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The Depression Thing

zachholman.com

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Re: The Depression Thing

#61

Post by ElatedOwl »

taurath wrote: post #53
ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

All along, or after 10 years of physiological/mental changes from your 20s? Just because it takes when you're 30 doesn't mean it would have taken in your 20s.

It's a fair point, and I can't really know how much of it was just me maturing as a person.

I can say, though, that making these changes at any point in my life would have been a vast improvement. Sleep and nutrition help me view life in a much better lens and exercise gives me a structured, constructive outlet and scheduled time for reflection.

Re: The Depression Thing

#62

Post by earlybike »

Nice thread and here my top 10 list of antidepressants (in that order):

1. Most of the times, there's a clear reason for a depression, something which is not that easy to change and worse not that easy to identify as the real cause (e.g. wrong boss, wrong cofounder, wrong investor, wrong friends, toxic workplace, big nose, etc.); before looking at the other antidepressants, try to get rid of the main issue; often it is even too late, even if you get rid of the main depression cause, the depression just stays (PTSD). Either because the cause was too strong or too long. Some think that there is no direct cause-effect-relationship but this could be also another sign of a severe depression and that they just resigned (‘I can’t do anything about my depression, it’s genetic, this is me...’). It ‘s easier to resign and to give up, especially if you are depressed

2. Have social encounters every day, best: have a SO or friends (ok) or some good coworkers (better than nothing); this can be quite hard, having social interactions is not that easy when lacking a SO or friends

3. No addictive/depressing online stuff (FB leading the way, then your smartphone)

4. Sleep

5. Cut gluten, should be on #1, gluten and too many wrong carbs boost anxiety

6. Keep carbs under control, no need for keto but low carb might not be the worst idea

7. Exercise

8. Working/be productive, consume less

9. Create urgency, set yourself goals with deadlines, get busy and you won't have time to get depressed; just imagine you catch a plane the last minute (do you think you are depressed when catching the plane? No of course not)

10. Meditation

Again: Advice 2-9 won’t help if 1 is not solved.

Edit: Why the downvotes?

Edit2: After I got downvoted, my final advice...

11: Stay away from depressed people on HN because "negativity is infectious" (Robert Greene)

Re: The Depression Thing

#63

Post by icc97 »

This is the same Zac Holman who was fired from GitHub [0] when he was having tough times.

It's great how open he is about it. I'm waiting until we see going to the doctor to talk about pain in your brain the same as going to talk about pain in say your colon. That is, perhaps not something you'd talk about to everyone but at least you'll be able to see someone for free in Europe or with minimal insurance costs in the US.

[0]: https://zachholman.com/talk/firing-people

Re: The Depression Thing

#64

Post by kweinber »

ada1981 wrote: post #23

MDMA assisted therapy helped heal this in me entirely. I found depression was resistance to feeling and accepting my emotions fully and that I could instead make space to engage with and be with emotions.

Is there a legal, accepted MDMA assisted treatment path or something you fashioned yourself? Any references you could share?

Re: The Depression Thing

#65

Post by chrishacken »

- "What is with it with people expecting that a quick run will sort out your life? Like cool, activity releases endorphins and shit, but are endorphins going to pay this credit card bill? They going to patch things over with my friend? They going to find me a job? They going to fix my life?"

- "How the hell am I supposed to get out of the house to go running a few miles when I practically can’t get out off my couch?"

No, running and exercise won't immediately solve your problems, but neither is sitting on on your couch.

What exercise will do is make you feel good and make you a productive human being so that your brain is functioning optimally and so that you can solve those problems.

Re: The Depression Thing

#66

Post by Nav_Panel »

jlg23 wrote: post #47
ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

Careful with that advice. It might have been good for you, it might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all. Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). Whatever you do to counter your depression, have a trustworthy, knowledgeable aid at your side: a therapist.

This is an almost absurd criticism ("be careful telling people to sleep, people I know who were depressed followed that advice and slept for 12-14 hours every day").

Let's fix it by being more specific, so we don't accidentally cause any more problems: "daily moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise" (or, if you prefer, "resistance training 3x week"). Or even, "a healthy level of exercise".

I agree that therapy is a good idea, but you shouldn't need a therapist to figure this one out. A reasonable amount of exercise is good for pretty much everyone.

Re: The Depression Thing

#67

Post by icc97 »

ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

Bare in mind what the post talks about that for some people, telling them to go running just makes them feel worse because they can't even get up the energy to get off the sofa.

I think it depends on how deep down the hole you are, plus clearly some things work better for others.

Re: The Depression Thing

#68

Post by [deleted] »

jlg23 wrote: post #47
ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

Careful with that advice. It might have been good for you, it might be good for a lot of depressive people, but definitely not for all. Before I turned twenty I met two people my age who took your advice and exercised until ambulances had to pick them up (literally). Whatever you do to counter your depression, have a trustworthy, knowledgeable aid at your side: a therapist.

[deleted]

Re: The Depression Thing

#69

Post by madamelic »

SnowingXIV wrote: post #56
ElatedOwl wrote: post #15

I was diagnosed with "major depression" when I was 14, did the medication and therapy thing for a bit but the medication made me a zombie. Therapy helped me learn to cope a little better, but I was never "cured" of my depression. My 20s have been pretty bad, but in the last year and a half I've lost 100+lbs and have been running and lifting. It turns out the common sense advice to depression was really what I needed…

It's also a viscous cycle once you stop doing these things. I had everything going well for me, but then a bunch kinda blew up at once and I stopped eating healthy, quit working out, and was losing sleep because I was trying to solve all these other problems and felt those things were pointless. "Oh, I can't get in the mindset to lift today I'm too stressed out and depressed/hopeless." That led me from only skipping…

>It's also a viscous cycle once you stop doing these things.

It is also gosh dang terrifying. I am not so much curing my depression + anxiety as much as I am running away and trying put enough stuff behind me that it can't catch me.

But when it does, it is difficult to get started again.

Re: The Depression Thing

#70

Post by athenot »

nitrogen wrote: post #26
salqadri wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd add one more to that list: * Meditation / Prayer

Just note that prayer can be a cause of depression if you find yourself in a religion that turns out not to work for you, so maybe try stopping praying, too.

Most of them have a contemplative style that can work.

- Catholic: adoration

- Protestant: centering prayer

- Buddhism: Zazen

- Islam: contemplation

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