Feminism, optimism and depressive realism

Personal journal writing to voice experience is a complex form of inquiry, often related to ethnography. This article critically appreciates depressive realism (DR) from a feminist perspective using personal journal writing. It is argued that second-wave feminist ideas are ‘current’ and developing again and, in different and creative ways, provide alternatives to DR. Collective action is illustrated in the UK and in international contexts, whether to combat individual depression or in more explicitly political movements. Although there is a case for optimistic thinking, the therapy industry is cited as a gendered area in need of radical review, and a focus for feminist attention.