This research suggests an important conclusion: when the depressive episode is over (and, short of suicide, all depressive periods end, usually within a year after they start), the intense experience of emotional identification with others might leave a lasting mental legacy. Emotional empathy, produced by the severe depressive episode, may prepare the mind for a long-term habit of appreciating others’ points of view.

S. Nassir Ghaemi, A first-rate madness: uncovering the links between leadership and mental illness, New York, NY, 2012, p. 90