A Survivor’s Guidebook To Depression

These days, Severna Park resident Garry Cosnett approaches life with a positive mindset.

"I'm on cloud 10," he enthused.

He has good reason to be. In February, Cosnett published a book with Secant Publishing. Titled “Everything Slows Down,” the book chronicles Cosnett’s lifetime battle with clinical depression. He has lectured about the 118-page book and its contents at hospitals and medical conferences, and it holds a 4.7 star rating on Amazon. Now, the book will be used to train psychiatrists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Yet Cosnett hasn't always been able to approach life with such an affirming outlook. A survivor of clinical depression, as he details in his book, he remembers his mother's “spells” of depression and his own struggles with the disorder — in vivid, personal detail.

“I first wrote a one-page, 2,400-word story for my company's internal website, called ‘How I Bring My Full Self to Work,’” he explained. "One hundred and seven people responded to the story. Fifty people responded by email. My wife, who is amazing and so supportive, said, ‘You have a story to tell.’”

The origins of the work known as “Everything Slows Down,” his first book, were born.

“I wrote a one-page outline, then two pages, then three,” he said. “Soon I had a book.”

A book that wasn't always simple to write.

“It wasn't always easy taking myself back to those dark places as I wrote,” he said. “But after I wrote it, I was fine.”

Cosnett's primary aim was to send a copy to a popular news anchor who had been hospitalized with depression. However, in addition to depression sufferers, doctors and psychologists also expressed an interest in using the book as a part of their practice.

Now, Johns Hopkins — a place where Cosnett has lectured about his experiences with depression — has committed to using Cosnett's book as a prime teaching tool.

“They have bought 30 copies for each of their psychology residents,” he said. “And yes, I'm on cloud 10.”

Cosnett is indeed thrilled by the positive affirmation that has been afforded his book.

“The experience of depression seemed meaningless as I was going through it,” he said. “Now I know it had meaning. I'm on the other side, and life is wonderful.”

He wants people dealing with depression to know that their lives and experiences also hold equitable meaning.

“Don't fight depression; accept it,” he urged. “You have a medical disease. You need medical care.”

As Cosnett approaches his retirement, he has a second future career in mind.

“This book,” he said, “will be my next career.”

To learn more about “Everything Slows Down” by Garry Cosnett, find his book on Amazon.