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The Depression Thing

zachholman.com

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Re: The Depression Thing

#291

Post by CJefferson »

ClassyJacket wrote: post #144
jlg23 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Careful with that advice. It might have been good for you, it might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all. Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). Whatever you do to counter your depression, have a trustworthy, knowledgeable aid at your side: a therapist.

This is the most ridiculous and irrelevant warning I can imagine. Almost nobody us at risk of over exercising if they haven't started yet. It's like saying "Don't eat salad, I know someone that ate so much lettuce they got sick."

It's very easy to over exercise if you haven't started yet, I seriously hurt myself after a couple of weeks of running, as my body was nowhere near prepared for it.

Re: The Depression Thing

#292

Post by NiklasMort »

If you are not religious I find it hard to find a reason to try to continue or to get out of the hole. The biggest problem is the lack of goals, or feeling like you have done everything already. Then you ask: Why bother?

Re: The Depression Thing

#293

Post by moh_maya »

ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

I am glad to hear that you found something that worked for you. But to add to your anecdote..

"sleep, proper diet, exercise" are necessary, but may often not be sufficient. Medication, when assessed by a qualified psychiatrist may be required. Therapy (if the depression is due to an event in the past) may also be required,

Finding which drugs work for you is hit or miss; finding a therapist who can guide you is also hit or miss; they can take time. But please don't dismiss medication & therapy. They are often required for many people.

Re: The Depression Thing

#294

Post by nfd »

afpx wrote: post #85
ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

I can only believe you when you say you cured yourself, but I just want to point out for others that this sometimes can be symptoms of hypomania (bipolar II). As an example, consider the following author’s self-cure for his bipolar II: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-... Sounds pretty easy and awesome, right? Then, read his follow-up several years later: http://www.ellsberg.com/bipolar-ii-…

Whoa, cool. I guess I ought to go visit a psychiatrist. Thank you.

Re: The Depression Thing

#295

Post by nils-m-holm »

There is a lot of advice regarding depression and a lot of things people say may be helpful to many others.

There is, however, also the chance that someone's life really is FUBAR and no amount of exercise, therapy, drugs, and whatnot will change anything. And then everybody says that the one who is suffering "does not want any help", "is not suffering enough to accept help", "is happy with his suffering", etc.

Well, pardon my language, but that's such a giant pile of bullshit! All that's happening there is that the one giving advice is helpless and not willing to admit it. And that's especially true of psychologists and other "professionals".

Source: have lost three people who committed suicide and in two cases I would say that there really was no other way. We, as a species, totally suck at helping.

And, yes, there probably would have been ways to help above people, but it would have taken time and dedication and who is willing to invest that? It's so much easier to try a quick fix and when it does not work, blame it on the sufferer. Unfortunately I was young back then and did not understand that...

Re: The Depression Thing

#296

Post by alex_hitchins »

Swizec wrote: post #198
cflewis wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dude, screw you. Seriously. The biggest screw up we all make about mental health is the assumption that the thing that works for one person is the thing that works for another. I would have hoped that someone who has been through treatment would understand that, but here you are spouting the "get your life in order and it'll all be dandy, it worked for me!" crap that's so unhelpful in the first place to people with m…

> "get your life in order and it'll all be dandy, it worked for me!" No it won’t all be dandy. But it helps. Or at least it’s what I’ve seen help the most people I know who are or have been depressed. At the end of the day, the main thing to do is to not give in to depression. That thing wants you to sit on the couch and feel sorry for yourself. That’s like one of the main symptoms. Fighting that urge helps make it g…

It sounds like you have really don't know deep depression can go. I can understand this attitude from someone who has never been there.

Your tips are a little insulting to someone truly suffering. There is a difference between feeling bummed out to feeling like you shouldn't be alive any longer.

Re: The Depression Thing

#297

Post by sp3000 »

throwaway5650 wrote: post #266
sp3000 wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fully believe that there is no treatment or regimen on the planet that can ease the burden of some people suffering from severe depression. But the thing is, there are levels of severity to mental illness and depression. And exercise, diet, proper sleep, mindfulness, CBT - all these things have shown to help many depressed people. Will it help all depressed people? Of course not. But by saying be careful what advic…

I'm not sure what you mean by "whose job it is to help." In what sense is it your job? Were you asked to help? If so, by all means do your best, and be grateful that you are trusted. If not, I would recommend asking "is there something I can do to help" and really listening to the answer. In my own experience, the people I love offer me support in many ways. Sometimes they listen to me when I'm having a bad day. Some…

I never said it was my job, but I know people whose job it is to help (though as someone who is planning to match to a psychiatry residency this coming year, my job will be to help people with depression, among other things). You are right in that when offering advice one needs to be mindful in how they frame it, something that I find much easier to do in person than in an anonymous online forum, hence me not able to consider your personal circumstances when giving general advice.

You, an individual commenting on Hacker News, might have already considered that diet, exercise, mindfulness and therapy might actually help, but believe me, many people out there don't consider these factors and don't know the overwhelming scientific evidence out there showing their benefit. In fact, the author of the blog post that we are commenting on himself said it took him a while to get around to therapy. Sometimes it takes uncomfortable prodding to get people to do things. Like I said, it doesn't work for everyone, but it has for enough people that I will always make sure to recommend it and make sure eating healthy and having an active lifestyle is something that is prioritized because the myriad of benefits it provides.

Re: The Depression Thing

#298

Post by theyregreat »

I have nearly life-long chronic major depression that can’t be cured with socialization, sex, money, sleep, diet, exercise or various forms of therapy. I’ll take a random stab that it is mostly genetic and partly by having had a tyrannical, histrionic, screaming father whom caused frequent stress: this then setup poor vagal tone and “walking-on-egg-shells” hyper-vigilance which then neuroplasticized towards reinforcing pain-depression complex of the military-industrial kind.

I now have depression again after mirtazapine tachyphylaxis. It’s a widely-hitting NaSSA and powerful antihistamine (which also means hypnotic). It’s also the most effective antidepressant (I was on a heavy dose, 60 mg) but it causes weight gain (+25% body mass) and G.I. slow-down. That’s great when it works, but now I’m letting the old black dog have another ride as buproprion XL 300 mg isn’t doing anything useful so far. Maybe, still really foggy, confused and increased pain perception.

Not being depressed is awesome: like the clouds parted, quieted inward observation, less reading, less writing, less sleeping-in, pain set aside, more energy, enjoyment and orderly thinking; almost manic but, presumably, not bet-kid’s-education-fund-on-18 far.

Looking at next alternatives:

* Bupropion XL 450mg

* AXS-05 (60 mg DM with bupropion)

* Venlafaxine ER

* Venlafaxine ER + Lamotrigine

* Venlafaxine ER + Mirtazapine

PS: Paxil gave me serotonin syndrome and Zoloft did jack shit.

Re: The Depression Thing

#299

Post by thinkMOAR »

ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

So if i understand it you were quite overweight and this was the primary source of your depression?

Re: The Depression Thing

#300

Post by smnscu »

Karawebnetwork wrote: post #151
Mz wrote: post #20

Some of the best ways to deal with depression: 1) Address any known health issues you have. 2) Dietary changes. There are studies on this. 3) Problem solve. If you are depressed because of terrible personal issues, work on resolving them. (The article mentions that a run won't pay his bill or fix other problems. Overwhelming problems are a legitimate cause of depression.) 4) If you are suicidal, seek company. If you…

That's the thing with clinical depression. You can be doing all the rights things and still be depressed. The worst moment of my live have been during periods where I was at my fittest and healthiest. You think to yourself : "I am hitting the gym three time a week. I've not eaten any junk food in months. I meditate and sleep full nights. Why is everything still seen through a haze? What am I doing wrong if everything…

Holy shit, this. I'm going through this right now, it's never been as difficult as when I'm doing mostly everything right. :/
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