Jonathan Franzen’s recently-released novel, “Freedom,” offers an unusual number of insights into human nature that are possible only by the crafting of circumstances in fiction, e.g., “… the depressive personality type and its seemingly perverse persistence in the human gene pool was that depression was a successful adaptation to ceaseless pain and hardship …. Few things gratified the depressed, after all, more than really bad news….He strongly disliked the person he’d just demonstrated afresh that he unfortunately was. And this, of course, was the simplest definition of depression that he knew of: strongly disliking yourself.”

Very possibly the most useful psychological principle I took away from my training at Pacific Lutheran University with psychiatrist William Glasser (author of “Reality Therapy” and “Positive Addiction”) was an understanding of depression. I put it this way: Depression is very often an unconscious choice when the feeling of depression, however painful, is felt to be more tolerable than facing reality.

I doubt if depression-as-a-choice was immediately recognized by any in our training group. To us all, and no less to me than anyone, this seemed utterly counter-intuitive — “not what you’d think.” Why would anyone in his right mind choose depression?

Well, because we are not, then, in our “right mind.” Depression, clinical studies have demonstrated, is largely self-inflicted. We depress ourselves. We tend to use the past participle (“I am depressed),” the passive voice (“I have been depressed”), or the active voice of another subject (“This depresses me.).

Franzen’s narrative voice puts it that depression is “a successful adaptation to ceaseless pain and hardship.” The fictional character he describes endures pain and hardship wherever he goes and whatever he does. He can’t escape these experiences and, so, he adapts to them.

All news is bad, even that which looks good. Apparent good news, then, only builds up false hope when there is no hope. You may as well get the bad news up front where you can see it coming, because it is coming. Always. So, bad news actually gratifies a depressed person. Bad news up-front is less bad than the let-down of eventual bad news. Bad news will depress; so, you may as well depress yourself right now and get it over with.

Franzen specifically defines depression: “strongly disliking yourself.” He understands a person depresses himself because he dislikes himself, because he can’t man-up to reality.

Dr. Glaser presented many case studies, clinically examined, that document this concept. What was most convincing to me, however, was reflection on those moments in which I was depressed. I recalled when I studied symbolic logic. I had taken only the two years of required math in high school and none in college. Symbolic logic seems to be nothing but calculus. I excused myself on the basis of unpreparedness and lack of aptitude. I just can’t do this, and there’s no point in even trying. Yet it was required for my philosophy major. I felt depressed. I was depressed. I had depressed myself.

Many times since recognizing this concept, I began to feel depression coming on. I then examined the alternatives and recognized this dichotomy between the agony of a terrible situation and the pain of depression as an escape. I acknowledge the likely impossibility of coping with the situation but also the utter impossibility of depression helping. I made my choice and took my chances.

All this is going to seem as stupid to some readers as it did to me when first presented for my consideration. In point of fact, my suggestion that some readers have likely depressed themselves is going to infuriate some. Please bear with it and give it a chance.

When we choose a depression that is mild and shallow, we can learn to choose out of it. I’d decided to depress myself; now I’ll decide to un-depress myself. It can be this simple.

However possible, it is often anything but simple. Some people will need professional help in working it through. Medication may be needed to allow you to get a grip on yourself.

The first step toward recovery is to recognize the reality of depression as an escape from reality. Ultimately, the choice is yours.