On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
theopennotebook.com
On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
1–10 of 63 posts
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#2>A 40-year study published in 2012 found that writers are more likely than people in other, less creative occupations to suffer from mental illnesses such as bipolar, depression, and general anxiety disorder.
This bothers me. It's correlated but the following analysis assumes at least partly that being a writer is one possible factor for depression. Very common mistake most HNers are probably aware of.
For a science writer to read papers so wrongly is rather ironic.
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#3reads like a medication pamphlet.
therapy is more useful than drugs, even if drugs are needed eventually.
but I think this follow the US school of thought, where therapy is just one session required for liability before you're sent to a psych who will prescribe a pill regimen on the very first session. unbelievable.
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#4reads like a medication pamphlet. therapy is more useful than drugs, even if drugs are needed eventually. but I think this follow the US school of thought, where therapy is just one session required for liability before you're sent to a psych who will prescribe a pill regimen on the very first session. unbelievable.
> therapy is more useful than drugs, even if drugs are needed eventually.
Is it your opinion based on... ?
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#5Here's another story of someone suffering from mental illness who should seek God as many are now doing and being healed. I speak as a converted atheist, hedge fund employee, and contract software developer. Visit a baptist church.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#6reads like a medication pamphlet. therapy is more useful than drugs, even if drugs are needed eventually. but I think this follow the US school of thought, where therapy is just one session required for liability before you're sent to a psych who will prescribe a pill regimen on the very first session. unbelievable.
> therapy is more useful than drugs, even if drugs are needed eventually. Is it your opinion based on... ?
Not the OP but Feeling Good states that people responded to CBT as good or better than drugs, though, both at once were more effective again.
They could also be thinking of Anatomy of an Epidemic where long term results of people on drugs are worse than those off. Specifically that there's never been such a finding for CBT having a long term negative impact.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a medical specialist just a sufferer and reader)
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#7> For one thing, choosing writing as a way of making a living can nurture insecurity and doubt—especially for those, like myself, who are early in their careers. For me, at least, publishing a story is like handing in an exam essay, an invitation for strict judgment by both the intended audience and my peers.
I think people in tech tend to underappreciate the benefits of being able to just do the job and enjoy a (comparatively) lesser-stressful life with enviable benefits. Programming is creative endeavour too, but, no one is asked to build a product that succeeds in the market; that's the job of management.
Being a writer, or a musician, on the other hand, entails a perennial anxiety over the success of whatever you're doing. How will you ever know if your next thing will be liked or not? How will you know if you should continue working on your project when it starts to feel like an incoherent mess?
I have moments of self-doubt too but I am confident that I won't suddenly cease to be a decent programmer who gets things done. For many creative people who do it full time, it means fighting the monster every day.
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#8>A 40-year study published in 2012 found that writers are more likely than people in other, less creative occupations to suffer from mental illnesses such as bipolar, depression, and general anxiety disorder. This bothers me. It's correlated but the following analysis assumes at least partly that being a writer is one possible factor for depression. Very common mistake most HNers are probably aware of. For a science…
> It's correlated but the following analysis assumes at least partly that being a writer is one possible factor for depression.
And why shouldn't it be a possible factor? Correlation doesn't tell that it has to be a factor but neither the opposite.
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#9Here's another story of someone suffering from mental illness who should seek God as many are now doing and being healed. I speak as a converted atheist, hedge fund employee, and contract software developer. Visit a baptist church. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
I think this is a scummy reply because it is purely written to exploit vulnerable people and provide them baseless hope.
You do not say how, what, or why your religion has done to help you and you make a broad sweeping statement that some thing (a god) will magically solve mental illness. If anything this sort of crap will prolong suffering, and or exacerbate the problems associated with mental illness because it's not a solution or treatment.
Tangentially (off topic), I'd argue you were never truly an atheist if you could be "converted." There is no turning back, I won't one day believe in Santa Claus again.
Re: On Being a Science Writer and Managing a Mental Illness
#10>A 40-year study published in 2012 found that writers are more likely than people in other, less creative occupations to suffer from mental illnesses such as bipolar, depression, and general anxiety disorder. This bothers me. It's correlated but the following analysis assumes at least partly that being a writer is one possible factor for depression. Very common mistake most HNers are probably aware of. For a science…
> It's correlated but the following analysis assumes at least partly that being a writer is one possible factor for depression. And why shouldn't it be a possible factor? Correlation doesn't tell that it has to be a factor but neither the opposite.
Yes, maybe, but there's no proof so why assume it and make an article like this which doesn't even has any reserve about it (reread the paragraph I quoted if you doubt my claim) ? There's not even one "maybe" in his whole essay !