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Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

med.stanford.edu

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Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#191

Post by pvsukale3 »

isodude wrote: post #173

I've been dealing with depression, or rather, a couple of months with productivity where I really work my ass off producing great stuff, then have an as long downtime where I just manage to get by. Any choir was tough to start doing and completing. After being diagnosed with both ADD and ASD.1 I also was diagnosed with Bipolar 3/4. Did not even know they existed but they trigger these hypomania periods. Turns out tha…

You are not alone. I also have been going through something similar. I recently quit my job to work full time on my side project. I am financially secure for another year. I am very energetic for few days, I work my ass off and ship stuff. But after that I have these periods where I just can't do anything. It is hard to get out of bed. I feel like I am never going to make it with any of my projects.

I have been to a neurologists in the past multiple times and completed multiple courses of medicine. But those medicines I took had really bad side effects. And I realised the more I used them the more I was dependent on them for a normal mood. Also my brain felt foggy while working when I took them.

I do take time off after a few days of working but that alone does not help. This is a cycle. Planning on going out daily and exercising, eating more healthy and having a schedule with less screen time. Let us see how it goes. These things seem trivial, but I have never them for more than a month continuously. I want to give them a try this time like my life depends on it.

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#192

Post by jokoon »

pcurve wrote: post #57

“I don’t procrastinate anymore,” he added. “I’m sleeping better. I completely quit alcohol. I’m walking my dog and playing the guitar again, for nothing more than the sheer joy of it.” Most importantly, he said, “I’m remaining positive and being respectful of others. These are big changes in my life.” Serious question: are these typical signs of depression? Now I'm wondering if I have depression.

It's a very common condition. I think most depressions are mild or not invalidating, so people are functional, and they don't really seek treatment.

Also the "just do it" mentality is very damaging to admitting people can be depressed.

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#193

Post by fouc »

xapata wrote: post #125
rubicon33 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had depression for 20+ years and the best way I would describe it is like this: Think of that little "kick" you get when you think of something you want to do. Maybe you like eating ice cream, maybe you like playing tennis, whatever it is... that feeling, that subconscious little mental boost that gets you up off your ass, and moving... is completely absent in the depressed mind. That spark that initiates and su…

It took me a while to realize that most people don't consider suicide as one of a few strategies to deal with everyday problems. Thought process: I don't want to do my homework. I could (A) get up and do it, or (B) kill myself. Happily, I've learned to dissociate myself from the part of my consciousness that thinks that way.

Given those two options, I'd end up choosing A. So thinking of B would actually be motivating. It wouldn't feel suicidal to think of both of those options.

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#194

Post by fouc »

avidiax wrote: post #166
nebula8804 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>For me, a short 3-4 month course of a particular SSRI lets me beat back the worst of it Can you elaborate which one are you using? I was prescribed Wellbutrin/bupropion (along with some therapy sessions) about a month ago and I seem to notice no changes. I'm going to continue to be hopeful but it seems like this wasn't the one for me so just wondering what you were using.

Buproprion is quite good at removing false reward loops. Made me really tone down video games. It's used also for smoking cessation. It's quite subtle. The other SSRI/SNRI meds have strong side-effects. I will say that the effect is permanent. It's rewiring your brain when you use it. If it's helping you to spend some time on harder but more important self-improvement, then great. If not, you should consider switchin…

which ADHD medicine is good these days? do they raise blood pressure or act as a stimulant? (I guess I'm asking if there's anything better than adderall and ritalin these days)

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#195

Post by fouc »

andai wrote: post #111
ajaxexact wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you feel persistently low, tired, unhappy, or unable to do things then it's a real possibility. The PHQ-9 is a pretty standard depression screening questionnaire that you can complete in a minute or two. https://www.mdcalc.com/phq-9-patient-health-questionnaire-9

This doesn't control for the fact that the world sucks now, does it? I read a few months ago that ~25% of young adults had thoughts of suicide in the past year, so I think it's safe to say that the causes are more external than internal at this point.

People might adjust fairly quickly due to the hedonic treadmill

"Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative?"(1978) https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-01001-001

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#196

Post by mlyle »

bigfudge wrote: post #169
mlyle wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree both endpoints are interesting-- but arguably remission is more important of an outcome measure than improvement.

But remission is defined by the same measure. It’s just an arbitrary threshold on the HDRS.

Sure. And improvement is doubtlessly confounded more by the placebo effect. Still, both are interestink.

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#197

Post by InfiniteRand »

Groxx wrote: post #163
6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Under the null hypothesis, a difference this large is still extremely unlikely for a group this small. Sometimes, counterintuitively, you don’t need a huge group.

Yeah, this is a fairly standard size for an early trial. Trials cost money. Even if this is a lucky outlier and it turns out to be no better than the placebo in a larger trial, having a decently strong positive result can hugely improve your chances of getting the money (and interest) needed to run a larger trial.

But it’s worth realizing this small of a trial size likely means there’s a long road to widespread use

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#198

Post by raindeer2 »

Daunk wrote: post #26

I've been dealing with depression for over 15 years. I can only hope that this becomes available to the masses.

It is available to the masses, or at least similar techniques. For instance, check out tDCS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33706656/

Here is a great comparison between different noninvasive brain stimulation techniques for depression: https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l1079

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#199

Post by FailMore »

agumonkey wrote: post #183
FailMore wrote: post #176

While depression can certainly be caused by chemical imbalance and not because of how your unconscious mind impacts/limits your experience of life, I took the approach that exploring my subconscious through therapy was the way to get out. For me it worked very well and I think the journey is an amazing one to go on. Building from the ground up and understanding all the foundations within. I always wonder about treatm…

There are a few psychological constructs in our head that really tie deep into the mental pain I forgot who i saw recently that said we have a strong mirroring need in our brain, which means our happiness is extremely relative, if you suffer while people don't .. it hurts more; if people are in the same boat the pain gets softer. Oh and yeah unconscious fears are often the root of so many mental issues.. abandoning (…

I'm not sure what you mean when you say abandon (to) fears. But my experience was that when I could pinpoint the fear, overcoming it by facing it was the way out.

Often as infants we develop legitimate fears in the context of our vulnerable position and extreme dependency on maintaining the parental relationship. These fears made sense then and helped us keep our parents calm, but interrupt our adult lives. These fears are also extremely powerful as our infant brain associates breaking them with a risk of death (typically through abandonment).

However, the brain seems to be remarkably fast at unlearning these fears when it realises they no longer are needed (I will not die/risk death by doing the "forbidden action"). So my experience was that pinpointing the fear, facing it in my life (perhaps initially in the context of the safe relationship with my therapist, and then outside in the "real world"), and watching my anxious reactions which were previously flared up in situations where I was avoiding the forbidden behaviour fade away. It leads to a calmer mind with fewer and fewer situations in daily life which cause anxiety to arise.

Re: Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study

#200

Post by xapata »

fouc wrote: post #193
xapata wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It took me a while to realize that most people don't consider suicide as one of a few strategies to deal with everyday problems. Thought process: I don't want to do my homework. I could (A) get up and do it, or (B) kill myself. Happily, I've learned to dissociate myself from the part of my consciousness that thinks that way.

Given those two options, I'd end up choosing A. So thinking of B would actually be motivating. It wouldn't feel suicidal to think of both of those options.

The mental illness is when option B in this example seems preferable to small inconveniences and embarrassments, and when one doesn't think of things like, (C) forget about it and go hang out with some friends.
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