Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I built an app to fix my depression

blog.elifiner.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 179 posts

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#141

Post by amerkhalid »

zoozla wrote: post #100

Holy smokes guys, I went to sleep after posting this and woke up to the tiny server running my blog dead and about a 100 comments here. I'll get my kid to school and then sort everything out. Thanks!

Thanks, I am playing with the app, it looks great.

I got one question what other books did you read on Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)? And if you recommend any? I have been told that I am "Empath" and lately reading up on it (mostly online). Empaths and HSP seems related, based on quick research.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#142

Post by narrator »

The best thing I did for my mental health this last year was get the audio book of "The Untethered Soul." Interestingly enough, I found out about this book on HN last year. This is a fantastic book about spirituality that is really practical. I've listened to this book about 5 times all the way through and it never gets old.

The guy who wrote it is the real deal, not some random guru. The Surrender Experiment, his other book, is also good because it shows how he applied it all in his life to make him self a self-made tech multi-millionaire and to go through some pretty hard struggles and build a large spiritual community along the way.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#143

Post by zoozla »

grecht wrote: post #6

I like the idea! However, I don't know much about psychology, so I'd personally be hesitant to create such a product. Certainly "releasing emotions" without a therapist could be somewhat dangerous for some people. And perhaps what actually helped him isn't using the app, but a new sense of purpose or meaning in his life due his discovery of the book and developing the app. It'd probably be wise to consult an expert o…

Thanks for your honesty. Yes, I am going out on a limb creating a product that is based on non-standard methods, and there is some risk to people using it - we all have different and complex responses to events. I've given a lot of thought to the question what would happen if someone killed themselves because of the app? It still keeps me up at night. But I won't stop looking for better answers because the current state of the art in dealing with this isn't enough.

Having a clear goal helps with depression, but leaving my job and trying to start a business around it makes it worse. I'm pretty sure using the app is what's keeping me sane these days, while building it is trying to bury me.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#145

Post by zoozla »

idreyn wrote: post #124

Thanks for sharing. I'll share one reaction I had — these sorts of things are normally narrated in professional, glossy, somewhat saccharine voices, and it was a fun and surprising moment of human connection to realize, hey, this is just some dude talking into his laptop mic! While I imagine you might consider investing in professional VO at some point, there's something really nice about the way it is now. I wonder…

I'm doing my damnest to get this out to as many people as I can and not worry about perfectionism that killed many of my projects in the past. I did use my laptop mic for the recording and I did get better gear but didn't get a chance to re-record the narration.

It's interesting to hear that the lo-finess is actually helpful. Yes, I'm just a dude (with a bit of an accent to boot!) :)

I usually use the app without my narration - I find it distracting. Most people using the app over the long term tend to turn it off to, and listen deeper to their inner guidance (which is the whole point - the app is helping you to become your own therapist, not me being yours).

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#146

Post by zoozla »

me_me_me wrote: post #63

It makes me sad when i read stories like that. I feel depressed. Doctor - Take these pills. I still feel sad. Doctor - Take more pills. Medication cures symptoms of depression but cannot fix the underlying problems causing it. Taking pill to feel happy again is a patchwork that will eventually burst catastrophically.

So much this! That's why I decided I needed to get off that train and start looking for other ways. It took a ffing decade to find something that finally worked, but I'm glad I started the journey.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#147

Post by mynegation »

zoozla wrote: post #136
dawg- wrote: post #104

So many mental health apps these days with so little high quality evidence of their effectiveness. And there are so many of these apps out there, why would someone build their own? Maybe OP is onto something though. Could it be that the creative process and challenge of building an app to solve a personal problem is just as good a treatment for depression as the app itself?

It's part of it, but I only built the app after realizing the method (which is based on something called The Sedona Method) really worked for me. I just found it super tedious to do on paper and over time added more features that help to get into a mental state where emotional release is possible. I'm now building a business around the app and that path has multiple emotional pitfalls per day . I tried to do this a f…

Eli, you are probably the first in the long line of Show HN's, product hunts, and indie hackers that I read every day that I read and wanted to scream "Shut up and take my money!".

Seriously, if you think you are not ready to introduce paid plans, start with donation link. Or kickstarter.

The challenging part with apps like these is that people expect quick fixes ("I will read that book, do that exercise and everything will fall in place"). No, it is a process, like coming to gym and lifting a dumbbell one time will not make you jacked. I think it is important to emphasize that.

Few items of feedback (1) Add email - not necessarily your personal email - but something like info@wuju.app, twitter is not everyone's cup of tea (2) I think you mispelled "tedious" as "tedius" in at least one place. (3) you narration is very authentic and I definitely connected to it, but most people tend to connect to the monologue with more expression and intonation in it. If you transition to a serious business with it - consider hiring a female sound actor - no sexism here - but research shows that people of both sexes have a stronger response to female voices, there is a reason that all voice assistants speak with female voice by default.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#148

Post by zoozla »

johnward wrote: post #125
me_me_me wrote: post #63

It makes me sad when i read stories like that. I feel depressed. Doctor - Take these pills. I still feel sad. Doctor - Take more pills. Medication cures symptoms of depression but cannot fix the underlying problems causing it. Taking pill to feel happy again is a patchwork that will eventually burst catastrophically.

> Medication cures symptoms of depression but cannot fix the underlying problems causing it. Sometimes those underlying conditions are brain chemistry though. The pills work for a lot of people. My Bi Polar depression doesn't seem to stem from any trauma or anything. I've done therapy and it did nothing. I've tried exercise, it helps for a short period. I tried diet, seems to help a little. If also tried about 15 dif…

There's a lot we don't undestand about mental illness, but I think the brain chemistry theory doesn't hold water anymore. Otherwise we would have been able to take a blood test and say - oh, your serotonin levels are out of wack.

I'm really happy you found a combination of meds that work for you, sounds like it was a long and rough road to get there. There's still things you can do to improve your condition beyond what the meds can do. I have some anecdotal evidence that the app helps people taking meds, but nothing conclusive yet.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#149

Post by zoozla »

fock wrote: post #2

mild, flu-like symptoms. Just describes how I feel since february and I'm not sure, whether it's for a hidden Covid (business travelled to Spain, when they found their first case, around 2 weeks, before they closed down...) or the depressive mood-swings I had in the past.

The first and simplest thing you could do is head to the app, and work through the Apathy section. It should give you a better clue about what's going in your mind and make the difference between what you're body is doing (maybe fighting a virus) and what your mind is doing (fighting repressed emotions).

Also, ping me on Twitter @finereli. Let talk.

Post reply on HN