After Richard openly shares his past with depression, Erik replies, “Sorry, hey, sorry, just…in our family we don’t, uh, we don’t have that kinda depression”(105). What does Erik’s use of the phrase “in our family” imply about his understanding of depression? Is this understanding a function of Erik’s social class, age, or merely a common societal understanding? Does Karam agree that depression is, at least in part, genetic? How does his discussion of depression relate to his other portrayals of touchy subjects, such as religion and wealth?
2 thoughts on “Depression in The Humans”
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I also found this very interesting. It seemed to me that he was making some sort of connection with socioeconomic status and the “kind” of depression that Richard had. This is solidified with Aimee’s comment that they have a lot of “stoic sadness” (105). This made me feel like they were making some kind of statement that when money is scarce, there’s no time to be depressed in the way that Richard seems to describe.
Perhaps Erik is not coming to terms with his own depression. There is stigma held towards mental health. It is obvious that Erik holds this stigma when he comments that in his family depression isn’t a thing. He calls his faith a natural “anti-depressant.” He also has issues coming to terms with own mental state when he refuses to speak on his own mental health issues such as his lack of sleep.