"Hell and back"

New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose tells about his decision to seek mental health treatment after his journey "to the edge of the post-Katrina abyss." He writes:

Today, I can bring my kids to school in the morning and mingle effortlessly with the other parents. Crowds don't freak me out. I'm not tired all day, every day. I love going to the grocery store. I can pump gas. I notice the smell of night-blooming jasmine and I play with my kids and I clean up after my dog and the simplest things, man -- how had they ever gotten so hard?