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Ask HN: How to cope with depression

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Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#61

Post by icc97 »

A psychiatrist is key - but finding the right one for you is also key. There's a book about it (edit: changed the link): http://books.google.com/books/about/How_to_Choose_a_Psychoth...

I used to have a 20 mile-a-day cycle commute and doing triathlons and I didn't find that it actually helped.

I have directly witnessed my mood improve from getting a good night's sleep. But I'll still regularly fall back into not sleeping if I'm coding - which isn't bad as long as I'm enjoying the coding.

Just simply having a 20 minute walk every day can be better than running or cycling as it takes no effort and doesn't involve pressuring yourself to do it.

I found looking for interesting projects worthwhile. Code on things that you enjoy. If you hate some of the code you work on just try some ideas out for yourself how you'd improve it - it shouldn't be for anyone else - just for yourself as you enjoy it.

Yoga, meditation, Taoism, Buddhism, easy reading (about these topics), talking, beer(s) all help too.

Accentuate the positive (in any way you can).

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#62

Post by 112864 »

Kneedler wrote: post #24

30 minutes of Exercise + 10 minutes Meditation every morning did wonders for me. Finding the motivation to get started will be a constant struggle, but once you establish the habit for a few weeks it gets much easier. Start small if you have to, but do it every day -- building the habit is the key. If this doesn't work, or you can't muster the motivation to do it, then the meds are probably worth a try.

Before going to work? what time does it make you wake up then? Well I'm not a morning person

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#63

Post by DanBC »

rifung wrote: post #28

I don't have depression but I am manic depressive so I imagine there are similar things that help. Exercise definitely! Even just running a little bit helps. It seems like you already have talked to a therapist. Have you considered finding people to talk to as well? I think what usually happens with depression is that you shut yourself away from everyone else, but you really need to open up to someone to improve. At…

Bipolar disorder and depression are different illnesses. The medications used to treat are different; the therapies used to treat are different.

(I didn't downvote you)

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#64

Post by jklinger410 »

rmxt wrote: post #26
jklinger410 wrote: post #14

Take some hallucinogenic drugs (look them up on erowid first). Write some poetry. Make some art. Stay up late. Get drunk. Purge your demons. Call your parents, call your best friend, vent. If you like to be alone be alone. If you like people go find some people. Watch some art films. Chain smoke cigarettes. Go for a walk. Play hooky from work. Go thrift shopping and buy yourself a new outfit. Plot and scheme on thing…

I get that you're trying to be edgy, but none of those are full-on substitutes for the the results of evidence-backed medical trials. They are great in conjunction with standard pharmacological and therapeutic approaches, but might end up pushing someone already on the brink further into the abyss of depression. They might not have good familial relationships or friends to fall back on, or they might have issues with…

I'm not trying to be edgy at all. I have anxiety disorder and personally suffered through depression. I spent years on medications that didn't work.

Sometimes you can't fix depression with pills. There are alot of mights in this situation because none of us know what OP is actually going through.

I would kindly ask that you consider my advice from personal experience and not downplay it so much. I never suggested OP not take medication or seek out a doctor, I was just giving other, more personal advice that may help them in their situation.

>They might not have good familial relationships or friends to fall back on, or they might have issues with non-hallucinogenic drugs as it is.

I listed a bunch of different things they can do, with ors and ands all throughout. Also, hallucinogenic drugs have very strong evidence backed-trials in their favor. Of course as long as you do it in a safe situation.

I was not, in any way trying to be edgy. It's awfully offensive that you and anyone who down-voted me would think that. The guy is already a programmer, he's clearly not benefiting from the ultra-safe sterile environment that the HN crowd constantly promotes.

Sometimes you have to get dirty. Sometimes you have to make mistakes. Sometimes you have to drop shrooms and find yourself in the middle of someone else's living room dance rave party.

Maybe it's not for OP, maybe it is. Maybe none of the other advice in this thread will work for them, either. But regardless my advice is just as fucking valid as anyone elses. Coming from the perspective of a person who, as I said, went through this, still goes through this at times, and who medication has had little effect on.

But, if you want to solve his depression with condescending suggestions of medical help and medications, back that up with medical journals and statistics, that's your prerogative.

//edit Also for more clarity, when I said "don't listen to this advice" I was actually referring not only to my comment, but everyone's. I wrote that when there was like 2 comments on this thread. I'm not trying to demean anyone else's opinion. Why would I do that? I'm not an asshole.

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#65

Post by parkovski »

I was in a kind of similar situation recently - I never went to class, ended up dropping out of school, would sleep 10-12 hours a day at odd hours, drank way too much, didn't really have much motivation for anything.

For me the dominant factor was anxiety, and I didn't get help until I started having panic attacks. Like you I started seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist, and I was very lucky to not experience any adverse effects to the medications I was prescribed.

SSRIs are an interesting thing - because they are such a gradual change, a lot of people write them off as not working. For a while, I wasn't even sure if it was doing anything, but at some point I realized that I didn't get the awful dread/despair feelings from normal everyday life anymore. I started reaching out to old friends again, and making new ones. I sleep 8 hours now.

I didn't realize how bad things had gotten, and how much better they should have been. I used to be very against being dependent on drugs, but I eventually came to the realization that I'd rather live till 40 and love it than live till 80 and hate it - even though I don't think that's the tradeoff I'm making, it's the one I was willing to make. So I just did whatever I could.

Don't write off drugs, meditation, exercise, diet changes, etc - try it all, and find what works for you. I mostly wrote about drugs here, but different people are averse to different things, or don't believe in them, when the reality is we still don't really understand mental health very well, and your best bet is just to throw everything you can at it and see what sticks. But you gotta do it. It's way better when you do.

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#66

Post by heimatau »

DanBC wrote: post #59
heimatau wrote: post #46

There is a lot of scientific research around this. I'd suggest three natural things. A quality fish oil, exercise, and do more social activities. Sources: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Exercise-and-Depressi... - http://mason.gmu.edu/~sslayden/curr-chem/fish-oil/fishoil-wp...

Here's a meta analysis that says: http://www.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depre... > When only high-quality trials were included, exercise had only a small effect on mood that was not statistically significant. > Exercise is moderately more effective than no therapy for reducing symptoms of depression. > [...] The reviewers also note that when only high-quality studies were included, the difference bet…

"In summary, exercise appears to be an effective treatment for depression, improving depressive symptoms to a comparable extent as pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Observational studies suggest that active people are less likely to be depressed, and interventional studies suggest that exercise is beneficial in reducing depression. It appears that even modest levels of exercise are associated with improvements in depression, and while most studies to date have focused on aerobic exercise, several studies also have found evidence that resistance training also may be effective. While the optimal “dose” of exercise is unknown, clearly any exercise is better than no exercise. Getting patients to initiate exercise ---and sustain it – is critical."

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3674785/

For more studies regarding this 'inconclusive' research. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=disconnect&x=/html&q=exercise+trea...

Also, I cited Omega 3 and social support. Are they 100% definitive? No. But are they solid steps to healing the mind? Yes.

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#67

Post by DanBC »

paulornothing wrote: post #50
aikah wrote: post #27

WARNING: Do not seek any advice from anonymous people on the web about depression, ever, you're seeing a therapist, that's a good start, If you're not satisfied with your current doctor, go see another one.

I don't know why seeking a connection even with anonymous people online is necessarily bad. There are a lot of people who have struggled with depression, sometimes hearing from people dealing with the same struggles can help.

Seeking a connection is fine, but there are already people posting terrible advice - things that we know are not a treatment for depression as if they are a treatment for depression.

It'd be a shame if OP read all the stuff about exercise and thought it was going to be a cure. We know exercise is no better than nothing at all as a treatment for depression.

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#68

Post by jklinger410 »

jgrowl wrote: post #58
rmxt wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that you're trying to be edgy, but none of those are full-on substitutes for the the results of evidence-backed medical trials. They are great in conjunction with standard pharmacological and therapeutic approaches, but might end up pushing someone already on the brink further into the abyss of depression. They might not have good familial relationships or friends to fall back on, or they might have issues with…

I feel like his point was that OP needs to make an effort to find something that works and that no amount of online advice will likely help.

Thank you.

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#69

Post by Kronopath »

I want to start off with a bit of encouragement. You've admitted that you have a problem and you're taking steps to solve it. That's a great thing, because it's showing acknowledgement of the problem and a commitment to getting better. Too many people lack that, and so you should feel proud of yourself for that.

That said, a therapist can probably guide you better than the internet can. The trick is finding the right one. Most of the effectiveness of a therapist comes down to the "fit" between the two of you, so if you've gone to about three sessions or so and you're still not feeling it, it's encouraged and expected to try another one. Your current therapist may even refer you to another.

Above all, just keep fighting the good fight, and never be afraid to reach out for the things you need.

Re: Ask HN: How to cope with depression

#70

Post by tfb »

Get a dog. They're called man's best friend for a reason. :) When I'm feeling like you are now, I look over to my little buddy and think, "What would you do without me?" But what I should really be thinking is, "What would I do without you?" Words cannot express the amount of joy that my dog brings to my life. I don't know if I would be here right now if it wasn't for him. When I don't feel like getting out of bed, he's always there to wake me up and give me a reason to get moving. I cherish every moment.

Here is a video I recorded the other week of one of our walks. We've walked along this path at least a thousand times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH4TsjD97cU

Get a dog. Give it all the love you have. You will receive the same, unconditionally. Go do all kinds of things that your little friend enjoys. Go for long walks as often as you can, morning and night, at least. Your friend's excitement and joy over the smallest things will rub off on you too. And you'll come to realize that, to your dog, you are literally everything. It really puts things into perspective. There really isn't much more to life than that, and I think there's a certain beauty to it.

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