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Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

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Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#41

Post by diminish »

themodelplumber wrote: post #34

It's a weird coincidence to read this. I was doing basic research on depression and saw that dopamine played a role in helping people feel good. One WikiHow article [0] later, I had an idea: Start reaching goals. I started very small, like taking progressively longer walks. Since that time I have earned something like five different certificates in various areas of interest (ARRL coming up next) and as a very recent…

Great idea. I usually make checklists for small things when I feel lost and achieve them and feel accomplished. Things like "check x", "read about xx", 'backup file", "congratulate people with birthdays on FB"

When i mark them as done I feel better.

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#42

Post by misev »

jadbox wrote: post #35
tsomctl wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find that creatine helps, which weight lifters take to make it easier for your muscles to use ATP.

I wouldn't recommend taking creatine if you don't work out or get cardio. Without that, creatine can cause weight gain due to water retention. If you do exercise, creatine should an essential be part of your stack.

Why is water weight gain an issue?

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#43

Post by davymac »

themodelplumber wrote: post #34

It's a weird coincidence to read this. I was doing basic research on depression and saw that dopamine played a role in helping people feel good. One WikiHow article [0] later, I had an idea: Start reaching goals. I started very small, like taking progressively longer walks. Since that time I have earned something like five different certificates in various areas of interest (ARRL coming up next) and as a very recent…

This works very well for low-grade depression for sure. There seems to be a threshold where this type of intervention becomes completely ineffective (personal experience).

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#44

Post by whiddershins »

It's great to see this here.

For context, this is the model the author is referencing:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/09/05/book-review-surfing-un...

Scott Alexander is currently my favorite essayist. I just wasted most of yesterday reading the last 18 months of his "links" posts.

I regularly pass his work on to friends and would do so more often if I didn't think it would upset people.

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#45

Post by whiddershins »

Alex3917 wrote: post #7

This doesn’t make sense to me. Pretty much every purported treatment for depression involves either increasing the amount of sensory stimulation you’re getting or else becoming more attuned to sensory stimulation: exercise, acupuncture, aromatherapy, drugs, meditation, float tanks, social interaction, music, intensely flavored foods, cold therapy, saunas, electroshock therapy, etc. Occam’s razor would suggest its mor…

For context check out the book he's referencing, or at least his review of it:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/09/05/book-review-surfing-un...

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#46

Post by pault »

misev wrote: post #42
jadbox wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't recommend taking creatine if you don't work out or get cardio. Without that, creatine can cause weight gain due to water retention. If you do exercise, creatine should an essential be part of your stack.

Why is water weight gain an issue?

You don't want to take a group of people with notoriously low self esteem and make them fat.

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#47

Post by themodelplumber »

davymac wrote: post #43
themodelplumber wrote: post #34

It's a weird coincidence to read this. I was doing basic research on depression and saw that dopamine played a role in helping people feel good. One WikiHow article [0] later, I had an idea: Start reaching goals. I started very small, like taking progressively longer walks. Since that time I have earned something like five different certificates in various areas of interest (ARRL coming up next) and as a very recent…

This works very well for low-grade depression for sure. There seems to be a threshold where this type of intervention becomes completely ineffective (personal experience).

I agree. From keeping logs over the last few years, severe depression was more likely to occur due to e.g. not enough sleep or just illness, and in those cases accomplishments were impossible. Rest was it, and I felt lucky if I could get good rest before acting on any depressing thoughts or ruminations. So I wouldn't call goal-reaching a standalone cure; far from it. Also there's the fact that people accept/reject potentially helpful information based on different criteria, from very rational (is it in a reputable journal) to irrational (do I like the person who gave the information) to incredibly subjective (did I think of it on my own?). So the idea of "why not try accomplishment" may be doomed from the start, due to factors outside of the advisor's control.

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#48

Post by pault »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #28

>One complicating factor – how do we explain depressed people’s frequent certainty that they’ll fail? A proper Bayesian, barred from having confident beliefs about anything, will be maximally uncertain about whether she’ll fail or succeed – but some depressed people have really strong opinions on this issue. I’m not really sure about this, and admit it’s a point against this theory. I can only appeal to the math clas…

This sounds a lot like Martin Seligman's work. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Seligman

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#49

Post by Klockan »

sleepyandlazy wrote: post #26
Klockan wrote: post #21

When I was depressed I had perfect trust in my ability to predict events, it was just that no matter how much I tried I couldn't predict a future where I weren't constantly in agony. I got over it by letting go of most things that were hurting me like friends, family, dreams etc. So now I live a fairly unassuming life but I am content. It might sound a bit boring but it is much better than living in agony every day f…

How did you let go? I've tried things like meditation, but it always feels like things keep coming back.

It wasn't something I just decided to do, 15 years of hating my life eroded almost everything but my basic needs. Now I can look back at that time and with confidence say 'no' when asked to do something which would cause me to relapse.

Re: Toward a Predictive Theory of Depression

#50

Post by interfixus »

Smaug123 wrote: post #31
interfixus wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said, I strongly believe the nothingness theory. And I certainly consider all Abrahamic religions (as another poster calls them) to be utter baloney. My downvoters may wish to reconsider. However! As is often bandied about in this forum, we might conceivably be living in a simulation. In which case the Abrahamic stuff wouldn't be all that baloney after all. Or I might be living in one, and being the only charact…

By the way, "Abrahamic" is the standard adjective applied to that collection of religions - it looks like you might not have known that. It's a useful word in some specific circumstances :)

Thanks. I did sort of know that in a not very active vocab way. In my native language, I think we would use some form of "the monotheistic religions".
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