question: I am in my 40's.  I have, since childhood, suffered from periods of relatively sudden (sometimes magnified by a bad situation) periods of sadness.  My symptoms are feelings of despair and the urge to express sadness (crying, isolating myself, etc.) that sometimes seem to occur without cause.  These episodes are sometimes crippling for short periods of time.  I also seem to take on other peoples feeling of sadness.  I am not comfortable watching new events about tragedies and funerals are an absolute 'no go' whether I know the deceased or not.  During my late teens and 20's, I was able to self fix or correct the issues almost immediately.  I seem to have lost that ability.  My question is this...  I have met or had in my life, certain people that, for the periods of time that I associate with them, whether at that time I am in direct contact with them or not, seem to eliminate all (all!!) of my issues.  During these time (most recently a two+ year period) I have no memorable episodes.  The people that I have experienced this with in my lifetime are few (maybe 3 or 4).  Sometimes it was immediately obvious and sometimes it didn't occur to me until much later or until after that person was no longer part of my world.  I  know it is possible for a single person to have this effect on me.  Is there an explanation for this?I am very social and outgoing.  I am well educated, and have some basic artistic talents (writing and drawing). I enjoy a wide range of activities.