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Depression lies

wilwheaton.net

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Re: Depression lies

#111

Post by Evbn »

nostrademons wrote: post #64
kevinburke wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Studies have shown the two to have the same effectiveness rate at treating depression, around 50%. It turns out it is actually healthy to pass the blame. I'd suggest reading one of Seligman's other books, Learned Optimism, for more, but in studies of people in high-pressure situations (freshman year at Army, cold call insurance salesman at MetLife, etc), the most successful people are the ones who externalize (blame…

I'm skeptical, the way you phrase it. Rather, I've always heard that it's best to think in terms of circumstances and not blame , for both yourself and others. There's a subtle difference between them. You've phrased it as "blame others, not yourself", but both of those alternatives are equally unhealthy. Rather, you should figure out a variety of possible explanations for your low performance, and then ascribe meani…

Yeah, it is about the difference between being fixably flawed and being an incorrigible failure.

Re: Depression lies

#113

Post by lilsunnybee »

luriel wrote: post #3
huggah wrote: post #2

We have an incredible capacity for denial and self-deception. For years, I would periodically drop into severe depression; I would stop sleeping, stop eating, stop answering my phone or email. I wouldn't leave my room for weeks on end; on a few occasions I was so successfully reclusive that people worried that I disappeared or died called the police to investigate. A few times I almost did die; I think the biggest re…

Knowing you "have a problem" doesn't mean you or anyone understands the problem or what to do about it. And even if you know what to do, doesn't mean you can do it either, the psychological, social or just practical barriers can be impossible to climb. Medication has a statistical significant effect, but is often marginal at best, and most of the effect is placebo. And this assumes an accurate diagnosis, and don't co…

Yeah this post is really harmful. Antidepressants definitely have significant and varied effects, and those with depression should not be afraid to explore their chemical options, especially if it means lifting out of a life-threatening suicidal phase. Antidepressants affect various neurotransmitters in the brain, either blocking reuptake, or providing artificial analogues, etc. To say they provide mainly a placebo affect is just ludicrous, and suggests a lack of understanding of the science, or any significant practical experience with antidepressants or mental illness.

And at least here in the US, there was a little thing that happened in the 60's called deinstitutionalisation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinstitutionalisation). No one is locked up against their will for more than 48 - 72 hours at a time, and even then only if they are deemed to pose a significant threat to themselves or others. Not sure what the situation is like in Sweden, but i can't imagine it would be much different.

Luriel your personal beliefs are ignorant and harmful. Please stop spreading disinformation that could result it people dying or suffering due to not seeking medical assistance for a medical condition.

Re: Depression lies

#114

Post by danielweber »

jetti wrote: post #105

I'll preface this with the fact that I know that people will see me as being cold or just generally not agree with my opinion but I am going to share it with you all anyways. I have experienced this first hand. I have attempted suicide twice in my life and have gotten help for it. Because of my experience, I think I have come out of it with a different view which is this: Suicide is somebody's choice and theirs only…

I believe suicide is a right, but surely there is a difference between someone committing suicide with a clear mind and someone doing it out of severe depression.

I fully realize there is a circular logic set to trap you here: we can define severe depression as wanting to kill yourself, thus taking away that right completely.

Re: Depression lies

#115

Post by danielweber »

ftwinnovations wrote: post #21

I'm curious, as I see quite a few post like this regarding coping with depression and suicide, are these very common problems among the HN/tech/startup community? Is it in some way more prevalent in this community vs other fields? Or are these posts for the most part shared and voted up as a sort of public service announcement (maybe not the best way to say it but not sure how to phrase it)? And I don't mean it to co…

Brain scientists somehow have ways of measuring unhappiness -- don't ask me how -- and one the biggest instances they ever find isn't divorce or even death, it's getting a big amount of money and then losing it. This may be related to start-up cultures.

Re: Depression lies

#116

Post by danielweber »

seunosewa wrote: post #59
wsc981 wrote: post #48

Until about 2 years ago I had a long period of heavy depression. At that time, thoughts about suicide did cross my mind often. This depression was partly caused due to a post traumatic stress syndrome. In his article Wil states that he wasn't very interested in using medicine and I shared the same thought. I did went to a shrink though and eventually we agreed that instead of medication I would go outside more, eat m…

Do that, and also get some drugs.

If someone can take care of their depression without drugs, they should. The same way that if someone can take care of their depression with drugs, they should.

Re: Depression lies

#117

Post by philwelch »

kevinburke wrote: post #52
bad_user wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it really work? My guess is that's just how slim people tell fat people that laziness got them fat and so they should do more exercise, i.e. people that never suffered from a certain condition giving advice to people suffering from that condition. " I failed the test because I'm stupid " - that's just how I felt when I got rejected after an onsite interview with a certain company that's renowned for its hiring s…

Studies have shown the two to have the same effectiveness rate at treating depression, around 50%. It turns out it is actually healthy to pass the blame. I'd suggest reading one of Seligman's other books, Learned Optimism, for more, but in studies of people in high-pressure situations (freshman year at Army, cold call insurance salesman at MetLife, etc), the most successful people are the ones who externalize (blame…

> depressed people score higher on assessing the world accurately than non-depressed people

Citations? Chasing down this particular meme is a pet hobby of mine as I suspect the evidence for it is slightly fixed.

Re: Depression lies

#118

Post by drumdance »

niels_olson wrote: post #30
ryanmolden wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who cares if something works through the placebo effect, as long as it works. I can't be bothered to look it up at the moment (on my mobile) but I do believe he is correct in that published studies in well regarded medical journals have purported to show just that (effect == placebo), but as I said, from the perspective of the person being treated, does it matter? I agree if it prevents people from seeking help that…

Yes, actually, it does matter. Side effects of antidepressants include the period of getting just enough energy to kill yourself, and the risk of serotonin syndrome, especially when seeing multiple doctors for multiple issues, who might start SSRIs in near succession. The list goes on for a ways.

Fine, weigh the risks. But don't dismiss it out of hand. I've used SSRIs off an on for years and can honestly say my life is much, much better for having done so.

Re: Depression lies

#119

Post by philwelch »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #91
luriel wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knowing you "have a problem" doesn't mean you or anyone understands the problem or what to do about it. And even if you know what to do, doesn't mean you can do it either, the psychological, social or just practical barriers can be impossible to climb. Medication has a statistical significant effect, but is often marginal at best, and most of the effect is placebo. And this assumes an accurate diagnosis, and don't co…

I can't read the full article (paywalls...grumble...), but this[1] would indicate better-than-placebo performance for those with major depression. Please don't spread unsubstantiated rumors on this topic. As many of us know from personal experience, the results of giving people an excuse to say "that medicine doesn't work anyway" can be devastating. 1. http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1991-19312-001

I've gathered that selective publication of results is the main problem, actually.

Re: Depression lies

#120

Post by drumdance »

jetti wrote: post #105

I'll preface this with the fact that I know that people will see me as being cold or just generally not agree with my opinion but I am going to share it with you all anyways. I have experienced this first hand. I have attempted suicide twice in my life and have gotten help for it. Because of my experience, I think I have come out of it with a different view which is this: Suicide is somebody's choice and theirs only…

The best description I've seen of depression-induced suicde is "a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
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