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I built an app to fix my depression

blog.elifiner.com

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Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#171

Post by zoozla »

teorema wrote: post #163
NalNezumi wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It surely is acceptance, but how do you convince yourself of it? How do you convince a young college student, a just-out-of college late 20's (me), a about-to-hit-midlife late 30's/40's person that is struggling to reach the expectation they have put? Tell a college kid to lower his expectation and he will feel like a "unmotivated" person, tell a 30's/40's that and he will feel like a failure, all his struggle for no…

I think part of it for me is this underlying anger. Despite these kinds of discussions, there's some sort of continued societal denial about many of the issues that are floating in the background. Many of the things that are bubbling up in society seem all too much the same. Whether it's school or employers or whatever, there's this kind of overvaluing phenomenon, where the rich and/or successful get more rich and/or…

Acceptance doesn't mean we stop fighting for justice. It just means we accept the current situation as the starting point from which we begin our fight. Releasing our hold on the anger doesn't mean we stop caring. It means we can use the anger to fuel our good fight and not remain stuck fuming on the sidelines.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#172

Post by zoozla »

joshspankit wrote: post #168
zoozla wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

In addition to mynegation’s comments, I would say that if you’re trying to build a business out of this app, start charging now. Offer lifetime refunds if you need to to hush the inner critic, but nothing helps the same as serving people who are actually paying.

Absolutely. I already am charging a monthly fee for a simpler version of the app + coaching and was waiting for validation that the app works without my guidance to move to the next stage. Payment structure is TBD, but I really want to balance my need for sustainable income with removing barriers of entry for everyone. Likely going to charge more from those who can afford it and grant free licenses to those who can't.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#173

Post by zoozla »

joshspankit wrote: post #169
joshspankit wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In addition to mynegation’s comments, I would say that if you’re trying to build a business out of this app, start charging now. Offer lifetime refunds if you need to to hush the inner critic, but nothing helps the same as serving people who are actually paying.

Also: the Patreon model can be really great if your goal is to offer the service to everyone for free. That can even be something that happens when enough people donate a specific monthly amount.

I'll look into that. Feels a little too loose for me. I want people to only pay when they want to, but I also believe people value things more when they commit something to it. "Buy one for you, gift one to someone else" is a model I really like both for financials and for virality.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#174

Post by jonwilson »

I've been meditating almost daily for several years, and I've read numerous books and tried many different methods. I found this app very helpful, and I'll probably incorporate it into my routine. The technique relates closely to the root of most, or maybe all, mindfulness practices, which revolve around feeling your emotions and their sensations in your body. At the same time, it is a very simple practice, not heavy on theory, that anyone can try immediately. Really, really excellent work--thank you for building and freely sharing this.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#175

Post by jonex »

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…

> Certainly "releasing emotions" without a therapist could be somewhat dangerous for some people.

I think this in itself can be a dangerous thought. Agree that some people have dire need for help, an in particular some people might need medication for their condition to avoid getting into self harm behaviors. (Schizophrenia victims for instance.)

However, diving into emotions, trying meditation, and other things is not something to be considered dangerous and to be avoided without professional help. Being afraid of such subjects might in itself lead one to not be able to deal with them. Most people don't have a stand by therapist to consult every time they have some emotions bottled up.

Providing people with a structured approach to meditation/listening to emotions is not like suggesting to someone to do their own surgery. It's more like suggesting to treat a sore muscle with some tradition based massage.

Claiming that it mitigates the need for proper treatment for serious issues would be immoral, but proper treatment isn't always effective (most of the time it's not effective at all) and isn't always available.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#176

Post by jonex »

zoozla wrote: post #148
johnward wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 wh…

Well, we don't know that we couldn't if we were able to easily take a blood test of the brain. I think there's two parts to the theory, the stricter interpretation that goes something like "depression is just the symptom of too little serotonin - which can be fixed by SSRIs" is quite weak. But the fact that brain chemistry affects mood, and in particular that increasing some chemicals can induce pleasant feelings is pretty robust - we have drugs like cocaine and heroin to thank for that insight. However translating that knowledge into meaningful treatments of depression is not straightforward as the body has a lot automatic control systems trying to keep things in balance.

So at one level we could claim that indeed depression is caused by "too low" serotonin/dopamine levels, as temporarily increasing them will take away the depression, but on the other hand this insight in itself doesn't provide us with a clear path for diagnosis and treatment, and it doesn't preclude that there's other things that's a root cause, such as thought patterns, neurological setup, etc.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#177

Post by JimTheMan »

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…

Good to hear you got the right treatment. Bipolar famously doesn't respond to therapy, they're just going to keep being manic. People with schizophrenia aren't going to talk their delusions away, it will only feed the delusions. Drugs definitely have a purpose.

But the vast majority of people dealing with mental health issues are in the category of somewhat anxious or depressed with maybe a personality disorder thrown in. These are treatable with therapy, somewhat side effect free.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#178

Post by zoozla »

jonex wrote: post #176
zoozla wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wh…

Well, we don't know that we couldn't if we were able to easily take a blood test of the brain. I think there's two parts to the theory, the stricter interpretation that goes something like "depression is just the symptom of too little serotonin - which can be fixed by SSRIs" is quite weak. But the fact that brain chemistry affects mood, and in particular that increasing some chemicals can induce pleasant feelings is…

That's a very thorough exploration of the topic, thanks. There definitely seems to be a two way street between chemistry and consciousness both affecting each other allowing us to tackle the problem of depression from both ends. I'm very excited about the result coming out of psychedelic research which seem to chemically trigger and stable improvement in thought patterns.

Re: I built an app to fix my depression

#179

Post by forgotmypw17 »

NalNezumi wrote: post #55

Read the blog post and also the other blog post in the page ( "Why discipline isn’t the answer to procrastination", "How to stick to good habits without being hard on yourself", "How fear of shame causes procrastination", "How fear of success causes procrastination"). I get the feeling that the author is in a situation a lot of people in HN could relate to: A situation where Performance Anxiety, Fear of missing out (…

There's discipline and habits, which are important.

Then there is motivation...

For me, the biggest improvement in motivation came from asking myself questions:

What do I really want to be working on and would enjoy working on?

Lucky for me, I already had experience when I was young writing software for myself and others which made it easier to do more things on the computer. I stayed up all day and all night, focused, motivated, and productive.

I was not motivated by money, deadlines, nor having to have a roof over my head and pay insurance, nor wanting to prove myself to anyone. I was just coding, and all I needed was some sweetened black tea in large quantities...

Another question I asked myself was, what does the world need right now, which would make it a better place, that no one else can provide except me?

This one is not as easy to answer, and the answer may not be the same today as it was yesterday. But if you keep asking yourself this question and pondering the answer, something will come of it.

Another question you may want to ask yourself and ponder on the answer:

What am I better at than anyone else in the world, and how can I help others using it?

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