"You can't handle the truth..."

I forgot to mention that I learned something very interesting in Abnormal Psych on Thursday. We're talking about mood disorders, and apparently one of the reasons why people get depressed is that they have a better grasp on reality than those who are not depressed. When a person is depressed, they have a more realistic view of their chances of success on a given task. On the other hand, when a person is exhibiting a quote-unquote "normal" mood, they have a somewhat unrealistically optimistic view of their chances of success. This is the case both with people who do not suffer from depression at all and those who are in remission from depression.

So let me get this straight. When you're depressed, you see reality clearer than those who are quote-unquote "normal." So does this mean that "normal" is a mild variant of hypomania? Or that we humans, particularly USian humans, really "can't handle the truth" about our chances to succeed out there in the Real World? Interesting.