Should we depress ourselves by keeping up to date?

Traditionally we would distinguish between reactive and endogenous depression.
Nowadays these terms are less used, but reactive depression is still widespread and very unwelcome.

Surely it is something experienced by each of us, occasionally – mild or significant depression fuelled by some immediate experience? It can disappear speedily, or last for a considerable time. Tiresomely, the media messages – particularly the news – with which we are bombarded during most of our waking hours tend to be rather lowering: ” The world’s more full of weeping than you can understand”

And that prompts the question “Why continue your exposure to information which saddens? How about giving up TV news, radio, newspapers, news channels. . . If it’s really important, the message will reach you in due course. . . ”

Hmmm – an idea with some attractions, but there are at least three obvious negatives:

1. Whilst depressing, the news item may actually be significant for you specifically, and knowing sooner may offer practical advantage.
2. Not being up to date with what used to be called “current affairs” might diminish your role as a parent. Even adult children sometimes value their parent’s opinion, and it is disappointing if the parent tends to say “I don’t know, I’ll need to consult the web.”
3. It might send confusing signals socially, not to mention FOMO.

So perhaps the answer is to compromise – avoid a constant feed of unpleasantness, but be a receptor on a regular but infrequent basis – one hour per week, say, when you are feeling robust. We have no direct interest in The Week, but we can see that if reactive depression is a problem, a weekly summary publication may have advantages over a daily broadsheet.

(Yeats – The Stolen Child).