead
Similar quotes
There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.' Sadness is more or less like a head cold- with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
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I speak of a clinical depression that is the background of your entire life, a background of anguish and anxiety, a sense that nothing goes well, that pleasure is unavailable and all your strategies collapse.
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There are peaks, there are valleys. But they're all kind of carved and smoothed out, and it feels like a low level of despair you live in. Where you're not getting any answers, but you're living OK. And you can smile at the office. You know? But it's a low level of despair. I was on Prozac for a long time. It may have helped me out of a jam for a little bit, but people stay on it forever. I had to get off at a certain point because I realized that, you know, everything's just OK.
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No one who had never been depressed like me could imagine that the pain could get so bad that death became a star to hitch up to, a fantasy of peace someday which seemed better than any life with all this noise in my head.
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People are realising that vulnerability isn't a weakness, and the rise of mental health-related humour is making vulnerability feel like a strength.
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One of things so bad about depression and bipolar disorder is that if you don't have prior awareness, you don't have any idea what hit you.
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