When You Are Depressed, Make Something • Hacker News Board

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#171

Post by pc86 » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:52 PM UTC

curun1r wrote: post #146

EGreg wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you guys think is the point of all our activities if people eventually die? Most mainstream Judaeo-Christian postulates the immortality of the soul. But it seems to come up against mainstream history and science. Hasn't anyone here felt these existential questions? Even if you accomplish so much, in the end you can't even answer basic questions about the meaning of it all. You can consile yourself with the id…

This is the kind of thinking that has, in the past, led me to being depressed. It promotes an unhealthy fixation with the future that sends me into a nihilistic, self-perpetuating spiral of inaction. My answer has been something closer to Buddhist thinking than western religions. It's an intense effort to focus on the current moment. The past is done and cannot be changed. The future will happen, but it's largely bey…

Depression is a chemical or structural issue in the brain. Having existential thoughts did not change the structure of your brain or alter its chemistry.

Suggesting you can "lead yourself" to depression by simply thinking is just as wrong as suggesting those with real depression can just "snap out of it."

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#172

Post by yellowapple » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:53 PM UTC

nzjrs wrote: post #79

flippmoke wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a very large difference between clinical depression and situational depression. The ideas and suggestions of those who have suffered from situational depression are often not very helpful for those who suffer from clinical depression. I think this article is clearly about situational depression, but I don't think people often know there is a difference.

I think the article doesn't know the difference...

The article thinks it knows the difference (by trying to distinguish depression from ordinary "sadness"), but then seems to fail its own test.

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#173

Post by angry-hacker » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:53 PM UTC

sixo wrote: post #154

nicky0 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably the worst advice about depression I have ever read. "Spend time thinking about how to fix your problems" is about the last thing someone with depression needs to be told.

Sorry. I tried to be careful to say 'see if it's this' - I think people who have spent time depressed either completely agree with what I've said, or completely disagree. Probably there's two distinct things we're calling depression.

Someone with psychiatric history bigger than bible I say it's not a bad advice. People are nowadays oversensitive, you don't need ta apologize front and backwards for anyone who might feel offended.

But your advice works if people have support network, it's tough alone.

And when you realize doctors diagnose everyone out of their ass, you get more depressed. After 10 minutes she claims you lack serotonin. On what bases? I even don't know what to say, life is bullshit but stop with being so sensitive, even if you're wrong, dsm and all your doctors use as much as real science than your average hn commenter.

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#174

Post by TillE » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:54 PM UTC

sixo wrote: post #154

nicky0 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably the worst advice about depression I have ever read. "Spend time thinking about how to fix your problems" is about the last thing someone with depression needs to be told.

Sorry. I tried to be careful to say 'see if it's this' - I think people who have spent time depressed either completely agree with what I've said, or completely disagree. Probably there's two distinct things we're calling depression.

> Probably there's two distinct things we're calling depression.

If you haven't been formally diagnosed, please for the love of god stop talking about "depression". You have no idea what it actually is.

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#175

Post by ssully » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:54 PM UTC

nicky0 wrote: post #110

EGreg wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you guys think is the point of all our activities if people eventually die? Most mainstream Judaeo-Christian postulates the immortality of the soul. But it seems to come up against mainstream history and science. Hasn't anyone here felt these existential questions? Even if you accomplish so much, in the end you can't even answer basic questions about the meaning of it all. You can consile yourself with the id…

There is no point to any of it, and its beautiful. I'm thankful that I'm going to eventually turn to dust and be forgotten. It's such a relief .

There is something very Douglas Adams about your response and I absolutely love it.

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#176

Post by cowpewter » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:54 PM UTC

tdkl wrote: post #38

1986 - I feel sad. Well that's life. 2016 - I feel sad. It must be that I'm depressed, let me read more about depression so I'll know even how I fail in life, because everyone around me on social media is so much successful and happy.

2016 - I feel sad. There's a constant litany in the back of my head saying, "Maybe I should just die. If I was dead I wouldn't have to go to work. Can I just go back to sleep? Sleeping is nice. Man, what if got hit by a car? Then I'd be dead but it wouldn't be my fault. Then no one would be disappointed in me that I failed at life and killed myself. Oh I'm driving over a bridge, what would happen if I just yanked the wheel to the right really hard? I'm depressed, my meds aren't working as well as they worked earlier in the year. I need to see my doctor. That means making an appointment. I can't even get out of the bed though. Maybe I'll manage to call tomorrow. Maybe I'll die in my sleep."

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#177

Post by pc86 » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:56 PM UTC

paulpauper wrote: post #14

The problem with trying to create something is once you begin to work hard at it, you realize that you're not very good and others have done it far better than you. I have notice this a lot with math.I will work on a problem and then a Google search later reveals that the problem is not only completely solved but in a way that is far better than I could have ever conceived. Another problem is when you run out of idea…

Taking your math example, if the people who are currently at the forefront were constantly worried about where they ranked along with everyone else, they never would be where they are now. There are a few exceptions of course but they're the exceptions.

I could give a damn if I'm #5 in the world or number #5,000,000,000 in the world for x. I just want to be as good at x as I can be. I get a little bit of joy every time I get a little better at it.

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#178

Post by cpncrunch » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 6:57 PM UTC

yellowapple wrote: post #157

jdietrich wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This is advice for sadness, not depression. This is the opening quote in the article: "Sadness is when you feel down because things aren’t going your way. Depression is when you feel down even when all is going well." There's no mention of that in the DSM or the ICD. People with miserable lives can still be depressed; people can have miserable lives without recognising that their lives are miserable. There is no suc…

"There's no mention of that in the DSM or the ICD." Maybe not in those words, but the DSM does appear to distinguish between a depressive episode and e.g. bereavement: http://www.mental-health-today.com/dep/dsm.htm (I don't think this is the actual text, but it's the best I can find without a copy of the DSM-IV-TR on hand). IANAPsychologist, but as an ordinary person, the article's distinction between sadness and dep…

Having a crappy job or psychotic boss is more long-term than an "episode" such as bereavement, and definitely can lead to depression.

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#179

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 7:00 PM UTC

EGreg wrote: post #101

sixo wrote: post #80

When you are depressed, see if there's a serious problem in your life that is causing you to be depressed and devote as much time and energy as you can muster towards exploring solutions to that problem, even if they entail dramatic life-changing decisions, because that's the kind of problem we're dealing with here. Examples of such problems: you hate your graduate program. You have no friends in your city and no ide…

What do you guys think is the point of all our activities if people eventually die? Most mainstream Judaeo-Christian postulates the immortality of the soul. But it seems to come up against mainstream history and science. Hasn't anyone here felt these existential questions? Even if you accomplish so much, in the end you can't even answer basic questions about the meaning of it all. You can consile yourself with the id…

[deleted]

Re: When You Are Depressed, Make Something

#180

Post by ZeroFries » Tue, Jan 10, 2017, 7:00 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #117

sixo wrote: post #80

When you are depressed, see if there's a serious problem in your life that is causing you to be depressed and devote as much time and energy as you can muster towards exploring solutions to that problem, even if they entail dramatic life-changing decisions, because that's the kind of problem we're dealing with here. Examples of such problems: you hate your graduate program. You have no friends in your city and no ide…

I completely disagree with you. I believe you are describing solutions to problems that can make someone sad or frustrated, which is a fine thing. I'm all about being real about your life situation and doing something about it. However, depression is a disease independent of external factors. I had it when I had arguably one of the coolest jobs in my life up until that point. I treated it with medication, got out of…

- However, depression is a disease independent of external factors.

What? No disease is independent of external factors. You even list a bunch of things which affect it. Depression is a pattern, subject to countless factors. I think what you mean to say is, there isn't a single cause of depression, and it can manifest when many of the factors affecting it seem to be "pretty good", and it can not manifest when those factors seem to be "pretty bad".