with or by?

[haseli22]

Dear native speakers,

In the following sentence isn't it better to use "by" instead of "with"? I saw this sentence in a book and since the sentence seems to be passive so I think that "by" is better than "with" to use!

"Within days, he is very despondent and so overcome with lethargy that he can't even get out of bed."

Thanks.

 

[philo2009]

Although 'by' would be possible, 'with' is actually more idiomatic in this case, where 'overcome' is treated as an adjective rather than a past participle in a passive construction.