D&D General D&D plus Weapons Grade Depression Equals. . .

[GilMan21]

I've had weapons grade depression since I was 16 (I'm 46). Like terrible, terrible depression. It comes and goes, but when it shows up, it's bad.

So to fight it I'm actually going to start playing D&D more (among other games) but also I'm writing this little, tiny newsletter for D&D just to keep me busy (idle mind and all that.)

(And please, I beg, don't flame it. I'm just getting it started.)

Here it is: Burn the Tavern Down.

Thanks so much!

--Ryan

 

[Greenfield]

You know what's funny? I've been fighting what I call "cyclic depression" since childhood, and I'm in my 60's.

I know, that isn't even slightly funny. What is though(or at least ironic) was that back in the 80s there was a huge thing going around that D&D was somehow causing kids to commit suicide.

And you and I use it as an escape so we don't do something self-destructive.

The mess in the 80s was "the establishment" responding to something they didn't understand. There were hearing in Congress on it, believe it or not. And family after family came in with tragic tales that all seemed somehow similar:

Life was perfect, our son told us everything, there were no secrets. He was doing well in school, had friends, and then one day killed himself. Going through his things later we found the D&D books. That must be the cause!"

I can't imagine any reputable mental health professional ever saying that someone kills themselves for just one reason. (Okay, there are probably extreme cases somewhere, like shooting yourself so your child can have a vital organ, but those are something else.)

And as family after family came up and told their variation on that story, I couldn't help asking, "If they 'told you everything', and you didn't know how they spent time with their friends, doesn't that mean that there really were secrets, and that they didn't tell you everything?"

I'm not trying to make light of any family's pain or loss, just saying that there's probably a lot more to the story.

So if there's anyone else out there who go into "severe mood swings" over an extended peridd of time, chip in here. Share whatever you're comfortable sharing.

Who knows, you might feel better.

 

[Shiroiken]

I know, that isn't even slightly funny. What is though(or at least ironic) was that back in the 80s there was a huge thing going around that D&D was somehow causing kids to commit suicide.

And you and I use it as an escape so we don't do something self-destructive.

This is something that most never understood (and still don't). It was a release from the crappy world, if even for a few hours, that made the real world bearable. I think the reason for the "D&D suicide crisis" was that D&D was a last ditch effort for people like us, in an attempt to keep the depression at bay. If it wasn't enough, the last thing people would remember was they'd just started playing D&D.

I honestly believe I survived my high school years mostly because of D&D. It gave me something to look forward to each day, as I often played 3-4 times a week during the school year, and 5-6 times a week over the summer. I never suffered from my depression while playing... ever. Even when my first character was killed by my brother in his sudden (but inevitable) betrayal, I was angry and sad, but it was much less than I normally felt away from the game. Eventually I started DMing, and that took a lot of mental time and effort to prepare, which helped keep my thoughts on the game, even when we weren't playing.

I met my future wife my senior year, and she helped me cope with my depression, eventually getting treatment. Without D&D, I wouldn't have made it long enough to meet her, and everything I've done with my life would never have happened.