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I think you’re missing the point. My thesis, perhaps not well stated: depression and anxiety are linked to a flight/fight, motivation system that isn’t well tu

by nxc18 5y ago

I think you’re missing the point. My thesis, perhaps not well stated: depression and anxiety are linked to a flight/fight, motivation system that isn’t well tuned to a world completely free of any actual risk. Thesis handily answers your last questions and others. > Sometimes depression and/or anxiety is like having a hundred of events like that a day and not time to get back up. Yes, because in the absence of actual struggle in life, things like getting up start to look hard. Without seeing actual hardship, non-hardships look difficult. This is conceptually related to the concept of hedonic adaptation. If you were to take someone who is actually struggling and put them in the shoes of a depressed, privileged westerner, they would be overjoyed. Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. Gratitude journaling is another strategy that is very successful.

johnchristopher 5y ago
> Yes, because in the absence of actual struggle in life, things like getting up start to look hard. Without seeing actual hardship, non-hardships look difficult. That's an overly broad statement ignoring a lot of what research has found about causes of depression. > This is conceptually related to the concept of hedonic adaptation. If you were to take someone who is actually struggling and put them in the shoes of a depressed, privileged westerner, they would be overjoyed. No, they wouldn't. They would suffer from depression and stop being able to feel joy. That's what depression does to your mind at some point. Put that person in the shoes of someone with cancer, that cancer is not going away. > Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. This is another broad statement for which there is no support. Depression will eat your self-esteem and energy, it doesn't care if have been hit by hardships before or not. What's you angle ? Depressed people are spoiled brats ? Depression is not a real struggle ? Only bored people get depression ? Just say so and stop sugar-coating what you think. You seem to think depression is only in the head and try to rationalize it. If you ever meet someone who admits their depression to you, please keep your thesis to yourself. edit: > Yes, because in the absence of actual struggle in life, things like getting up start to look hard. Without seeing actual hardship, non-hardships look difficult. Beyond the logical fallacy I won't get into how do you explain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness where people/animals are having actual struggles and yet depression settles in ?
- nxc18 5y ago
  > What's you angle ? Depressed people are spoiled brats ? Depression is not a real struggle ? Only bored people get depression ? Just say so and stop sugar-coating what you think. I’m sensing a lot of defensiveness. I’m sorry if I’m triggering unpleasant feelings for you. I don’t believe any of those things and I don’t appreciate having words put in my mouth. The people I’ve met with depression have a lot of that tendency to jump down people’s throats after perceiving insults that are of their own making. Saying that society is structured in a way that prevents people from functioning well (I.e. is not tailored to the realities of the human limbic system) is the opposite of saying that it is in depressed people’s heads or that depressed people are spoiled brats. > > Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. > This is another broad statement for which there is no support. While “may” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, I don’t think you can say there is no support given I gave a concrete example from my own life in which I came to that realization. FWIW I also practice gratitude journaling, so I know it’s helpful from my own life. I’ve also overcome binge eating disorder (bad enough to result in morbid obesity), anxiety (social and otherwise), and small bouts of what might look like depression (given that I pulled myself out of it, I think you’d define it away as not actually depression, and I can live with that). > That's an overly broad statement ignoring a lot of what research has found about causes of depression. Fun fact, we still don’t actually know what causes depression, and we’re not very good at treating it. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to speculate that the environment might be a contributing factor. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depressio... > You seem to think depression is only in the head and try to rationalize it. No, I don’t. But one of the better treatments for depression, CBT, involves talking about and rationalizing ones thoughts, ultimately with the goal of getting into more productive habits of thought. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy
  - johnchristopher 5y ago
    > > > What's you angle ? Depressed people are spoiled brats ? Depression is not a real struggle ? Only bored people get depression ? Just say so and stop sugar-coating what you think. > > I’m sensing a lot of defensiveness. I’m sorry if I’m triggering unpleasant feelings for you. I don’t believe any of those things and I don’t appreciate having words put in my mouth. > The people I’ve met with depression have a lot of that tendency to jump down people’s throats after perceiving insults that are of their own making. Maybe you bear some responsibilities then if you keep on getting the same kind of reaction when talking with depressed people. Why do you insist on that approach, knowing it hurts them ? I am not putting words in your mouth. I am reformulating stupid statements like: > If you were to take someone who is actually struggling and put them in the shoes of a depressed, privileged westerner, they would be overjoyed. Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. You may not like it but you did implied depressed people didn't know actual struggles. > > and small bouts of what might look like depression (given that I pulled myself out of it, I think you’d define it away as not actually depression, and I can live with that). There is a pattern here where you think you are the one who knows how other are feelings (depressed, insulted with the absence of insults, having experienced sufferings or struggles). And survivor bias, of course (see what I did here ?). > > > Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. > This is another broad statement for which there is no support. > While “may” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, I don’t think you can say there is no support given I gave a concrete example from my own life in which I came to that realization. Self-reported anecdata with your anti-western position and a situation that has nothing to do with depression ? No, you gave no support to your thesis. Oddly enough you also chose to lead your reasoning on depression with that one-time event rather than your self reported bouts of depression. > > > You seem to think depression is only in the head and try to rationalize it. > No, I don’t. But one of the better treatments for depression, CBT, involves talking about and rationalizing ones thoughts, ultimately with the goal of getting into more productive habits of thought. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy You are confusing a solution to a problem with its cause. The fact CBT is effective in helping keeping depression effects at bay doesn't prove thought patterns are the sole root cause of depression. PS: > I’m sorry if I’m triggering unpleasant feelings for you. Strangely enough this choice of words triggers more unpleasant feelings for me than anything else you said. How curious. PPS: Know what I think of what happens to depressed people who experienced actual struggles in non-western societies ? They die sooner.

by nxc18 5y ago

johnchristopher 5y ago

> Yes, because in the absence of actual struggle in life, things like getting up start to look hard. Without seeing actual hardship, non-hardships look difficult. That's an overly broad statement ignoring a lot of what research has found about causes of depression. > This is conceptually related to the concept of hedonic adaptation. If you were to take someone who is actually struggling and put them in the shoes of a depressed, privileged westerner, they would be overjoyed. No, they wouldn't. They would suffer from depression and stop being able to feel joy. That's what depression does to your mind at some point. Put that person in the shoes of someone with cancer, that cancer is not going away. > Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. This is another broad statement for which there is no support. Depression will eat your self-esteem and energy, it doesn't care if have been hit by hardships before or not. What's you angle ? Depressed people are spoiled brats ? Depression is not a real struggle ? Only bored people get depression ? Just say so and stop sugar-coating what you think. You seem to think depression is only in the head and try to rationalize it. If you ever meet someone who admits their depression to you, please keep your thesis to yourself. edit: > Yes, because in the absence of actual struggle in life, things like getting up start to look hard. Without seeing actual hardship, non-hardships look difficult. Beyond the logical fallacy I won't get into how do you explain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness where people/animals are having actual struggles and yet depression settles in ?

nxc18 5y ago
> What's you angle ? Depressed people are spoiled brats ? Depression is not a real struggle ? Only bored people get depression ? Just say so and stop sugar-coating what you think. I’m sensing a lot of defensiveness. I’m sorry if I’m triggering unpleasant feelings for you. I don’t believe any of those things and I don’t appreciate having words put in my mouth. The people I’ve met with depression have a lot of that tendency to jump down people’s throats after perceiving insults that are of their own making. Saying that society is structured in a way that prevents people from functioning well (I.e. is not tailored to the realities of the human limbic system) is the opposite of saying that it is in depressed people’s heads or that depressed people are spoiled brats. > > Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. > This is another broad statement for which there is no support. While “may” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, I don’t think you can say there is no support given I gave a concrete example from my own life in which I came to that realization. FWIW I also practice gratitude journaling, so I know it’s helpful from my own life. I’ve also overcome binge eating disorder (bad enough to result in morbid obesity), anxiety (social and otherwise), and small bouts of what might look like depression (given that I pulled myself out of it, I think you’d define it away as not actually depression, and I can live with that). > That's an overly broad statement ignoring a lot of what research has found about causes of depression. Fun fact, we still don’t actually know what causes depression, and we’re not very good at treating it. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to speculate that the environment might be a contributing factor. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depressio... > You seem to think depression is only in the head and try to rationalize it. No, I don’t. But one of the better treatments for depression, CBT, involves talking about and rationalizing ones thoughts, ultimately with the goal of getting into more productive habits of thought. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy
- johnchristopher 5y ago
  > > > What's you angle ? Depressed people are spoiled brats ? Depression is not a real struggle ? Only bored people get depression ? Just say so and stop sugar-coating what you think. > > I’m sensing a lot of defensiveness. I’m sorry if I’m triggering unpleasant feelings for you. I don’t believe any of those things and I don’t appreciate having words put in my mouth. > The people I’ve met with depression have a lot of that tendency to jump down people’s throats after perceiving insults that are of their own making. Maybe you bear some responsibilities then if you keep on getting the same kind of reaction when talking with depressed people. Why do you insist on that approach, knowing it hurts them ? I am not putting words in your mouth. I am reformulating stupid statements like: > If you were to take someone who is actually struggling and put them in the shoes of a depressed, privileged westerner, they would be overjoyed. Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. You may not like it but you did implied depressed people didn't know actual struggles. > > and small bouts of what might look like depression (given that I pulled myself out of it, I think you’d define it away as not actually depression, and I can live with that). There is a pattern here where you think you are the one who knows how other are feelings (depressed, insulted with the absence of insults, having experienced sufferings or struggles). And survivor bias, of course (see what I did here ?). > > > Someone who has never known struggle or threat may not realize how happy they should be. > This is another broad statement for which there is no support. > While “may” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, I don’t think you can say there is no support given I gave a concrete example from my own life in which I came to that realization. Self-reported anecdata with your anti-western position and a situation that has nothing to do with depression ? No, you gave no support to your thesis. Oddly enough you also chose to lead your reasoning on depression with that one-time event rather than your self reported bouts of depression. > > > You seem to think depression is only in the head and try to rationalize it. > No, I don’t. But one of the better treatments for depression, CBT, involves talking about and rationalizing ones thoughts, ultimately with the goal of getting into more productive habits of thought. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy You are confusing a solution to a problem with its cause. The fact CBT is effective in helping keeping depression effects at bay doesn't prove thought patterns are the sole root cause of depression. PS: > I’m sorry if I’m triggering unpleasant feelings for you. Strangely enough this choice of words triggers more unpleasant feelings for me than anything else you said. How curious. PPS: Know what I think of what happens to depressed people who experienced actual struggles in non-western societies ? They die sooner.