It can often be hard to describe to depression to those that have never suffered it, I hear people often describe it as a black dog and after thinking on that bit in the last week or so, I find myself think that a dog isn’t the best way to describe it. To me describing depression as a dog suggests that on some level it has a friendly or loving side and it’s something that a person can learn to live despite its quirks and unusual behaviours. Depression is more of cunning, evil and predatory “animal” if that’s the theme that we’re going with.
Depression uses your own mind, thoughts and voice against you as it twists and bends them to its own will, it prey’s on any weakness it can sense and uses your own inner monologue to convince you that you don’t deserve to live or be loved or to have friends. It uses your own voice to convince you that the world would be better off without you and that you should do yourself harm. It can clutch in fear of doing the simplest things, it sucks you dry of motivation and impedes your concentration.
Depression can make things you used to love doing into hateful chores and make essential tasks painfully unimportant. Jobs and chores become smothering and oppressive you avoid them because you know there’s no point to tackling them in the long run. You begin to lose sight in doing any different from what you currently do, so depression brings you with it down the dark downward spiralling path into its shadowy den and it keeps you on a short leash to break your will and to keep you as a slave to keep it fed.
The black dog image, to me, gives the sense of something you can grapple or wrestle with, something that can be taken on and can be taken on alone, depression isn’t that though, hence why I’m wary to depict it as an animal, an animal gives it a physical form that can be fought or taken on. Depression is like more like a cloud or a mist something that’s clearly there but hard to get to grips with. Depression is vague and ever-changing dense and smothering but something you carry everywhere you go.
Depression is like fighting through deep water whilst walking on shifting ground, trying to reach a target that is constantly on the move. When it’s bad it’s almost sickening, it all you can think about, the only choices are either to try to keep going or to give up.
That’s not to say it’s all bad, some days are good and there are more of them coming.
Duncan Ainsworth 
This is a really eloquent and helpful description of how depression feels and a valuable insight for everyone who knows and loves someone struggling to beat depression.Thank you
It is is so articulate, Duncan! Thanks for sharing the post. Depression “Dogs” (follows) one, is how I understand it- or like the three headed dog of Greek Mythology that guards the underworld, a raging fury, not something like a regular animal.
But the images in the post are helpful in understanding depressions changing nature. It really sucks – completely.
Thanks for sharing this very personal stuff, Duncan. Very brave of you. Please never give up,never give up, never give up. Once in my life when things were very bad for me, I had a light bulb moment, when I thought “I will not be destroyed”. I just kept thinking that thought, when I felt I couldn’t go on, and step by step another day dawned. Yes, a long slow process, but know that you are worthy, you are loved, you matter to many people (count them, extended family, friends at BMF etc.) you deserve everything life has to offer. Does it help to say, or write this, over and over? How’s the CBT going (that you mentioned in a blog Oct. 2017)? Keep us all posted. You do write very well, so keep on writing.