Dianne, thanks for the lovely feedback on my book.

I have read about the brain chemically altering itself in defense against the abuse, but I've never heard about depression moving in because we have moved out of protection mode. I'll look into that.

I have often heard depression described as "repressed anger", which makes a lot of sense, at least for me personally. I've noticed that I do start to feel shakey and more prone to futility and despair when I feel like I'm losing too much control over my choices, time and life in general (e.g., hubby's being too domineering.) But if I stand up for myself and be angry when I'm angry, those dark feelings seem to dissipate quickly.