Kudos to you for addressing this touchy subject so forthrightly! I haven't gotten up the nerve yet to talk about it on my blog, but, having seen your example, I'm thinking that maybe I should.

Everything I read about cancer says depression is a common side-effect. Just like the nausea and hair loss that comes with chemo, the fatigue, the low blood counts, or any other side-effect you'd care to mention.

What do we do with those other side-effects? We treat 'em if we can. No apologies, no second-guessing.

Why should depression be any different?

But it is. We make it so, by giving in to prevailing taboos about mental illness.

It doesn't need to be that way.

My story is similar to yours, in that I've been troubled by generally low moods, to the point that my family has noticed. It's nothing disabling, by any means - I'm still functioning at home and work. But I haven't been functioning up to my full potential.

Recently, I began seeing a therapist and got referred to start taking Cymbalta. After a couple of weeks, the improvement has been very noticeable. I'm not turning cartwheels or anything, just experiencing a consistently more positive mood. I can only attribute it to the medication.

The tapes playing in my head say I ought to feel inadequate because I'm using a crutch like this. But I sez to myself in response, I sez, if you turned your ankle, there's no shame in using a crutch, so why should this sort of crutch be any different? It's just a cancer side effect like any other.

Thanks again, Tony, for being so courageous in speaking out about this.

Carl