Ask HN: What happens if I have a nervous breakdown? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What happens if I have a nervous breakdown?

#41

Post by Dylanlacey » Mon, Dec 06, 2010, 3:48 AM UTC

OK, so.

1. If you are the only thing stopping them becoming toxic to engineers, they will eventually, regardless of how hard you fight. 2. You have an obligation to yourself to keep yourself healthy, not this company. 3. THEY DON'T DESERVE YOU.

I can't emphasize the last point enough. If you are the ONLY thing stopping them from self-destructing, they deserve to self-destruct. Your preventing them from turning toxic doesn't change the fact that they are predisposed to toxicity. They're crappy company and they deserve what they get.

Re: Ask HN: What happens if I have a nervous breakdown?

#42

Post by jschuur » Mon, Dec 06, 2010, 11:29 AM UTC

I always respond to these things too late, but I'll say just two things.

1) What are the chances that out of everything you could do with your life, you are currently doing the only thing that is fun/fulfilling/enriching/the right thing etc? Don't fear change. The same skills, curiosity and drive that got you this far can do it again, possibly faster and better the next time around.

2) It's great that you feel responsible for your engineers, but your first and foremost responsible is towards yourself. If you've tried your best to create the kind of team/culture/department you wanted too and it wasn't possible, try again somewhere else before it nags away at you. I assume everyone that works there is an adult, and they can make their own decisions about where they want to work too.

And one more thing: Don't try and be the guy with the money, be the guy smart enough to know how to make the money.

Re: Ask HN: What happens if I have a nervous breakdown?

#43

Post by wtracy » Tue, Dec 07, 2010, 7:33 AM UTC

andreyf wrote: post #28

Dove wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See a doctor. I repeat for emphasis: See a doctor. This is treatable.

Just one sub-clause: if the doctor prescribes pills, go to a different doctor.

Probably nobody is following this thread now, but:

Sometimes medication is necessary for treating mental illness. (I'm on medication right now.) A combination of therapy and medication can be very powerful.

Now, I too would be distrustful of anyone who prescribes medication without any accompanying therapy. If your doctor sees medication as a replacement for therapy--get a different doctor.