Ask HN: Having emotional breakdown

First of all, congratulations, you have admitted you have a problem, that is a huge step, and I'm not just saying that for effect, many people I know, with one problem or another, either do not realise they have a problem or are in denial about it. As to what to do next, well it depends on whether you need the help of a therapist, if your university has a student councillor you might start there, if not you can go to your regular doctor and have him recommend someone. What I would say is that you can change, and that you might need to try a bunch of different things to find out what works for you, from just talking to SSRIs to behavioral therapy to hypnosis / Neurolinguistic programming etc. if you are diagnosed with a disorder, if that is the case I would recommend you read "Living With Schizoaffective Disorder" by Micheal Crawford, while probably not the same condition it might help you undestand what is happening and help you through treatment.

http://www.geometricvisions.com/schizoaffective-disorder/

If on the other hand it turns out you're just a normal shy introvert you might want to watch others changing themselves in TV shows like Beauty and the Geek and The Pickup Artist, or read Yes Man by Danny Wallace, once you see other people change it might help you realise that plenty of other people have faced similar challenges and that there is hope for you. Who knows, in a few years you might be writing a post to someone who is where you were when you posted here. I'll leave you with a little Zen.

Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

... I said 'likely.' And the guy is looking for help from hackers, not from a therapist. I have access only to what he said. If as a hacker you think he should see a professional, say so.

I think I am probably right, and if I am not, I am not ashamed at all. I am not a therapist, I am not in a therapists office, I am not pretending ot be a therapist, and I doubt this kid needs a therapist.

I think you overestimate the importance of giving 'accurate' advice as if I, or who i was commenting on, were his therapist. However, we are not, you are not, and the kid is probably just needing to grow a pair, find his voice, and realize he doesn't have to do the things that other people think he should do.

I know a lot about this first hand, so I will give you two very simple pieces of advice that will help improve your life by 10x in 1 year if you take them. It won't be easy and it will take 1 year, so you have to stick with it. The good news is that it's fairly easy after you do it the first time.

1) Go talk to more people. Half of them may be ass holes. Another 45% may not care but as edw519 said "Fuck that shit". The 5% who will become your friends will be worth their weight in gold.

2) Work hard and know that the world doesn't owe you anything. Guidance is for you to seek. If teachers are bad, teach yourself. You are lucky to know English and be in a position where you can learn programming in a world filled with poor people who don't get to eat twice a day. You need to not just accept but believe that you are lucky.