I thought this was a beautiful feature when it first came out, and I still do. Thank you, Megan.

This is absolutely one of my favourite stories *evar*, and not just because my tribe honours the Pagan Cookie God/dess. Thank you...

I enjoyed reading this again. Excellent piece. I hope the years since have been better for you.

It's very odd to share this here, but I recently survived a suicide attempt. Reading this piece for the second time gives me a vision of doing some sort of mental health volunteer work.

Thanks for your courage and terrific article.

This is one of the best things ever written in the Stranger, without a doubt it's the Stranger piece that's had the biggest impact on me. Thanks for writing it and thanks for sharing Megan.

Reading this was frankly bizarre, as a former aspiring-cultural critic, resident of Lake Stevens and depressed person.

This was an excellent reminder of a lot of important stuff that I needed to be reminded of. PS: You and my sister graduated in the same class, if you went to LSHS. Congrats on being the 2nd Most Famous Graduate of That Year (goddamn Chris Pratt).

I am touched with this story.
Hope we all get through it this winter!
Loves

most excellent article. Hi, dan! I'm 59 years old and up until 20 years I thought i was crazy. yep. all the stuff you felt i chalked up to being nuts. then i moved to new city. so i began at the clinic. the drugs didn't help. until they macro-dosed me. my liver dumps stuff so quickly i haveta take mega mgs. that took another year. ever since it's been an upward battle. i recently unhitched myself from the prozac-wellbutrin-lamictal troika. voila. i actually feel 10x better. though i'm still depressed. try dialectical behavior therapy. it's been the biggest/best boon for me. thanks again...i loved this read! take care, stay well.

I usually hate first-person accounts of mental illness. A part of it has to do with the fact that I've dealt with my brother's decline into schizophrenia since I was 13, and a part of it has to do with how pat all these narratives seem to come out.

This one is different. It's good. It's not comfortable, an it's not predictable.

Thank you, Megan Selig. And if you need another baking project, try the dacquoise.

I too have found solace in the prescriptive regimen of baking. The recipes leave no unanswered questions, no wondering if you are doing the right thing, just follow the steps, and perfect goodness comes piping hot from the oven, with smiles following.

Great article, definitely relate.

Best

thank you, megan: for finding a distraction from the depression; finding enough of a focus for just long enough to realize that the worst was yet to come; and that you needed help while seeing that great chasm of a hole in the ground that sucks out all our ability to function had been forming around you the entire time. it is nice to know that there is an emergency rope hanging on the edge of the chasm to help us out/up when we need it/can recognize it is neccessary. good luck on your life, and the return of your functionality.

This is definitely one of the best articles I've read on the Stranger, and I am glad that you are still alive, and also happy.

I can truly relate. Really enjoyed that read. I'll be making a move up to Seattle next month and I'm used to being around a lot of sun. Never visited so I'm no sure how to prepare myself mentally and emotionally. I'm also really prone to getting depressed, so that was something I was concerned about. I've been there and no matter how many cycles you've been through you feel just as lost the 5th time around as you did the first time depression hit. You forget everything you know to be true.

Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts. You are inspiring so many readers with this.

So reading this was a little weird because you sound almost exactly like me.

I've been depressed on and off for as long as I can remember but it was always just written off as being a teen or homesick (I'm an Army brat, we moved a LOT) or just being a drama queen.

I'd say the worst cycle was after I had my daughter. I couldn't understand people when they talked, I was always angry, and I felt alone & misunderstood.

Baking was what got me on the right track and I'm going to school to become a pastry chef. I'm not on medication anymore cuz I don't have health insurance or a job. I don't think baking has fixed my problems but it gives me something to focus on while I try to put my life back together.

As surreal as reading your story is, it's also a huge relief knowing there's someone else going through the exact same thing.

Thanks so much for the article. It really gave me a boost.

I loved this article when it came out, and I still love it. I love The Stranger, and have basically grown up on it, but I hate sometimes how the hipster bullshit in it/espoused by it can make real talk impossible. I'm so grateful that this article exists, and that it was published in The Stranger in particular for the above-mentioned reason. Long story short, I'm glad YOU exist, Megan, and I'm glad you have continued to exist AND thrive, in spite of both your challenges and your, well, sometimes hostile work environment.

'I didn't live on Capitol Hill nor did I ever want to live on Capitol Hill.'

aaaaand I lost interest in reading this (I've lived on Capitol Hill for over 10 years). Enjoy Nashville! I'm sure there will be more stereotypes there for you to explore.

Really good article. Thanks.