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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 120
A M E M O I R o f
L I V I N G F U L L Y
w i t h D E P R E S S I O N
G i l l i a n M a r c h e n k o
S T I L L
L I F E
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 220
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 320
S T I L L L I F E
A MEMOIR of LIVING FULLY
with DEPRESSION
Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 420
InterVarsity Press PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094 ivpresscomemailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983094 by Gillian Marchenko
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movementof students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in theUnited States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
All Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from HE HOLY BIBLE NEW INERNAIONAL VERSIONreg NIV reg Copyright copy 983089983097983095983091 983089983097983095983096 983089983097983096983092 983090983088983089983089 by Biblica Inctrade Used by permission All rights reserved worldwide
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Published in association with WordServe Literary Agency Sarah Joy Freese agent
Te story in chapter seven beginning ldquoOne morning when Elaina was threerdquo is adapted from Gillian Marchenko Sun Shine Down (New York S Poetry Press 983090983088983089983091)
Cover design Cindy Kiple Interior design Beth McGill Images beach house copy Jill Battagliarevillion Images
people on beach copy James Adamsrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983091983090983092-983092 (print) ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983097983090983092-983089 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
greenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names Marchenko Gillian authoritle Still life a memoir of living fully with depression Gillian
MarchenkoDescription Downers Grove InterVarsity Press 983090983088983089983094 | Includes
bibliographical references Identifiers LCCN 983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095 (print) | LCCN 983090983088983089983094983088983088983088983096983094983090 (ebook) | ISBN
983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983092983091983090983092983092 (pbk alk paper) | ISBN 983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983097983097983090983092983089 (eBook)Subjects LCSH Marchenko Gillian | Depressed persons--United
States--Biography | Depressed persons--Religious life--United StatesClassification LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 M983091983095 983090983088983089983094 (print) | LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 (ebook) | DDC
983094983089983094983096983093983090983095983088983088983097983090--dc983090983091LC record available at httplccnlocgov983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095
P 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 520
C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
P983137983154983156 O983150983141 B983151983156983156983151983149
983089 Uncle 983089983089
983090 Why Are You Smiling 9830891048631
983091 Major Depressive Disorder 983090983091983092 Who Am I 9830901048633
983093 Help 9830911048631
P983137983154983156 T983159983151 B983151983154983140983141983154983148983145983150983141
983094 Home 9830921048633
1048631 Bad Mom 9830939830931048632 Origins 983094983091
1048633 Work the Program 9830941048633
983089983088 Te Color System 10486311048631
983089983089 Will the Real Depression Please Stand Up 1048632983091
983089983090 Escape 1048633983091
983089983091 Te Lordrsquos Prayer 983089983088983089
P983137983154983156 T983144983154983141983141 B983154983141983137983147983156983144983154983151983157983143983144983155
983089983092 Taw 9830899830881048633
983089983093 Polygamy 983089983089983093
983089983094 Hide 983089983090983091
9830891048631 And Seek 98308998309010486339830891048632 Grow 9830899830911048631
9830891048633 Shame 983089983092983091
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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983090983088 Best Mom 983089983093983089
983090983089 Faith 9830899830931048631983090983090 Forced Praise 9830899830941048631
983090983091 Still Life 9830891048631983093
Acknowledgments 9830891048632983093
About the Author 98308910486321048633
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Part One
BOTTOM
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
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Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
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clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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S T I L L L I F E
A MEMOIR of LIVING FULLY
with DEPRESSION
Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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InterVarsity Press PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094 ivpresscomemailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983094 by Gillian Marchenko
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movementof students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in theUnited States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
All Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from HE HOLY BIBLE NEW INERNAIONAL VERSIONreg NIV reg Copyright copy 983089983097983095983091 983089983097983095983096 983089983097983096983092 983090983088983089983089 by Biblica Inctrade Used by permission All rights reserved worldwide
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Published in association with WordServe Literary Agency Sarah Joy Freese agent
Te story in chapter seven beginning ldquoOne morning when Elaina was threerdquo is adapted from Gillian Marchenko Sun Shine Down (New York S Poetry Press 983090983088983089983091)
Cover design Cindy Kiple Interior design Beth McGill Images beach house copy Jill Battagliarevillion Images
people on beach copy James Adamsrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983091983090983092-983092 (print) ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983097983090983092-983089 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
greenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names Marchenko Gillian authoritle Still life a memoir of living fully with depression Gillian
MarchenkoDescription Downers Grove InterVarsity Press 983090983088983089983094 | Includes
bibliographical references Identifiers LCCN 983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095 (print) | LCCN 983090983088983089983094983088983088983088983096983094983090 (ebook) | ISBN
983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983092983091983090983092983092 (pbk alk paper) | ISBN 983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983097983097983090983092983089 (eBook)Subjects LCSH Marchenko Gillian | Depressed persons--United
States--Biography | Depressed persons--Religious life--United StatesClassification LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 M983091983095 983090983088983089983094 (print) | LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 (ebook) | DDC
983094983089983094983096983093983090983095983088983088983097983090--dc983090983091LC record available at httplccnlocgov983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095
P 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
P983137983154983156 O983150983141 B983151983156983156983151983149
983089 Uncle 983089983089
983090 Why Are You Smiling 9830891048631
983091 Major Depressive Disorder 983090983091983092 Who Am I 9830901048633
983093 Help 9830911048631
P983137983154983156 T983159983151 B983151983154983140983141983154983148983145983150983141
983094 Home 9830921048633
1048631 Bad Mom 9830939830931048632 Origins 983094983091
1048633 Work the Program 9830941048633
983089983088 Te Color System 10486311048631
983089983089 Will the Real Depression Please Stand Up 1048632983091
983089983090 Escape 1048633983091
983089983091 Te Lordrsquos Prayer 983089983088983089
P983137983154983156 T983144983154983141983141 B983154983141983137983147983156983144983154983151983157983143983144983155
983089983092 Taw 9830899830881048633
983089983093 Polygamy 983089983089983093
983089983094 Hide 983089983090983091
9830891048631 And Seek 98308998309010486339830891048632 Grow 9830899830911048631
9830891048633 Shame 983089983092983091
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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983090983088 Best Mom 983089983093983089
983090983089 Faith 9830899830931048631983090983090 Forced Praise 9830899830941048631
983090983091 Still Life 9830891048631983093
Acknowledgments 9830891048632983093
About the Author 98308910486321048633
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Part One
BOTTOM
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one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
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Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
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clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
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Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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S T I L L L I F E
A MEMOIR of LIVING FULLY
with DEPRESSION
Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 420
InterVarsity Press PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094 ivpresscomemailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983094 by Gillian Marchenko
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movementof students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in theUnited States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
All Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from HE HOLY BIBLE NEW INERNAIONAL VERSIONreg NIV reg Copyright copy 983089983097983095983091 983089983097983095983096 983089983097983096983092 983090983088983089983089 by Biblica Inctrade Used by permission All rights reserved worldwide
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Published in association with WordServe Literary Agency Sarah Joy Freese agent
Te story in chapter seven beginning ldquoOne morning when Elaina was threerdquo is adapted from Gillian Marchenko Sun Shine Down (New York S Poetry Press 983090983088983089983091)
Cover design Cindy Kiple Interior design Beth McGill Images beach house copy Jill Battagliarevillion Images
people on beach copy James Adamsrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983091983090983092-983092 (print) ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983097983090983092-983089 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
greenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names Marchenko Gillian authoritle Still life a memoir of living fully with depression Gillian
MarchenkoDescription Downers Grove InterVarsity Press 983090983088983089983094 | Includes
bibliographical references Identifiers LCCN 983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095 (print) | LCCN 983090983088983089983094983088983088983088983096983094983090 (ebook) | ISBN
983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983092983091983090983092983092 (pbk alk paper) | ISBN 983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983097983097983090983092983089 (eBook)Subjects LCSH Marchenko Gillian | Depressed persons--United
States--Biography | Depressed persons--Religious life--United StatesClassification LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 M983091983095 983090983088983089983094 (print) | LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 (ebook) | DDC
983094983089983094983096983093983090983095983088983088983097983090--dc983090983091LC record available at httplccnlocgov983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095
P 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 520
C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
P983137983154983156 O983150983141 B983151983156983156983151983149
983089 Uncle 983089983089
983090 Why Are You Smiling 9830891048631
983091 Major Depressive Disorder 983090983091983092 Who Am I 9830901048633
983093 Help 9830911048631
P983137983154983156 T983159983151 B983151983154983140983141983154983148983145983150983141
983094 Home 9830921048633
1048631 Bad Mom 9830939830931048632 Origins 983094983091
1048633 Work the Program 9830941048633
983089983088 Te Color System 10486311048631
983089983089 Will the Real Depression Please Stand Up 1048632983091
983089983090 Escape 1048633983091
983089983091 Te Lordrsquos Prayer 983089983088983089
P983137983154983156 T983144983154983141983141 B983154983141983137983147983156983144983154983151983157983143983144983155
983089983092 Taw 9830899830881048633
983089983093 Polygamy 983089983089983093
983089983094 Hide 983089983090983091
9830891048631 And Seek 98308998309010486339830891048632 Grow 9830899830911048631
9830891048633 Shame 983089983092983091
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 620
983090983088 Best Mom 983089983093983089
983090983089 Faith 9830899830931048631983090983090 Forced Praise 9830899830941048631
983090983091 Still Life 9830891048631983093
Acknowledgments 9830891048632983093
About the Author 98308910486321048633
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Part One
BOTTOM
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
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clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
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Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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InterVarsity Press PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094 ivpresscomemailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983094 by Gillian Marchenko
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movementof students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in theUnited States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
All Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from HE HOLY BIBLE NEW INERNAIONAL VERSIONreg NIV reg Copyright copy 983089983097983095983091 983089983097983095983096 983089983097983096983092 983090983088983089983089 by Biblica Inctrade Used by permission All rights reserved worldwide
While any stories in this book are true some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
Published in association with WordServe Literary Agency Sarah Joy Freese agent
Te story in chapter seven beginning ldquoOne morning when Elaina was threerdquo is adapted from Gillian Marchenko Sun Shine Down (New York S Poetry Press 983090983088983089983091)
Cover design Cindy Kiple Interior design Beth McGill Images beach house copy Jill Battagliarevillion Images
people on beach copy James Adamsrevillion Images
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983092983091983090983092-983092 (print) ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983097983090983092-983089 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
greenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names Marchenko Gillian authoritle Still life a memoir of living fully with depression Gillian
MarchenkoDescription Downers Grove InterVarsity Press 983090983088983089983094 | Includes
bibliographical references Identifiers LCCN 983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095 (print) | LCCN 983090983088983089983094983088983088983088983096983094983090 (ebook) | ISBN
983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983092983091983090983092983092 (pbk alk paper) | ISBN 983097983095983096983088983096983091983088983096983097983097983090983092983089 (eBook)Subjects LCSH Marchenko Gillian | Depressed persons--United
States--Biography | Depressed persons--Religious life--United StatesClassification LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 M983091983095 983090983088983089983094 (print) | LCC RJ983093983088983094D983092 (ebook) | DDC
983094983089983094983096983093983090983095983088983088983097983090--dc983090983091LC record available at httplccnlocgov983090983088983089983093983088983093983088983097983089983095
P 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983092 983091983091 983091983090 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 520
C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
P983137983154983156 O983150983141 B983151983156983156983151983149
983089 Uncle 983089983089
983090 Why Are You Smiling 9830891048631
983091 Major Depressive Disorder 983090983091983092 Who Am I 9830901048633
983093 Help 9830911048631
P983137983154983156 T983159983151 B983151983154983140983141983154983148983145983150983141
983094 Home 9830921048633
1048631 Bad Mom 9830939830931048632 Origins 983094983091
1048633 Work the Program 9830941048633
983089983088 Te Color System 10486311048631
983089983089 Will the Real Depression Please Stand Up 1048632983091
983089983090 Escape 1048633983091
983089983091 Te Lordrsquos Prayer 983089983088983089
P983137983154983156 T983144983154983141983141 B983154983141983137983147983156983144983154983151983157983143983144983155
983089983092 Taw 9830899830881048633
983089983093 Polygamy 983089983089983093
983089983094 Hide 983089983090983091
9830891048631 And Seek 98308998309010486339830891048632 Grow 9830899830911048631
9830891048633 Shame 983089983092983091
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 620
983090983088 Best Mom 983089983093983089
983090983089 Faith 9830899830931048631983090983090 Forced Praise 9830899830941048631
983090983091 Still Life 9830891048631983093
Acknowledgments 9830891048632983093
About the Author 98308910486321048633
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Part One
BOTTOM
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1020
Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
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1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
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Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 520
C983151983150983156983141983150983156983155
P983137983154983156 O983150983141 B983151983156983156983151983149
983089 Uncle 983089983089
983090 Why Are You Smiling 9830891048631
983091 Major Depressive Disorder 983090983091983092 Who Am I 9830901048633
983093 Help 9830911048631
P983137983154983156 T983159983151 B983151983154983140983141983154983148983145983150983141
983094 Home 9830921048633
1048631 Bad Mom 9830939830931048632 Origins 983094983091
1048633 Work the Program 9830941048633
983089983088 Te Color System 10486311048631
983089983089 Will the Real Depression Please Stand Up 1048632983091
983089983090 Escape 1048633983091
983089983091 Te Lordrsquos Prayer 983089983088983089
P983137983154983156 T983144983154983141983141 B983154983141983137983147983156983144983154983151983157983143983144983155
983089983092 Taw 9830899830881048633
983089983093 Polygamy 983089983089983093
983089983094 Hide 983089983090983091
9830891048631 And Seek 98308998309010486339830891048632 Grow 9830899830911048631
9830891048633 Shame 983089983092983091
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 620
983090983088 Best Mom 983089983093983089
983090983089 Faith 9830899830931048631983090983090 Forced Praise 9830899830941048631
983090983091 Still Life 9830891048631983093
Acknowledgments 9830891048632983093
About the Author 98308910486321048633
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 720
Part One
BOTTOM
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 820
one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 920
10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1020
Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1120
10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1220
Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
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Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 620
983090983088 Best Mom 983089983093983089
983090983089 Faith 9830899830931048631983090983090 Forced Praise 9830899830941048631
983090983091 Still Life 9830891048631983093
Acknowledgments 9830891048632983093
About the Author 98308910486321048633
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Part One
BOTTOM
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one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 920
10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1020
Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1120
10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1220
Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 720
Part One
BOTTOM
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 920
10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1020
Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 820
one
U983150983139983148983141
Donrsquot try to solve serious matters
in the middle of the night
P983144983145983148983145983152 K D983145983139983147
I stare at an episode of Hoarders on Netflix and check Facebook
back and forth back and forth Depression has landed me in
bed for about a week My old tricksmdashsleep more watch television
hold on for dear flipping life waiting for it to passmdasharenrsquot working
this time
I canrsquot sleep my mood off or wait it out It possesses unshakable
power over me I stand on the edge of a cliff in my own bedroom
I must keep still Otherwise I will plunge to my death ldquoPlease God
take this awayrdquo I pray when I can and then I lower myself into a
steaming bath to abate the ache of my limbs My thoughts muddy
I shiver I sleep for hours and wake up exhausted Always exhausted
No amount of sleep reenergizes me
Years ago I decided that a stay-at-home mom succumbing todaytime television equaled rock-bottom living I would turn on Te
View or another morning show while cleaning the living room and
turn it off a half hour later A productive person doesnrsquot watch V
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
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two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
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1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
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Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 920
10486251048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
during the day right But today Right now Tis is nothing new
Irsquove been hiding in my bedroom watching bad television andsleeping on and off for days Weeks Months I donrsquot know
I click on Facebook the opposite of Hoarders because Facebook
is like the giant neon sign of life ldquoLook at me Isnrsquot my life greatrdquo
Te folks on Hoarders would rather you look at the pile of used
plastic bags theyrsquove gathered around them than at them
I lie on top of stale tousled black sheets in the room I share with
my husband As I scan my feed my eyes key in on an advertisement
on the right side of the screen ldquoDo you struggle with feeling down
Call this number and see if you qualify to participate in an exciting
new clinical trial Te experience includes monetary compensation
free psychiatric care and the opportunity to help individuals like
you who fight depression by sampling a new drug that could become
available on the market in the future because of your participationrdquoMy skin awakens Te sensation reminds me of a time when a
childhood friend got ringworm in grade school I walked to her
house after school for a chance to see a worm under her skin
moving around and around in circles but when I got there there
was only a red raised surface on her arm ldquolsquoYou see the worm It rsquos
right thererdquo She kept trying to convince me Little swirls now
cover my body A few words in the ad pique my interest I sit up in
bed and adjust the laptop on my legs
I cross and recross my legs at the ankles and move around the
laptop again I imagine my familymdashmy husband Sergei and our
four daughtersmdashand wonder what they are doing right now thekids are at school perhaps working on math problems or running
around in the gym and Sergei may be hunched over his computer
next door at the church where he works Irsquom home alone but I look
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1020
Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1120
10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1220
Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
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10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1020
Uncle 10486251048627
around anyway afraid someone will see what I clicked on as if it
were something embarrassing like porn We donrsquot have a lot of money I want the compensation to fund
my dream of publishing the memoir I wrote about my third
daughter Pollyrsquos diagnosis of Down syndrome Chilled I hug
myself Te hair on my forearms stands up urging me to pay at-
tention I consider the other words in the advertisement that caught
my eye
A psychiatrist Someone who specializes in the human psyche Irsquove
never been to a psychiatrist for my struggles Te few times I took
medication in the past my primary care doctor prescribed them
and Irsquove often wondered if she knew her job ldquoOh Prozac isnrsquot
working that great anymore How about Zoloft Cymbalta PaxilrdquoMy childhood friend Carol says that taking medication is like
playing Yahtzee Put a bunch in a cup shake them up and roll the
dice If you are lucky you get a winning hand More information
about myself medication and mental illness in general would be
helpful right Could a psychiatrist help
Tis is problematic Do I fight depression
Historically I wouldnrsquot claim depression as a diagnosis Sure
Irsquove had difficult times in my life but up until these last few years
my struggles with mood revolved mostly around having babies
Although I was prone to melancholia and brooding my more serious
strugglesmdashthat is the times I couldnrsquot get my crap togethermdashwereall tied up with the kids I experienced postpartum depression after
three births and then again after we adopted Evangeline our fourth
daughter from Ukraine Polly and Evie both have disabilities
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1120
10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1220
Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1120
10486251048628 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
Sergei pastors a small church where shoveling snow cleaning up
spills and moving the chairs around are all as much a part of his jobas preaching My older girls Elaina and Zoya are young women
complete with mood swings and preadolescent angst Itrsquos a lot
right So is it depression or a challenging life
Irsquove searched lists of depressive symptoms online to see how I
check out Symptoms of depression according to various web-
sites include hopelessness aches and pains sleep issues and dis-
interest in things that once provided joy I donrsquot want to admit it
out loud but I know that all of these emotions take up more and
more occupancy in my heart I think of depression as a visitor
who comes more often uninvited unwelcomed and stays longer
than ever before
But then the fog dissipates for a few days and my mood alters
and I talk myself out of the diagnosis once again Later on after Iknow I have depression Irsquoll call this depression amnesia Every
time I start to do better I assume I will never feel that way again
I read somewhere that with each episode there is a 10486251048624 percent risk
that a personrsquos depression will become chronic I push that infor-
mation out of my mind Itrsquos not depression okay Itrsquos just a bad
afternoon A bad day A bad life
Te ldquoI wonrsquot get depression againrdquo notion is right up there with
the alcoholicrsquos avowal that one drink wonrsquot kill him I once found
a depression support forum online and stayed up all night reading
other peoplersquos posts Struggles with medication Toughts of
suicide Unable to have relationships or leave the house What a
miserable lot Terersquos no way I am one of them
I have no memories of staying in bed for days when Elaina andZoya were little except for the time right after their births And
when depression comes I can never figure out how it gets here
What are my triggers stress with the kids too much stuff at
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1220
Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1220
Uncle 10486251048629
church friendships my relationship with Sergei I have no idea
Depression comes and go as it pleases and like a victim in a do-mestic abuse situation I assume Irsquom at fault Something is wrong
with me
A breeze blows through the bedroom window I opened earlier
A bird tweets like a metronome and I wonder how he can breathe
and tweet so long and so well Our neighbor onyrsquos voice calls out
I assume to one of his elderly parents in their backyard but I canrsquot
understand his words
I enjoy seeing onyrsquos mom and dad who live with him Tey
wear traditional Indian garb the mother modest saris in muted
browns and grays and the father long cream button-down shirts
with matching linen pants
A door slams and I think more about onyrsquos family When the
weather is warm his mother comes outside with an empty hamperand pinches the tops of clothespins letting stiff air-dried garments
fall into the basket in the early morning light Sometimes when I
feed Evangeline her breakfast cereal I watch this neighbor retrieve
the laundry while her husband perches on a tall stool close to her
looking on
Last week while I was out on our chipped blue porch I saw
onyrsquos dad hobble by on the sidewalk leaning on his cane Sergei
had mentioned something recently about a stroke and said his
health had gone downhill oday I startled when I saw him because
it had been so long ldquoDadrdquo ony yelled running through the alley
next to our house to catch him ldquoDad You canrsquot leave the house
without telling us Do you hear me Dadrdquo ony reached his father
bent down and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath Hisfather stared past him unresponsive
I lie in bed I think about life People are out and about in the
world doing daily things and Irsquom here again My body jailed by
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1320
10486251048630 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
mood Irsquom not even well enough to hobble around Is this now the
content of my life If so is it a waste Will I shrivel up like a raisinin my bed Will my neighbors one day be startled in surprise if
they see me outside because they havenrsquot seen me for so long
Irsquove never been hospitalized for depression I never found myself
driving eighty miles an hour toward the peak of a cliff with my kids
buckled into the backseat I never made plans to stuff our van
muffler with an old rag turn it on and stay in it with all the windows
closed tight But I have started to give up on my family on myself
and on life in general Tis again I think as I wake up in the
morning swing my legs over the side of the bed sit upright and
sigh I daydream about a nice bonk on the head one hard enough
to put me in a coma
I want deep sleep
I close my eyes and imagine the force of a car accident Irsquom inthe driverrsquos seat a car sideswipes me metal screeches against metal
pushing in squelching breath and then silence Just silence It
doesnrsquot sound bad not to exist anymore At least then I could stop
the negative thoughts that swirl around my head
You are a terrible mother You are a terrible Christian You are a failure
You donrsquot know what you are doing You are losing your effing mind
I stare at the Facebook ad about the clinical trial for depression
My heartbeat quickens as I reach up and push a strand of greasy
hair out of my eyes I need to call now without consulting Sergei
He is leery of doctors and would not agree to my participation I
pick up my cell phone from the bedside table and dial
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1420
two
W983144983161 A983154983141 Y983151983157 S983149983145983148983145983150983143983103
Man is least himself when he talks
in his own person Give him a mask
and he will tell you the truth
O983155983139983137983154 W983145983148983140983141
A man with a deep voice answers the call and walks me
through a preliminary questionnaire Do you struggle
with depressive thoughts Yes Is your mood often low Yes Do
you have problems with sleep concentration or sexual arousal Yes
yes yes I snap my cell phone shut in tears after I answer the ques-
tions It is spring time 1048626104862410486251048625 early afternoon on a weekday probably
around one orsquoclock
A few days later a representative from the clinical trial calls back
while I work on a magazine article in the dining room downstairs
I clear my throat and concentrate on a steady voice ldquoI am interested
in participating Te ad stated there is compensationrdquo Yes there is
compensation I listen but words donrsquot compute Irsquom obsessed withthe money all of a sudden Irsquom an addict looking for her next fix
Why Is it because a psychiatric trial for money instead of need is
easier to stomach I cut the man off midsentence ldquoI want to
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1520
1048625983096 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
clarifymdashthere is compensation rightrdquo Yes compensation His
voice gets louder He is agitated My body weakens and starts toswoon reminiscent of the first time a cop pulled me over for
speeding in high school
ldquoI called a clinical trial for depression today after seeing an ad-
vertisement onlinerdquo I mention to Sergei later as he browns ham-
burger in a skillet in the kitchen for dinner ldquoTey want people to
test a new antidepressantrdquo Our kids (Elaina eleven Zoya ten
Polly six and Evangeline six) are scattered around the house I
have no idea what they are doing It doesnrsquot occur to me to find out
I have become an absent mom a guest in my home A nice family
friend who may notice the children once in a while and smile but
keeps to herself Off limits Shut down
Sergei as expected objects to the clinical trial ldquoWhy would you
want to ingest unknown and undertested medicine Arenrsquot you afraidof the side effects What if they figure out the drug is dangerousrdquo
Born and raised in Kyiv Ukraine Sergei lived through the
Chernobyl power plant disaster in grade school It occurred sixty
miles north of Kyiv but wind and weather brought the tragedy to
the front door of his fourth-story apartment building Te Dnipro
River which runs through the city splitting it into two large land
masses the right and left bank turned green Radiation rained
down on the country
ldquoI remember my mom called me in from outside She told me to
pack that my brother and I would take a train to Russia to stay
with my grandparents Tey didnrsquot tell us what had happened It
was a scary timerdquo Sergei said Rumors circulated Itrsquos been said that
people who decided not to leave their homes near Chernobyl tooksick and died Others grew extra limbs and lips swelled up to five
times their original size Residual damage of the explosion al-
though less powerful still exists today some say
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1620
Why Are You Smiling 1048625983097
We met when I took a year off from college to teach English in
schools and universities in Kyiv On the airplane to Ukraine ourleaders told us no matter what we were not allowed to date ldquothe
nationalsrdquo I got off the plane at one orsquoclock in the morning and
one of the first people I saw was a young boy with long greasy hair
acne all over his face and a skeletal build I joke that it was love at
first sight but it took us six months in Ukraine to fall in love Sergei
interpreted for the group I worked with and at the end of the year
he followed me to the States Wersquove now been married for thirteen
years Side effects and danger exist in Sergeirsquos world It isnrsquot some-
thing you watch on television or read about in a book as I did in
my tidy little upbringing in the Midwest
My parents have owned and operated a weekly newspaper for over
thirty years I have a brother Justin One sister Amy Irsquom the baby of
the family My folks built and maintained a typical middle-class American life in a small town in Michigan My childhood trauma
included breaking my left arm two times once near my shoulder and
once in my wrist Each time I rather liked the attention
I field Sergeirsquos concerns for two or three minutes and start to cry
ldquoI want to do this Sergei I want to be evaluated by a psychiatrist
And I can because it doesnrsquot cost anythingrdquo My tears force my
husbandrsquos concession and I decide not to mention the compen-
sation Irsquove gotten my yes Right now thatrsquos all I need Besides he
lives my struggles He realizes I need help We need help And he
knows me He knows I would cry until he said yes
wo weeks later I drive out to the suburbs of Chicago for the trial Tey administer a quick medical exam blood pressure urine
sample reflexes nose ears deep breaths while a cold stethoscope
presses against my chest Irsquom ushered into a tiny room with a small
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1720
10486261048624 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
desk and two chairs and a sink in the corner to complete yet an-
other questionnaire A cheerful man with a salt-and-pepper beard goes down the list
of questions rouble with sleep Change in diet Toughts of
worthlessness Unable to get excited Do you ever want to hurt
yourself Cloudy thinking I answer the questions smiling jittery
and nodding throughout mostly yeses
Irsquom showered and in clean clothes I havenrsquot looked this good in
a while I decide combed hair lacquered with Big Sexy Hair Spray
mascara shimmery lipstick But Irsquom concerned Tis is one of the
few times Irsquove talked about my depression in the midst of an ep-
isode in the presence of someone other than my husband Even
while saying yes to all the questions I attempt to act as if it is a
social interaction with a long-time friend Why this need to
perform On the inside I deem myself a failure I canrsquot do anythingright But on the outside I want people to see me and think I have
what they call ldquoitrdquo together
ldquoMrs Marchenko our tests indicate you suffer from major de-
pressive disorder Te numbers are low some of the lowest Irsquove seen
If the information is correct then you are extremely depressedrdquo I
nod my head and offer another shaky smile attempting to project
understanding and confidence
But inside I start to break down and break apart Major de-
pressive disorder Sounds ominous and final Sounds like a real
honest-to-God mental illness Is this what I wantedmdashconfirmation
of a cracked-up head A loss of life A saying of Jesus comes to
mind ldquoFor whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever
loses their life for me will find itrdquo (Matthew 1048625104863010486261048629) Yeah okay but what about those of us who watch our lives drift away and we do
nothing about it What if we no longer know who we lose our lives
for What if there seems to be no purpose or way to stop it
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1820
Why Are You Smiling 10486261048625
I reach my left hand up to my cheek and rub it for a second Irsquom
here right Irsquom still here My toe starts to tap Te cheerful manrsquoslips transition from a smile to a straight line He stares at me his
eyes attempt to pierce mine but I donrsquot let them I hold his stare
but block the piercing What does that say about me Tat now in
this pivotal moment in my life I still fake or at least try to fake
my feelings
Itrsquos because Irsquove disappeared already At some point my body
became a solid sheet of ice over a raging sea of emotions Te cold
I put out has caused people to look past me Tey started to see
through me Or not see me at all And now I am a master at pre-
tendingmdashthat is in front of anyone but Sergeimdashbecause I hate the
fear the guilt the paranoia Freezing meant a final attempt to hold
on to myself and not disappear stay cold and get through the day
But now I hear the diagnosis I sit in an uncomfortable chair ina bare cream-colored room In one moment my fingertips tingle
My feet begin to burn I start to thaw
No I canrsquot thaw No I imagine myself starting to crack and break
apart inside When my siblings and I were kids my mom took us
ice skating I donrsquot remember gliding across ice but I remember my
feet killing me afterward Back at home my mom ordered me to
undress ldquoake off your socks too Itrsquos best if you donrsquot have any-
thing on your feet right nowrdquo She set a bowl of tepid water in front
of a chair ldquoHere Sit Put your toes in thererdquo I stuck my feet in the
water and pain shot up my legs My feet were on fire burning
burning burning in a bowl of warm water ldquoIt hurts Mom Make
it stoprdquo I cried
Now at the clinical trial I watch myself thaw Hold yourself to- gether Gillian Stay cold Donrsquot break
I suppose that as with frozen toes after ice skating one must be
stripped bare to start to thaw I thought I wanted thismdasha diagnosis
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 1920
10486261048626 S983156983145983148983148 L983145983142983141
more information helpmdashbut now I donrsquot know I donrsquot want to
bring feeling back to my limbs because I have no idea how tohandle them I want to scream It hurts Make it stop Instead I stare
past the cheerful man and smile
ldquoWhy are you smiling I told you that you test in the severe
range of depressionrdquo He waits for an answer
ldquoUmrdquo I clear my throat ldquoI donrsquot know why Irsquom smilingrdquo Sweat
pours down my back between my shoulder blades Te cheerful
man who I assume is the psychiatrist but later find out conducts
preliminary testing looks at me with compassion Cracks run up
and down my body Can he see them Irsquom dripping Is he glimpsing
the real me
Te cheerful test takerrsquos face shows a pang of concern and then
poof itrsquos gone Cheery and smiley again he speaks ldquoWait in this
room Te doctor will be in to see you in a momentrdquo An hour later assured I am a perfect candidate for the trial I
drive home in a fog pulling my shirt up and wiping the wet makeup
off my face at stop signs At home I change into yoga pants and a
-shirt with a stain on it and crawl back into bed I sleep for the
next few hours until the rest of the family comes home from school
and work
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8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020
8182019 Still Life By Gillian Marchenko
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullstill-life-by-gillian-marchenko 2020