In 1984, at 36 years of age, the author broke down physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. She was hospitalized for six weeks; the first of three such visits over the next four years. Marilyn says that for all of her life, she had been a "sad, scared, paranoid perfectionist" and only after her life came to a blinding and screeching halt did she have the courage to investigate why. She discovered reasons -- but no excuses -- for why she had lived in such turmoil for so long. Once she knew how and why she had broken down, she had to find the courage to build herself up -- for perhaps the first time -- and in doing so, she had to make the choice to truly LIVE. Free at Last is a personal story explaining how and why Marilyn went into her depression; the traumatic and unbelievable stories of her life as she went through her depression; and finally, the magical yet down-to-earth ways that brought her out of her depression. At the very least, one in five persons in America is affected or afflicted with this silent, and often fatal, condition, so this book will be of help or interest to anyone anywhere. This is a story of fear, courage, love, and any other emotion experienced by human kind; it is one of the most honest and hopeful books that you will ever read on the subject of depression and one woman's struggle to be free at last.