Mental Illness and Startups

While I don't disagree with this statement:<p><i>There are people who think that depression means 'feeling low', and that if you try hard enough, you can 'snap out of it'. These people are idiots. It's not a matter of being strong enough or dedicated enough. For me, like most people with depressive illnesses, there will be times when I just plain can't. In my worst states I can barely remember what a for loop does, let alone code one. Accept that there will be times when you can't work, and make the most of the times when you can.</i><p>There is an approach called "behavioral activation" that my psychiatrist taught me. Basically, instead of saying "I'll do it <i>when</i> I feel better", you say "I'll do it <i>so</i> I'll feel better".<p>Doing things I didn't feel like doing, that felt almost impossibly difficult (like putting on real clothes and going outside) was probably the most effective tool I've ever had with dealing with depression.

"you don't have to be mad to work here but ...."<p>i've found smaller companies are much more tolerant &#38; flexible with nutters (like me).<p>there seems to be more focus on results than politics. in larger places I've felt more pressure not to rock the boat, and produce the illusion of work, rather than actually delivering things on time. it doesn't seem to matter if you actually do anything as long as you look like you're not doing /nothing/.<p>and I don't mean a startup. even startups can grow into kafkaesque nightmares because it's the only way they've ever thought to run a company. really, you have to be in a small, autonomous group if you want to get away with not being that normal.<p>the moral is: being a startup in and of itself is no guarantee of tolerance for off kilter people, the people and culture within the company are important. there is a correlation between small companies/startups and tolerance, but it isn't causation.

Speaking as someone who has a family member with mental illness: if you have such an illness then please seek professional help right away. If you suspect that someone you care about might have a mental illness then you should urge them to seek professional help right away.<p>Sometimes it is all manageable or heals on its own, but sometimes the illness progresses and the results are tragic, so it needs to be viewed seriously.

Without disclosing personal details I would like to say this post spoke to me as it very much fits with what I've been through. Dropping out, the highs, the lows. I'm now 26, have worked at a startup for just over 4 years and we just sold to google. I found the freedom of a startup to be exactly what I needed.

I was once depressed. Now I have life by the balls. How? (this is purely anecdotal and should not be taken as advice).<p><pre><code> Take Meds. It's no solution, but it's the beginning of a solution. Quit school. Go to the Italian country-side and *become a man*, Italian style (it involved a lot of wine and pasta). Work Mike Rowe-style jobs (like learning how to build an entire house in France). Refuse to do any more stupid shit (for others) in your life. Stop feeling guilty about anything. (Doesn't mean you lose your conscience). Do what you love, do what you love, do what you love.</code></pre>

Works great until the startup is successful enough to hire an executive who things that office hours are a more importamt measure of productivity than peer respect or checkins.<p>It's easier if you're a founder.

Trust me on this, most fiction writers can relate to that post 100%. Musicians too, I think.

As a student and an amateur developer working for a magazine startup, my schedule is chaotic and busy. Doesn't help that I go through days and sometimes weeks of just laying in bed and watching babylon 5 DVDs. Sometimes the only thing that can snap me out of it is an impending deadline. I'll then end up stressed as I try to complete my workload. Needless to say, my burndown charts are skewed.<p>I feel the chaos of a startup doesn't help things. I long for a structured 9 to 5 job in an office. Being alone at home just exacerbates things and having a bed behind me just makes me want to crawl under the covers and sleep. I tried going to various cafes to work but there's no free wifi (which I suppose I wouldn't use anyway) and the prices are ridiculous. Libraries are great when they aren't packed and when the homeless aren't using it for shelter.<p>I have to admit I do have a sudden burst of energy when I stumble across an interesting github repo.

Motivation to do X often comes <i>after</i> you start doing X.<p>Purposeful / meaningful activity is a great way to combat depression.<p>Just my opinion, I'm not a subject matter expert.

If you are depressed, why don't you just go out and do something really awesome? You have nothing to lose, right? So why not do something adventurous? Sell all your shit, move to Europe or South America, and go start a revolution.