Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: distressed
  • Music: The Barr Brothers, "Beggar in the Morning."

There are lines. Please stop crossing them.

When I posted about depression, I said that I was giving myself comment amnesty; I said that I might not (probably would not) read the comments.

Since then, people have contacted me via email (when they had it), via my old email (which I rarely check), via my contact form, via Facebook, and via my Tumblr, to give me their phone numbers, to tell me not to hurt myself (which I did not threaten to do), to provide crisis hotlines, to make suggestions about medication (which I did not solicit), and in one case, to threaten to report me to the police as a suicide risk if I did not update my blog immediately to show that I was still alive.

Please. Stop. "Comment amnesty" did not mean "work harder to make sure that your words, your well wishes, your specific need to engage with my depression will be heard." I try to keep open dialogs on this blog, and I usually appreciate communication, but right now, this contact is intrusive, and upsetting, and seems to prioritize the needs of the contacting person above mine. Please. Stop.

This is why I do not talk when I am sad.
Tags: depression, shameless plea
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  • 222 comments

museclio

January 14 2014, 19:59:20 UTC 3 years ago Edited:  January 14 2014, 20:00:57 UTC

So, I read your last post to my SO. I have pretty severe (mostly, sometimes, I hope controlled)depression. I read it to him because you had the words to explain what it sometimes feels like inside my head, and you didn't even have to use dead fish to make it clear. I appreciated that. I also saw it as a case of saying here is what's up, not a request for help from strangers on the internet. I think you're nifty, I read everything you've written, and if I'm ever out on the right coast at the right time when you're doing a Borderlands thing, I'll fangirl in person, but, I'm not your friend, I'm your fan. You get to have boundaries and lines, and places that are for friends to help. You deserve to be respected damnit.

seanan_mcguire

January 15 2014, 18:37:31 UTC 3 years ago

I am so glad I could help, even if it was helping through explanation.