Crooks searched for Major Depressive Disorder in the last days of his life, so he must have suspected he had it. Some of the common symptoms are:
- Inability to feel joy or pleasure for extended period of time (two weeks or more)
- Loss of interest in activities previously found enjoyable
- Lack of energy
- Difficulty concentrating on tasks or making decisions
It’s this combination of symptoms that makes it even harder to figure out how he made his decision, formulated a plan, did a couple of dry runs, and carried it out. I don’t mean to sound impressed but this pushes him from “He was unusually smart” to “Damn was he even human?” How did he scrape up the focus to do it?
With how determined he was and how focused he appeared, it’s hard for me to believe that he had depression. Of course, It’s possible. However, looking at the symptoms listed, in my opinion, I just don’t really think that he had it. I could be wrong though.
There’s a difference between being depressed and having MDD. I don’t think he had MDD. MDD makes it so hard to do anything, and that boy was determined. He partook in serious planning, scouting, and preparing. That’s not something someone who had MDD could do. I think he may have been sad, lonely, felt like he wasn’t able to connect with people. Perhaps he felt uninterested in connecting with people, but I wouldn’t consider those the obvious symptoms of MDD