\\"ظلام مرئي\\" is a remarkable book by the American novelist William Styron, who has won numerous awards for his works, such as the \\"Pulitzer Prize\\" and the American Book Award. This book is considered one of his most important, famous, and influential works.

The book is an autobiographical account in which the author talks about his struggle with depression at the age of sixty and how he managed to recover from it. Despite its small size, the book contains valuable information about the nature of the disease, some treatment methods, and the possible causes of contracting it. It also emphasizes at the end that depression is not the end of the world and is a disease that can be overcome, as evidenced by the countless number of men and women who have recovered from it, including the author himself.

The content of the book is simple, not as influential as some may claim, but it is definitely a positive book that gives hope to everyone who is going through a state of depression or any other crisis. It also contributes to raising awareness about a disease that is no less dangerous than many other diseases.

\\"And so we came out, and once again we saw the stars..\\"

What caught my attention in this autobiography

is the medical aspect, specifically his psychiatrist. How deep his problem was and he couldn't establish an effective connection and stand by him.

And before that, a doctor prescribed him medicine.

In the midst of the spread of this particular disease, especially after the Arab uprisings and the Corona virus.

And the sale of antidepressants even in the market in some countries.

This is a stop and a call for us to stand together and remember that if you don't consult a doctor,

no one else is obligated to do so and that there is a treatment available.

A very good book like an autobiography but what I read for, I didn't find.

Our Lord heals everyone.

6/August/2020

This is a truly stirring memoir of Styron's battle with depression, a condition that nearly claimed his life. I had come across numerous references to this book, each one lavishing praise on its profound insight into the despair that a depressed person can experience.

Styron's description of depression is both vivid and harrowing. He writes, "In depression this faith in deliverance, in ultimate restoration, is absent. The pain is unrelenting, and what makes the condition intolerable is the foreknowledge that no remedy will come -- not in a day, an hour, a month, or a minute." The sense of hopelessness he conveys is palpable.

Styron speculates on the possible causes of his depression. He wonders if turning 60 played a role, and also if his decision to stop drinking alcohol contributed to his despondency. He had used alcohol as a means to access fantasy and euphoria, and its absence left him feeling adrift.

He realized that depression had been lurking in his life for decades, ever since the death of his mother when he was 13. Styron delved deep into the literature on the disease, even reading the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. What he found was that loss, in all its forms, was a central theme in depression.

As a gifted writer, Styron's descriptions are incredibly moving. He describes the afternoons as the worst time of day, when the horror of depression would roll in like a poisonous fogbank, forcing him into bed. His struggle with suicide is also detailed, from making preparations to the difficulty of writing a suicide note.

Thankfully, before he could attempt the act, Styron heard a beautiful piece of music by Brahms and was reminded of the joys of his family and work. He was admitted to a hospital the next day, and found the peace and repose he had been seeking.

So, why would someone read an 84-page memoir of depression? I believe it can offer comfort to those who have battled the disease or those who love someone with depression. Styron's experience may not be universal, but it does reveal some fundamental human truths about pain, loss, and the struggle for hope.

Note: This book was referenced by Christopher Hitchens in his memoir, "Hitch-22." Hitchens described a dinner with Styron where the waiter recognized his name and said the book "Darkness Visible" had saved his life. Styron revealed that such incidents happened often, even with the police calling him to talk to suicidal individuals.

A very short book on depression. William Styron has grappled with depression during a particular period of his life. In this book, he talks about the onset of his depression, its symptoms, his experiences, and his step-by-step progression towards suicide and then, his treatment. It is said of writers and successful people that they often fall into the pit of severe depression and suicide, and that depression is a serious and acute illness that is often underestimated, yet many people suffer from it.

The book was good, and since the author's experiences were real and genuine, it was completely understandable and acceptable. Of course, I had higher expectations of this book, but overall, it was an interesting one.

The book is about the author's depression. It provides many very accurate and correct references to this disease, especially for those who have suffered from it. The author, contrary to what others think from the outside, names this disease "a mental storm" and quotes Baudelaire's "the sound of the wind of madness."

One of the problems that is correctly emphasized and referred to in the book is the intense pain and suffering that is completely hidden and unknown to others (those who are not suffering).

Some of the great names who have found no way out of this darkness except suicide are: Wen Guoguang, Virginia Woolf, Hemingway, Romain Gary, Gorky, Jack London, and so on.

Some parts of the book:

"Loss" in all its meanings is the heavy stone of depression. In the progress of the disease and probably in its origin. Later, I gradually realized that the loss of confidence in my childhood was probably the cause of my disorder. Meanwhile, as I observed my depression, I felt the loss in every way. Losing self-confidence is a well-known sign. My self-confidence, along with my trust in myself, had disappeared. This loss may quickly lead to dependence and dependence on childhood anxiety. A person is afraid that he may lose everything. All his close ones and friends, with a great fear of loneliness.

In depression (unlike other diseases and pains), the hope of final relief and improvement is absent. The pain is merciless and insecure, and what makes the situation unbearable is the anticipation that there is no cure on the way - not in a day, an hour, a month, or a minute. If there is a slight relief, a person knows that it is temporary. More pain is on the way, and the anticipation is even more severe than the pain that crushes the soul. Therefore, unlike ordinary matters, making decisions for daily life does not require moving from a painful situation to a better one - or from discomfort to relative comfort, or from passivity to activity - but rather a transition from pain to pain.

The American writer William Styron recounts his personal experience of suffering from depression and how he managed to recover with the help of his wife, his memories, and not being afraid to enter the hospital for treatment. He also helps his friend who suffers from the same illness and shares the experiences of famous people in this regard.

The book, its translation, and the abridgment have made this sad topic into a light and useful one, despite its also being scary.

Generally speaking, the madness of depression is the opposite of violence. It is indeed a storm, but it is a thick foggy storm. Soon, a person will show a slowdown in his reactions and a state of almost complete stupor, and his mental energy levels will decline until they approach zero. And in the end, the body is affected by all of this and feels a sense of disintegration and exhaustion.

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I regarded alcohol as a magical means that would transport me to a world of imagination and lead me to a state of excitement and stimulate my creativity. And there was nothing to regret or apologize for my consumption of this harmless and wonderful substance in most cases, which contributed greatly to my writings. Although I never wrote a line in my life while under the influence of alcohol, I used to drink it - usually accompanied by music - to allow my mind to envision visions that my waking brain could not reach except when under the influence of something. Alcohol was a wonderful and extremely beneficial partner for my mind, and moreover, it was a friend whose help I sought every day, and I also turned to it now to calm the feelings of anxiety and restlessness that I had hidden for a long time in the recesses of my soul.

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Among the phenomena that some people notice when they suffer from acute depression is the feeling that there is a second self accompanying them, which acts as a monitor similar to a ghost, and this phantom does not participate in the mischief, and it can watch its partner with a wide-eyed gaze full of futility as he struggles with the inevitable disaster or decides to face it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Death has now become a daily presence in my life, and it has become a messenger bringing me a load of cold air currents. I did not exactly imagine how my end would be. In short, I still kept the idea of suicide far away. But it was clear that suicide had become within reach or even closer for me, and that I was about to encounter it face to face.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The market for this work has made the palate ceiling think a lot. The hour writes that the house is one of the most important works in history and time. What he has done is that he has printed it repeatedly and repeatedly because of its importance.

The work usually talks about the situation of the tyrannical and oppressive middle class in a common way. I don't want to say it superficially, but there is no depth in it.

From the occupation to the end of the text, I didn't find anything worthy of admiration or even praise. It is less than ordinary.

Greatly, very painful, influential and enlightening.

However, this intense joy was just a false and accustomed appearance and didn't mean anything real to me, because I was sure that the feelings of depression would overwhelm me before evening.

I am certain that in one of these moments of arousal, I realized something strange and shocking, similar to what happens with some unknown metaphysical truths since a long time ago. If this situation of mine continues in this way, it will cost me my life.

Loss of self-esteem is considered a common phenomenon. I completely lost my sense of self, and with it, any ability to rely on myself. This loss can quickly escalate into dependence, and from dependence to childish fear. One has the fear of losing all things and also all the close and dear people.

I can even go so far as to say that the victims of depression might have been able to avoid many of its harsh consequences if they had been given the support that I was given one day.

In the hospital, I shared with the patients what might be the only known thing that depression imposes on its victims, which is the state of complete surrender. Even those who think that any kind of treatment has no hope can look forward to the end of the storm at the end of the tunnel.

Everyone who recovers his health there usually regains the ability to feel joy and peace, and perhaps that is a better compensation for the possibility of that despair that follows.

And so we went out.

And another time, we saw the stars.

In order to understand what kind of sadness is and how it knocks a person down, you should read this book.

Sadness is a complex emotion that can have various manifestations. It might be a deep sense of melancholy that lingers within, or a sudden wave of grief that overwhelms. By reading this book, you can gain insights into the different aspects of sadness.

You will learn about the causes that lead to sadness, whether it's due to personal losses, disappointments, or difficult life circumstances. The book might also explore the effects of sadness on a person's mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Moreover, it could offer practical strategies and coping mechanisms to deal with sadness and find ways to rise above it. Reading this book can be a journey of self-discovery and a means to better understand and manage the emotions that come with being human.

3 – 3.5 stars

Is there anything worse than the feeling of being unable to control one's own mind? Can you envision the helplessness of perceiving the lies your brain tells you yet being powerless to break free? The struggle of being unequal to the task of avoiding triggers that plunge you into depths that, despite their destructiveness, sometimes seem desirable or necessary, like picking at a fresh wound to watch it bleed morbidly? Is there anything more self-destructive than depression? To be fair, every illness is terrifying mainly due to the lack of control one has over oneself, whether it's a physical inability to control a limb or an organ, or just one's overall well-being. But I can't help but feel there's a certain unparalleled horror in the thought of having little to no control over one's state of mind. Eventually, one can drift into a state like a drunken haze, but far from减轻 the emotional anguish, it's actually exacerbated. The pointlessness of one's life becomes a fact, regardless of the 'true' reality, and one ends up playing a waiting game with the likely ultimate destination being either self-inflicted death or, if one can wait it out and find the help needed, eventual recovery. Unfortunately, this help is not a known quantity. What works for some - medication, counselling, just persevering through the haze - may have no positive effect on others. Add to that the need for external support when one least wants to be around others, coupled with the fact that one's emotional and mental state is often seen as inexplicable, distasteful, and even ridiculous by outsiders, and it's no wonder that recovery from depression is a hard-fought battle often ending in tragic failure.

William Styron, the author of Sophie's Choice and The Confessions of Nat Turner, addresses many of these issues regarding his own severe clinical depression in his memoir _Darkness Visible_. He recalls crucial moments in the disease's progression in his life, from the first faint stirrings to the crisis moments when he knew he was dealing with a life-threatening illness. He details the strange regularity that became part of his life while in the grip of depression, the cycles of limited clarity and soul-crushing pain that compartmentalized his days. He describes the near-epic failure of his physician to handle the disease due to an apparent inability to understand the reality of what Styron was experiencing, a problem for all outsiders to the disease, along with ineffective or even irresponsible medication until the final crisis moment when he was hospitalized and finally found the help he needed to recover. He also provides anecdotes of other sufferers from the literary world, some he knew personally, others who were just heroes, to give a sense of the widespread nature of the disease and the myriad ways it affects individuals.

It's notoriously difficult to truly explain the experience of depression to those who haven't had it without resorting to generalities and platitudes, making Styron's job harder. Also, as he notes, it's such a particular illness, tailored to each victim in a way as unique as that person's history and psyche, that any attempt to universalize it or draw more than the most superficial generalizations about the disease is likely to fail. Despite this, there are certain common touchstones for all sufferers. Among these are the morbid fantasies of suicide, often misunderstood by external observers but which "are to the deeply depressed mind what lascivious daydreams are to persons of robust sexuality." Added to this are the features of self-hatred, a complete lack of belief in one's self-worth, and an intense sense of loss, whether actual or imagined, which all compound the sufferer's feeling that there's really no point to anything anymore, regardless of what others might say. In the early stages, the sufferer has to try and pretend they're still capable of normal human interaction, as Styron recounts when he was forced to attend a dinner party with friends: "There he must, despite the anguish devouring his brain, present a face approximating the one that is associated with ordinary events and companionship."

Styron has a lot to say about the then-current state of knowledge and understanding of the disease in the medical and scientific community. While he tries to be even-handed, it's pretty clear he had a rather jaundiced view of the medical community's ability to deal effectively with the disease or even understand it. For the most part, it often seems as if most practitioners are guided by guesswork (as well as the 'party line' of whatever school of thought they adhere to in the psychiatric community) as much as by real knowledge and almost view the entire field as a theoretical thought experiment: "The psychiatric literature on depression is enormous, with theory after theory concerning the disease’s etiology proliferating as richly as theories about the death of dinosaurs or the origin of black holes." Ultimately, these theories on depression seem, for the sufferer at least, to be as purely speculative and useful as any of those put forward for the more esoteric fields mentioned. It also seems that there's no escaping the disease since much of it appears to be derived from a person's genetics as much as their early experiences. So for Styron: "Thus depression, when it finally came to me, was in fact no stranger, not even a visitor totally unannounced: it had been tapping at my door for decades."

I couldn't say I enjoyed this memoir, but I did appreciate its candour and honesty in the face of a disease still generally treated with fear and misunderstanding by the world at large. Blaming the victim is not uncommon in many aspects of human life, but it seems to take on a tragic poignancy in these cases where a person's own mind seems to betray them.

In sadness, the hope of liberation and ultimate improvement is absent.

The pain is cruel and restless, and what makes the situation unbearable is this anticipation that there is no cure on the way.

Not in a day, an hour, a month, a minute.

If there is a slight relief, a person knows it is temporary; there is more pain within, and the despair is even more intense than the pain that crushes the soul.

Therefore, unlike ordinary matters, decision-making for daily life does not necessarily mean transitioning from a more painful situation to a better one, or from discomfort to relative comfort, or from passivity to activity. Instead, it is a transition from pain to pain.

This cycle of pain seems unending, but perhaps within it lies the seeds of growth and change.

One must find the strength within to endure and keep moving forward, even when the path seems dark and filled with obstacles.

For in the end, it is through these experiences of pain that we learn and become stronger, and perhaps one day, we will find a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkness.

When you are in a safe haven and ask someone else who is drowning to be happy, then this request of yours ascends to the level of humiliation.

Some of the sufferings of the writer William Styron, the American novelist, with the disease of depression.

I felt that the book did not offer anything new except that it was the writer's diaries and some details of his life and his sufferings with alcohol addiction and his taking of some medications in inappropriate doses which were among the reasons that led him to his bouts of depression.

Of course, the translation is wonderful by Professor Anwar Shamiy.

☘️In the absence of hope, we must struggle until we are saved, even if it is by splitting ourselves.

☘️Because what I feared deceived me, and what I was not afraid of deluded me.

So there is no peace, no decision, no rest for me, after the club has overcome me.

☘️Time and isolation are the true healers.

☘️The hospital was a place of rest and purification for the soul where your only responsibility is to recover.