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Don't recall where I read it, but it resonated with me intuitively: depression is the body's way of telling you that you need to make a change in your environme

Don't recall where I read it, but it resonated with me intuitively: depression is the body's way of telling you that you need to make a change in your environment. Whether it's move to a different city, get a different job, a different girlfriend; something in your life right now isn't working for you. It's problematic when you can't make those changes, e.g. you're young and still living with/dependent upon parents, or you feel you'd have to give up too much e.g. being close to your kids, or people are telling you to just take a pill and it will be better. IDK about psilocybin, never tried it, seems like more snake oil honestly, there are no magic answers here.

gleenn 6y ago
Definitely makes sense and sounds like a super healthy response to depression to realize that something should change if you're very depressed. Might not be easy of course. I think psilocybin isn't snake oil because I don't think anyone is promising it as a cure, taking some might break you out of your normal mental state enough to make you realize all sorts of things, including that you might have to change a whole bunch to get better. Not a cure, just something that make you recognize the problem or at least the existence of some problem.
tsimionescu 6y ago
> depression is the body's way of telling you that you need to make a change in your environment That doesn't sound plausible, as one of the main parts of depression is often debilitating lack of motivation (much more than sadness or anxiety). So depressed people are usually the least likely to be able to independently make any kind of significant change in their life - they're already spending most of their "energy" on getting out of bed and following a routine. Not to mention, establishing clear routines and minor goals is one of the main recommendations (outside medication) for dealing with depression.
- astura 6y ago
  Beyond that, I've found attempting to literally outrun emotional and phycological problems (by moving away) actually make them worse.
  - tsimionescu 6y ago
    To be fair, these could also be symptoms of burning out or an otherwise toxic work environment, in which case changing job may be a part of the healing process. Unfortunately, people who suffer from depression will often need outside help to actually go through such a change.

gleenn 6y ago

Definitely makes sense and sounds like a super healthy response to depression to realize that something should change if you're very depressed. Might not be easy of course. I think psilocybin isn't snake oil because I don't think anyone is promising it as a cure, taking some might break you out of your normal mental state enough to make you realize all sorts of things, including that you might have to change a whole bunch to get better. Not a cure, just something that make you recognize the problem or at least the existence of some problem.

tsimionescu 6y ago

> depression is the body's way of telling you that you need to make a change in your environment That doesn't sound plausible, as one of the main parts of depression is often debilitating lack of motivation (much more than sadness or anxiety). So depressed people are usually the least likely to be able to independently make any kind of significant change in their life - they're already spending most of their "energy" on getting out of bed and following a routine. Not to mention, establishing clear routines and minor goals is one of the main recommendations (outside medication) for dealing with depression.

astura 6y ago
Beyond that, I've found attempting to literally outrun emotional and phycological problems (by moving away) actually make them worse.
- tsimionescu 6y ago
  To be fair, these could also be symptoms of burning out or an otherwise toxic work environment, in which case changing job may be a part of the healing process. Unfortunately, people who suffer from depression will often need outside help to actually go through such a change.