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Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

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Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#11

Post by juneyham »

7Figures2Commas wrote: post #10
juneyham wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi there, I'm on the YC Hacks team working on this. I agree that "founder depression" is somewhat vague and potentially confusing in describing what we're doing. The intent is simply to anonymously connect people who are going through similar situations, whether positive or negative, in order to edify and support one another. Based on both anecdotal evidence and recent articles, it seems as though people in the start…

> Based on both anecdotal evidence and recent articles, it seems as though people in the startup community often don't have many compassionate outlets they can leverage to talk to others who are either going through something similar or have gone through something similar before. There's a huge difference between providing an outlet for startup founders to commiserate with each other and providing an outlet for indiv…

> There's a huge difference between providing an outlet for startup founders to commiserate with each other and providing an outlet for individuals who believe they're suffering from depression to obtain support. Again, it's hard to criticize well-intentioned efforts, but my (hopefully) constructive criticism is that you seem to be blurring the lines. You can build a useful founder support network without focusing on depression.

We're definitely on the same page and our goal is to do the former rather than the latter. Describing it as a founder depression product was ultimately incorrect and we're moving away from that description here at YC Hacks. I definitely appreciate the distinction and your constructive criticism.

> Easily said, but harder to enforce. Case in point: one of the services you're considering using, 7 Cups of Tea, is positioned as an online counseling/therapy portal.

Also a great observation -- with regard to 7 Cups of Tea, the company is an inspiration point but we are not using them and we don't believe our service is competitive to their offering.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#12

Post by juneyham »

cyrusshepard wrote: post #3
penguinlinux wrote: post #2

I've been reading about founder's depression. Why do we have to label it as if this is something that is affecting founders. Depression affects everyone, from a single mother who works hard to support her family and has no time for herself. From the dad that works hard and has to put kids through school, put food on the table, the person who works behind the counter at your favorite burger place who works hard and ca…

I wholeheartedly see your point, but I believe the well-intentioned objective is to gain perspective from like-minded individuals who can empathize. Much like a support group. Depressed alcoholics share a common bond not only around depression, but the specific problems associated with alcohol. Founders often find themselves lonely with their problems and want to connect with others with similar experiences.

This answer encapsulates what we want to do really well!

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#13

Post by davmar »

juneyham wrote: post #6
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #4

It's hard to criticize well-intentioned efforts, but I think it's worth noting that there are a lot of assumptions being made about "founder depression." Depression is often confused with anxiety disorders, and complicating matters, it's not uncommon for these to be co-occurring. A lot of the symptoms described in the recent posts by Sam Altman and TechCrunch on "founder depression" actually sound more like symptoms…

Hi there, I'm on the YC Hacks team working on this. I agree that "founder depression" is somewhat vague and potentially confusing in describing what we're doing. The intent is simply to anonymously connect people who are going through similar situations, whether positive or negative, in order to edify and support one another. Based on both anecdotal evidence and recent articles, it seems as though people in the start…

are you part of YC, or just a team working on the hacks?

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#14

Post by 7cupsoftea »

juneyham wrote: post #11
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Based on both anecdotal evidence and recent articles, it seems as though people in the startup community often don't have many compassionate outlets they can leverage to talk to others who are either going through something similar or have gone through something similar before. There's a huge difference between providing an outlet for startup founders to commiserate with each other and providing an outlet for indiv…

> There's a huge difference between providing an outlet for startup founders to commiserate with each other and providing an outlet for individuals who believe they're suffering from depression to obtain support. Again, it's hard to criticize well-intentioned efforts, but my (hopefully) constructive criticism is that you seem to be blurring the lines. You can build a useful founder support network without focusing on…

Would love to work with you on this :). If interested, shoot me an email at info@7cupsoftea.com.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#15

Post by juneyham »

davmar wrote: post #13
juneyham wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi there, I'm on the YC Hacks team working on this. I agree that "founder depression" is somewhat vague and potentially confusing in describing what we're doing. The intent is simply to anonymously connect people who are going through similar situations, whether positive or negative, in order to edify and support one another. Based on both anecdotal evidence and recent articles, it seems as though people in the start…

are you part of YC, or just a team working on the hacks?

We're a YC Hacks team.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#16

Post by gearoidoc »

I think a serious contribution to Founder Depression is that we're always expected to be on. If anyone asks about your startup you're supposed to be super-motivated, encouraged to give off the appearance that everythings a-ok in case word might get out to investors/competitors/etc.

The reality is that some weeks/months really, really suck. If more of us recognised and accepted this fact then I think it'd go a long way to combatting FD.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#17

Post by drumdance »

penguinlinux wrote: post #2

I've been reading about founder's depression. Why do we have to label it as if this is something that is affecting founders. Depression affects everyone, from a single mother who works hard to support her family and has no time for herself. From the dad that works hard and has to put kids through school, put food on the table, the person who works behind the counter at your favorite burger place who works hard and ca…

To me the main issue is that founders are stereotyped as relentlessly upbeat. And Steve Job, the icon of founders, is described as having a reality distortion field. So a lot of founders feel like they need to create their own reality distortion field, so the idea that your field can't overcome depression is a a double-slap in the face.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#18

Post by drumdance »

juneyham wrote: post #6
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #4

It's hard to criticize well-intentioned efforts, but I think it's worth noting that there are a lot of assumptions being made about "founder depression." Depression is often confused with anxiety disorders, and complicating matters, it's not uncommon for these to be co-occurring. A lot of the symptoms described in the recent posts by Sam Altman and TechCrunch on "founder depression" actually sound more like symptoms…

Hi there, I'm on the YC Hacks team working on this. I agree that "founder depression" is somewhat vague and potentially confusing in describing what we're doing. The intent is simply to anonymously connect people who are going through similar situations, whether positive or negative, in order to edify and support one another. Based on both anecdotal evidence and recent articles, it seems as though people in the start…

The smartest thing I ever did was join a men's group. It's not depression-focused per se, but in my case it became something of a depression support group. I wish I had done this 20 years ago, and I say that everyone I meet who shows an interest.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#19

Post by juneyham »

7cupsoftea wrote: post #14
juneyham wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's a huge difference between providing an outlet for startup founders to commiserate with each other and providing an outlet for individuals who believe they're suffering from depression to obtain support. Again, it's hard to criticize well-intentioned efforts, but my (hopefully) constructive criticism is that you seem to be blurring the lines. You can build a useful founder support network without focusing on…

Would love to work with you on this :). If interested, shoot me an email at info@7cupsoftea.com.

Will do! We're hard at work right now but will reach out.

Re: Addressing Founder Depression – YC Hackathon project

#20

Post by catlover99 »

DenisM wrote: post #5
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #4

It's hard to criticize well-intentioned efforts, but I think it's worth noting that there are a lot of assumptions being made about "founder depression." Depression is often confused with anxiety disorders, and complicating matters, it's not uncommon for these to be co-occurring. A lot of the symptoms described in the recent posts by Sam Altman and TechCrunch on "founder depression" actually sound more like symptoms…

I thought depression falls under anxiety-spectrum umbrella, but you're right - it doesn't, it's a separate disease: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/inde...

Depression and anxiety are often comorbid and it is more likely that you will see both disorders rather than one in absence of the other. There is a lot of research going into determining why these disorders are often tangled together, some studies [1] suggest that depression can stem from anxiety disorders and that depression can exacerbate anxiety further. Of course there is anxiety-depression and depression-anxiety, finding out which of the these an individual has is a crucial step towards providing sufficient aid. One of the large issues is how hard it can be untangles these two disorders which is an important step in therapy.

[1] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X00...

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