How I Beat Depression

I would say the suggestion to work with a doctor should be struck and replaced with a suggestion to work with a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Doctors (other than psychiatrists) are not trained to deal with mental illness beyond diagnosis and prescription. You'll need to see a doctor if you want to try drugs, but the only reason to have an ongoing relationship with a doctor is so you can try different drugs if the first one they prescribe you doesn't work.<p>Your doctor <i>might</i> provide helpful counseling, but then again, so might a teacher, clergyman, friend, or any other untrained person. (I suppose these are all worth trying if you know one who might help you.)<p>Psychotherapists, on the other hand, dedicate their professional lives to EXACTLY what you want: relief of suffering from mental illness. It isn't an exact science, and your therapist's particular background, talents, and personality make a big difference, so it isn't like there's a professional qualification that guarantees good results, but at least their professional goals, training, and experience aim at what you need instead of at something else entirely.

Exercise is incredibly important b/c of all the positive neurochemical effects it produces.<p>But if you're exercising by yourself, it's easy to skip it, especially if you're already feeling down.<p>It's better to take part in some kind of team or class activity where there's a little bit of social pressure to show up.<p>There will be mornings when you think, "I don't want to go, but I don't want to let those guys down," and so you wind up doing it.

this is the biggest misconception when it comes to clinical depression... that you can or did beat it. You can never or will never beat clinical depression, only suppress it. Beating something is finite and means that it can never happen again. The author gives great advice in the article about what steps he did to suppress this bout of depression, though if he doesn't stay the course chances are it will come back. The scary thing about clinical depression is, even if you continue to do the things that worked in the past to suppress it, it can still come back.<p>The one piece of advice that he doesn't give (or he might have and i'm just not catching it) is realizing that you have to listen to the people around you when they tell you that you look depressed. At that point, you need to get help immediately so you don't fall further down the hole.<p>btw... I'm not a doctor or anything. Let's just say that I have extensive experience with clinical depression and bipolar disorder.

There are different shades of depression, some more manageable than others. I don't think medical science (or anyone) has figured out the worst of it yet. Author David Foster Wallace before his suicide: "The so-called 'psychotically depressed' person who tries to kill herself doesn't do so out of quote 'hopelessness' or any abstract conviction that life's assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom Its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me standing speculatively at the same window just checking out the view; i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire's flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It's not desiring the fall; it's terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling 'Don't!' and 'Hang on!', can understand the jump. Not really. You'd have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling."

Cognitive behavioral therapy is also very effective in many cases (and can work on its own without medication, depending on the situation).

What if you're depressed because you're afraid of death?<p>(I wouldn't say I'm depressed -- not in the clinical sense anyway; but I do spend what I imagine is an abnormal amount of time thinking about it because of mother's passing away when I was younger).

I don't think one can actually <i>beat</i> 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.<p>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 emotion from hopelessness to being suicidal and through it all I was always most upset that I couldn't actually beat it. I would try and fight so hard to make it just go away permanently and be like "normal" people but it just never happened. I eventually took to self medicating and became a polydrug abusing heroin addict for about 5 years.<p>Five years later I realize that, for me, there is no "beating" it. There's just learning to cope with it. Before I realized this my main focus was trying to make the terrible way I felt just go away and to be happy. Now, rather than fight it, I work around it. I realize that a negative mood or feeling of worthlessness is not objectively true but instead just part of the sickness just like the author here says.<p>In addition to most of what this post talked about I would say the most important thing is knowledge of self. To recognize and realize that what you're experiencing at any given time is really a complete distortion of reality is step one to recovering. Then to know what triggers those thoughts and knowing what works best for you in terms of mitigating them is the ultimate goal (with the understanding, of course, that you may not be able to completely defeat the experience but certainly minimize it). I learned these things and now, five years later, I still have depression but it's not debilitating. Whenever it decides to come around I'm able to push it aside completely or mitigate those symptoms and I've been able to do that because I've built the kind of lifestyle where people rely on me and I'm often running from one activity to another. Some might say it sounds like running from the disease but really my busy lifestyle is what keeps it at bay. Rather than having the time to dwell on how awful life is and how worthless of a person I am, at worst I'll have thoughts like "shit, now I have to go do this thing and I totally suck at it and everyone hates me" which isn't exactly a great thought but certainly beats being alone thinking of killing yourself and when I finally reach my destination and do whatever I need to do I've proven to myself that whatever I was thinking before was just plain wrong. Again, that's a worst case scenario. I've gotten to a point now where thoughts like that are the minority thankfully.<p>So I'd just hope anyone else struggling with clinical depression is able to take a step back and evaluate their own thinking, understanding their own vulnerabilities and coping mechanisms in addition to seeking out lots of professional help (and yeah, exercising is amazing for this disease).

There are reasonably priced sunlamps that I hear good things about in the treatment of depression. Also, use common sense: pursue positive people (and avoid negative), exercise (no matter how lightly), eat healthy, pursue goals (no matter how trivial). There are multiple avenues to happiness, and pursue the ones that your body responds to.

Hello,<p>Can anyone provide any advice on how to help a friend through depression? I met this friend about a month and half ago and he recently opened up to me about his depression. He's been in and out of depression since high school (about three years I think; he is currently on medications and getting help; he's reached out to me first (we're studying abroad in Asia) and I would like to help in anyway possible. My questions are:<p>1) How much do I reach out and ask to hang out/eat/etc.? 2) What are the boundaries I should be aware of? Should I bring up the depression and ask him how he's doing every day? other day? week? 3) Any general advice (I went through semi-depression for about 6 months, but it was not anywhere near as drastic) (I also helped a friend through depression last year which was almost suicidal)<p>Thank you. I appreciate any advice you can provide.

It's impossible to "think yourself" out of depression or "do something good" out of depression, unless it's just a temporary down mood.<p>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.<p>I came up with this technique during lowest point of my life and was almost shocked how fast I moved from suicidal to almost fully content state.<p>This proved to be very powerful technique as it dissolved pain at it's roots. The speed of that approach for me was like taking antibiotics compare to taking vitamins.<p>I can also second advice on exercise and better eating habits.

Maybe this will help someone: A lot of times suicidal thoughts are not about a death wish but about a wish for silence in your head. I think realizing this can make a difference. Whatever the case: don't be ashamed, get help.

I'm really happy that these posts are getting onto the front page. They are very important.<p>I want to add one thing. Working with a doctor is important, but work with a psychologist as well. Especially if you are resistant to going on meds (and I don't blame you if you are...). A good psychologist may be able to offer you treatment options that better suit your needs.<p>Also, if you aren't getting what you need from your Dr or Psychologist then move on and find a new one. Keep doing this until you find someone who genuinely cares about you, and wants to work with you to get you feeling better.

Just a couple of notes on the medication part:<p>Yes, you will probably feel worse during the first couple of weeks of the regimen. This is common enough that your prescribing doctor should warn you about it, and s/he should set up some way of monitoring your progress - appointments twice a week for the first month or something like that. It should also be clear from the documentation that comes with the pills.<p>Second, you should only change your medication after consulting with your doctor. In this case it looks like the course was "I took the meds for six months, and then I felt better so I stopped", which is not recommended. The relapse rate is significantly lowered if you take the meds until you have no symptoms + 6 months (or longer, if it isn't your first depression).<p>Third, it really is very recommended to slowly taper of the medication and not go cold turkey. The side effects will be much worse if you just stop. Also, the relapse rate. Once again, discuss any planned changes in your medication with your doctor.

I've been fighting depression since one year ago and I'd like to share my story with you guys and hope to get some warming advices. Quick introduction: I've always been a self-educated about computer science, but my mother always wanted to see me studying in a _regular/acknowledged_ way. When I turned 25, I started feeling very bad: my career in information technology was going really good and since I didn't passed through the academical stages (exams, graduation, etc) I felt like I didn't really deserve such professional "glory" (sorry for quick and dirt english).<p>So I decided to join the university: I started passing exams, and finally I could go to bed with a clear conscience! One year ago I received a job offer from a big enterprise, a job that could have change my life. This job (9h/5d) would not allow me to continue my university career and they gave me one week to decide. It was really hard, and in the end I refused that job.<p>My odyssey begins from this point. I had a panic attack on the first day of university after my choice, a huge panic attack that I thought: "I'm gonna die". After that event, my condition degenerated: I was no longer able to go out from my house, neither going downstairs to feed the dog. Everytime I went outside, I had a panic attack, it was a nightmare. Because of this hard form of agoraphobia I was neither able to go out and see a psychiatrist. I also developed tinnitus in my left ear and a painful hypochondria.<p>It took about 4/5 months before I realized the actual cause of my depression: in this age of economical crisis, when people commits suicides for not being able to pay debts, I rejected a permanent full-time contract. After this realization, my condition started going slightly better: I had no more panic attacks and I was able to go out with my gf and my friends.<p>At the time of this writing, one year after my first crisis, I'm still not able to go to places with many people, ot taking a train, or staying away from home for too long.<p>I see that such a condition is common to many computer programmers, I think that alienation caused by working on computers make things worse. At some point, I also considered the option of giving up with computer science, but it's not possible, it's really the only thing I can do.<p>I'm still fighting depression, I'm still not able to answer the questions "where would you be now to be happy?" , "what would you be doing now to be happy?". It's really sad when you can't answers these questions. Is it ever happened to you? How did you behave?

<i>Stay open and allow others to help. Realize you need people around you to who can be a support network. This is the hardest thing to do when you are suffering from depression.</i><p>Couldn't agree more. When I was suffering from depression, I was so stubborn about wanting to face it alone and not "force" my friends and family to get involved, because I'd be becoming even more of a burden to them and to society than I already felt I was. I just felt this burning sense of shame and worthlessness at the mere thought of asking for help.<p>Hackers are admired more than ever, but I think it comes with a price. When everyone sees you as this superman who can make and do anything and knows everything, it's gotta make it that much harder to reach out for help.

Having read a lot of the comments here there seems to be two main thoughts. That depression isn't something that can be beaten and that it can be beaten.<p>Personally I think both camps are right, in many of the cases where people have beaten depression I think there is a common element be it Cognitive Behavior Therapy or psychedelics these practices can change your brain. Meditation can also change your brain significantly and this is how I believe I have 'beaten' depression.<p>So no you can't beat depression without changing your brain and changing your brain can be a risky business and perhaps when you do change your brain you are no longer the you that was depressed...

The points are good however usually the depressed person can't do anything by him/herself. In my own case, I was not going out of my house for very long time and I avoided seeing any people I knew. I did not admit that I am depressed so I was blaming myself so much which was draining me as well. The only thing I knew was 'Realize you can get better' and I knew if my certain problem gets solved then I will get better but I did not have any energy to do that. After a year I found a girlfriend which helped me a lot on that problem until it was finished. It was such a tough time!

This is a really important post. Something I've noticed is that more people climb in the Bay Area than anywhere I've ever been before. I wonder if its at all related to the stress and personalities contained there?

I think the key to dealing with mental conditions is to identify/diagnose/recognize it, accept it and work with professionals to learn to manage it. My own struggle was with acceptance. In my mind, my depression was due to the label placed on me via diagnosis. It took over a decade to find the right support system. My advice to those with mental conditions is to "Never give up!" May sound cliche... Yet although these conditions may not be curable, they can be manageable.

I'll agree with the working out regularly being good for your health, both mental and physical. Exercising has gotten me through some tough spots in my life and it has always been a major coping mechanism.<p>Another thing that has always worked for me has been laughter. Whether it's watching a classic movie like Dumb &#38; Dumber, reading reddit/r/funny, or catching The Colbert Report, laughing eases all the little things that otherwise might eat you up.

Everything that makes you happy or sad is in your mind. So I would suggest that it is not about beating depression but achieving a balance of the two. One cannot completely eliminate depression type or extreme joy type feelings from one's life. So it is good to develop a balance that leads to the understanding that shit happens. But this too shall pass.

One other thing worth noting: consider whether you might actually be bipolar, especially if antidepressants aren't really working for you or make you worse. A lot of Bipolar II cases (where manic states aren't as dramatic and depressive symptoms dominate) are misdiagnosed as unipolar depression.

Walking definitely helps. Last year was a particularly rough one for me in a lot of ways and just going back to the mountain town where I grew up and hiking for a few hours in the forest really helped me to change my outlook. I consider it the most important thing I did.

Thank you for this post. Your post really rings true for me. I have been suffering from depression for the past year, but this week has been especially bad. I hadn't sought help until recently. I have been encountering many of the things you describe.

Fischer Wallace Cranial Stimulator + Neurotransmitter Supplements (5HTP, etc)<p>This is worth a try for anyone with depression. There are many different causes, but brain chemistry can be an issue caused by your lifestyle alone, as well as other stuff.

Don't forget natural sunlight.

I am wondering if anyone has tried any online intervention for anxiety or depression. Some of them have strong theoretical background (like CBT that is mentioned in another comment). Any impressions?

Matches well with this: <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-i-overcame-bipolar-ii/" rel="nofollow">http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2011/07/18/how-i...</a>

Great perspective. Question for the HN community: Why/How is it that small communities like HN have removed the stigma attached with mental health while larger society has not?

Try 2+ years of it, unfortunately (for them) someone is going to 1 up me now.

powerful tools for fighting depression: 1) learn to dance and go dancing regularly (for ex. salsa or tango) 2) take cold showers daily 3) exercise

These can be very hard things to do when you're depressed. It helps if you have someone motivating you. I'm on my way out of a pretty serious slump and the same things have helped me as this article has described. I've been surrounded by positive family members, I've been on a generic of Lexapro, I've been running/jogging/fast-walking two miles a day and I've been reminding myself that I <i>didn't</i> feel this way a year ago and that in a year I might feel completely better again.<p>Anyone who's ever been depressed knows that even on a good day, just <i>thinking</i> about your depression can evoke panic and sadness and a "relapse". I'm using the Seinfeld calendar system. I try to keep up a streak of good days and use that to motivate and reassure me. (Frankly, the fact that I even clicked on this topic and wrote a comment means I'm feeling better. I had to skim and mentally skip over much of HN during the weeks after Aaron's suicide. :( )

Heroin helped me beat my bouts of depression, although the downside being extremely addictive which seems to bring you right back where you started but in all honesty, depression is caused by fixation, ironically heroin taught me how to relax and "let go" of the angst caused by fixation while at the same time my mind was completely fixated on it. To each his own, you gotta stop reading about how to cure an illness, you have to act, find meaning even though it's meaningless.

Also 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.