A Plea for CompassionWhen I saw this "new" title by Allie Brosh, I didn't know anything about it and just thought "gotta get my hands on that title!". I thought I'd borrow it from the library and obviously hit a wall. Not listed. When I saw Amazon's listed publication date was 2050, I started investigating a little.Now I’ve read the following update provided by a kind Goodreads member https://gazettereview.com/2015/07/wha... , it's looking like this book may never get published. Then again, there's a small chance it might be... some day in this century. Maybe. But probably not. Or the stars may align the right way for Allie and it will after all. Or not. And if not, that's really okay.Sometimes I find sharing my own experience is helpful to illustrate a point: I struggle with bipolar and anxiety disorders which seems to be mostly expressed with constant depression and still plenty of anxiety attacks now I'm medicated, and chronic pain to top it all off, and I get it, I really get it; that feeling like there's no point to anything and even if you've got talent and have "done things" before, not being up to using it and wanting to do other things to get better. Even if by "other things" you mostly just focus on keeping on breathing and eating and sleeping and watching Netflix and NOT killing yourself on those days when you badly want to make the suffering just stop.You want to do things, you set out to do things, and then... there's just no point to doing those things because they just end up making you feel bad, because self-criticism andAnd on top of it all, if you're a perfectionist, if yougoing to do a thing, it's gotta be AMAZING, or at least more than just okay, so there's doubly no point to doing a thing, because you're in no place to be producing anything good when you're feeling empty & worthless to begin with.And it really doesn't make any difference how many people are telling you how good and full of talent you are. In fact the more people tell you how good you are, the more that awful thing in your head grows and and grows and convinces you they're all LYING and really, you're a sack of shit and an impostor and totally WORTHLESS, besides which there’s just no point because they’ll always expect more more more and it’s never enough.Anyway, this isn't about me (or maybe it is, a little, tbh), it's about the nature of depression and the fact that Allie was incredibly courageous when she reached out to the whole world with such open candor about a painful reality she’s had to live with every day for many years of her life, and did truly amazing work withwhich touched countless lives via the book itself, and all the times her relatable illustration made the rounds on the net, and made people feel less alone and less freakish, or whatever.Considering all that, knowing she had the intention of putting out a second book but with repeated changes to the publication date, was obviously struggling in some way that should be obvious to anyone who’d been even a little familiar with the first book,—even without having read the update for which I provided the link above—it's unfair to place expectations or any sort or pressure on her anymore, and it saddens me to see all those, admittedly old reviews—with people complaining about having to wait. Some are kind and express sympathy, while others just seem to callously think they’re buying just any product and expect speedy delivery, not thinking for a moment what the message these books is about. And that what made “Hyperbole” so damn funny and poignant was that the author could only write about it like that because of living with a form of intractable mental illness that resists treatment, which is a reality for about a third of us genetically predisposed severely mentally ill. All this to say that to put expectations such as deadlines and promotions for holiday gifting and public eagerness for more more more... that alone can only be hell to live with for someone constantly shadowed by the black dog of depression and anxiety, which are reasons enough not to deliver as expected. All the more so when life throws extra wrenches at someone struggling to hold things together.All I can say, what we should ALL say, is “Be well Allie, and thank you for sharing what you did, that was plenty enough and then some. And if you ever feel up to sharing more, then great. And if you don't feel up to sharing anything else, then great also because what you did share was tremendous and means a lot to me and I always enjoy seeing your panels again. Here's hoping you have more good days than bad ones. Sending lotsa love, and thanks for the laughs & the tears of recognition. ❤️”#MentalHealthMatters