Try 2+ years of it, unfortunately (for them) someone is going to 1 up me now.
How I Beat Depression
91–100 of 152 posts
Re: How I Beat Depression
#92Also a more interesting question would be, are people working in startup, especially single software vendors more susceptible to depression? Look at Aaron Schwartz guy, all those times he was depressed, look at his increasingly erratic and tendency towards martyrdom. The pressure from idiot zealots finally tipped him.
I'm the author of the article and I asked myself this question before I wrote it. I posted some data here which came out of that research: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5272763 but it didn't get much traction. When I compared across disciplines in the original dataset (using software programmer as the discipline) there wasn't a strong indication that they were more prone to suicide than other professional jobs…
I think the actual software programmer job working for a company is different than someone working alone erratic hours, building apps, marketing, selling, and breaking even. It's quite challenging in itself to produce good software product let alone selling it and breaking even so it'd be interesting to see some statistics for single founder startups or micro software vendors.
I would say the stress is the biggest for SaaS type of software products, as someone posted a video here about "Constant Contact", it's described as the slow ramp of death because it takes so long and hard to reach that magic upward slope.
These are all just my magical assumptions based on my own situation and experience. I'm sure there's ton of positive, empathetic, emotionally intelligent coder/hacker/entrepreneurs although there's lot of Aspies, who studies have shown to be greater risk of depression.
Re: How I Beat Depression
#935htp
Re: How I Beat Depression
#94I don't think one can actually beat depression but instead only really cope with the symptoms. I know that sounds awful and kind of defeatist (and I could be wrong) but I think the idea that you can actually conquer this disease sets you up for failure. I first noticed my own depression when I was just a 13 year old kid and first sought help just before the end of high school. I've been through the entire range of em…
I've suffered from MDD and tried to kill myself several times, the last attempt was very serious and I almost did die. Now, almost a decade later and I think I can say I have "beaten" depression. The cure? Time, therapy, loving intimate relationships and judicious use of psychedelics.
> judicious use of psychedelics.
I'm really please to hear that this worked for you. However, I would caution anyone suffering from depression to consider that this form of self medication could potentially make your symptoms worse.
Entheogens/psychedelics have a tendency to amplify our inner state of mind, and if you're unprepared for this or in a bad place, this experience can have an extremely detrimental affect. I'm certain in that in the right context, with the right individuals, drugs like psilocybin and mescaline can be used therapeutically and can assist in making positive transformative changes. They need to be approached with a great deal of caution and respect however, and for most individuals conventional approaches may be safer.
Re: How I Beat Depression
#95I don't think one can actually beat depression but instead only really cope with the symptoms. I know that sounds awful and kind of defeatist (and I could be wrong) but I think the idea that you can actually conquer this disease sets you up for failure. I first noticed my own depression when I was just a 13 year old kid and first sought help just before the end of high school. I've been through the entire range of em…
Well put. I don't know one way or the other if it ever ends. I hear it does for some, but in the meantime, you're right, it needs to be coped with.
That being said, my own experience was similar at time. I was extremely busy and most importantly, I was taking on too much responsibility. This is a typical symptom and wether it applies here, only you can know for yourself. Suffice it to say, I crashed hard into depression and ended up with a lot more responsibility than I should have taken on, depressed or not. I think this is what people say when they use the expression "running from depression."
In retrospect, I try to be realistic. I realize that depression was the _cause_ for my overloading myself with needless responsibility and I try to take on things that I can handle and can handle in the worst of my depression only.
Just my experience. There is hope. There are breaks. I don't mean just hours or days, but weeks, months, maybe even years with minimal symptoms. These I have all experienced.
The end really doesn't matter, IMO. I agree with another poster and research I've read that depression (for most people) never truly goes away. It can be easy to fall in this trap and even if it does, what good will that do 60 years from now?
Coping and dealing with it is all we can do, indeed. The OP has a very good list of some of these techniques.
Re: How I Beat Depression
#96I have yet to meet someone whose depression was not made worse (in the long term 6++ months) by SSRIs and SSNRIs. These medicines cause more numbness and depression. I'd be very wary of them or any doctor who rushes you on them (or any medicines). The black box warning is not just for teens. When you are in that space (SSRI / SSNRI space), it's easy to see why anyone, even the strongest minded, would want to commit suicide.
Like William Styron says in "Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness" (one of the best written personal accounts of depression, highly recommended: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkness_Visible_(memoir)), depression is an inappropriate word.
The correct word, for him (and I agree), is _madness_.
Re: How I Beat Depression
#97I don't think one can actually beat depression but instead only really cope with the symptoms. I know that sounds awful and kind of defeatist (and I could be wrong) but I think the idea that you can actually conquer this disease sets you up for failure. I first noticed my own depression when I was just a 13 year old kid and first sought help just before the end of high school. I've been through the entire range of em…
Why is this nonsense the top comment? How can you, from your study of a cohort of one, assert that no one can beat depression because you haven't? That's a potentially fatal message you're sending, and it's based solely on your own experiences. People get depressed for all sorts of reasons. It's bad enough that some doctors would lump the majority of patients as being clinically depressed and prescribe drugs that may…
> I don't even know if "beat" is the right word to use
I might be in some cases.
While it doesn't work for all people, I would say that I have "beat" my own depression-related illness (Panic Disorder) through a standard psychological regime called Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Basically you learn about the mental instincts which are leading you into vicious circles and train yourself to avoid getting into trouble to begin with.
If you can gain control of these instincts (not all people can) you can literally stop depressive spectrum disorders this way (although I'll point out: Panic Disorder is one of the most responsive depressive disorders to CBT).
> not all depression is caused by a chemical imbalance
The essence of somatic conditions like depression is that your brain controls your hormonal and neurotransmitter homeostasis -- even if you're not always aware that it's doing so. If you change your brains habits, you change your chemical levels.
Re: How I Beat Depression
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
Both in your reply and in the original article, I wish there had been more attention paid to the value of talk therapy in some cases. While it may be true that for some depression originates as a chemical imbalance in the brain, I think for many or even most, it originates from psychological pain. Therapy can and does routinely help provide lasting help with depression. I don't know what "beating it" means but some p…
I believe it is a chemical balance, which requires chemical intervention.
Depression seems to be defined (or at least is talked about like) a set of symptoms. As far as I can see, it's like the observed state of data corruption: there are many, many things that can cause that, some being an order of magnitude easier to fix than others.
Sometimes people feel horrible for a real reason, but don't know why. It would be foolish to medicate that away.
Re: How I Beat Depression
#99It's impossible to "think yourself" out of depression or "do something good" out of depression, unless it's just a temporary down mood. The way I beat depression is by doing pure mental exercises on focusing on the actual physical areas of the body where depression is felt, without trying to change/fight/eliminate the feeling itself. I came up with this technique during lowest point of my life and was almost shocked…
Could you please expand on the type and method of the mental exercises? I'm interested in what worked for you... are you able to describe how someone else could undertake those exercises?
Re: How I Beat Depression
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
Both in your reply and in the original article, I wish there had been more attention paid to the value of talk therapy in some cases. While it may be true that for some depression originates as a chemical imbalance in the brain, I think for many or even most, it originates from psychological pain. Therapy can and does routinely help provide lasting help with depression. I don't know what "beating it" means but some p…
I believe it is a chemical balance, which requires chemical intervention.
What if the chemical imbalance is a symptom of depression, and not the cause?