42 ms·

1. try an antidepressant, keep taking it without changing the dosage. try this for at last one year. 2. when you feel down and you're feeling worse and worse,

by jokoon 12y ago

1. try an antidepressant, keep taking it without changing the dosage. try this for at last one year. 2. when you feel down and you're feeling worse and worse, try going out and walking for at least 15 or 45 min, or find something to do. breathe. don't stay in one place. don't let immobility and routine drown you. if you can do something that can make you move and make memories, you should do it. depression is a brain which is being less and less active. make it work and sense stuff. 3. try to see the good sides of your situation. you live in a developed country, you eat every day, you have a minimum of education. in many countries, people don't know what the Pythagorean theorem is. 4. if you're young, feeling down is normal. be thankful you're not part of the people who are diagnosed with major depression, or with veterans who have PTSD or any other trauma. 5. depression is normal in our era. there was a recession, and the economy is going towards less human contact. that should mean bigger opportunity for people who have the courage to seek human contact.

agumonkey 12y ago
Walking 45 minutes is a free medicine. Hills especially, by the time you reach the top, the euphoria may already be there, in sync with the view. Quite pretty. Forests aren't bad either.
- goshx 12y ago
  My cardiologist once said that simply standing up for 30 minutes would do better than any SSRI. I didn't get it at first and ended up taking SSRI for almost a year due to panic attacks, until I managed to replace it with surf fishing. I'd wake up early, go to the beach, watch the sunrise and stay there for a few hours standing up...
- andrey-p 12y ago
  Wow, I thought I was the only one who felt that exact way. Luckily I live in Yorkshire, UK, where there's beautiful windswept hills aplenty.
- Scuds 12y ago
  It might not have straightened my teeth and cleared my acne, but daily walking + listening to podcasts pulls me out of my own head.
jmhain 12y ago
As somebody who has suffered from depression and anxiety, this is (mostly) fantastic advice. I waited so long to try an SSRI because so many insist that they don't work. Yet, when I got on 20 mg of citalopram, panic attacks disappeared leaving only occasional situational anxiety, and my major depressive episodes were reduced to just a little occasional sadness (though this is admittedly confounded with a half dozen other measures I took). Exercise is probably the reason I survived pre-citalopram. For me, the high only lasted while I was running and probably resulted in some overkill cardio, but just having a reliable method to make myself feel better was vital.
- mlwarren 12y ago
  Seconded. SSRI's seem to have a stigma around them. A lot of people I know "worry it'll change their personality". For me, it did change my personality. I went from being an anxious mess to being functional. Really wish I had started them sooner.
  - tormeh 12y ago
    I'm not on drugs, but I view the years before I went to a psychologist as 80% wasted.
  - jmhain 12y ago
    Same here. My old personality mostly comprised avoidance of any behavior that had occurred near a panic attack, which slowly began to cover more and more of the things I once enjoyed. My new personality is dominated by intellectual curiosity. Definitely an upgrade, though it also saddens me how much better my life would be had I started sooner.
  - mcguire 12y ago
    Thirded. One of the symptoms of depression for me is anger; if I miss a few days of paroxetine, my temper starts resurfacing. With it, it's possible to notice that I actually have a personality.
applekor 12y ago
I wholeheartedly agree with 1 and 2, but I'm less enthusiastic about 3 and 4. I can't imagine that you meant it this way, but it can sometimes come across as "you have no valid reason to feel sad," which then makes some people feel badly about feeling badly, and the loop closes in on itself. At least that's where I find myself in trouble sometimes...
- jokoon 12y ago
  You're right, but I like to say that just to to make sure people with depression don't redirect their problems towards something else, like politics or people. I used to blame many things for my problems, including me. I kept thinking about that "positive" mentality, for a long time. It can start to make sense at one point or another. If you're depressed, I think it's important to have a minimum of knowledge about questions on the meaning of life or something like that. If it can make you think in a healthy way and prevent people to turn into stupid things, I don't think it's really insignificant. Good life philosophy can help you make better choices. I'm not talking about religion, I'm just talking in general, how do you look at the world. I agree that philosophy won't really help, but it would be stupid to just not talk about it a little.
subdane 12y ago
This is good advice, but I think it's more helpful (and less dangerous) to share personal experience than give blanket advice. "These things worked for me," is more useful than "These things will work for you."
- jokoon 12y ago
  I agree, but people have really difference experiences with depression. Personality can be a big factor. I'm just trying to narrow down to easy remedies that actually work in terms of mental health.
Bluestrike2 12y ago
For anyone reading this who is prescribed an antidepressants (SSRIs especially, given that they're mentioned by other commenters), please remember that taking them is just the first step in a process you have to be open about with your doctor. Finding the right medication and the proper dosage for you isn't necessarily going to happen at once--there's often a process of trial and error at work. Some can start having an effect within a few days, others might take weeks. And others (SNRIs like Effexor/venlafaxine, for example) are entirely dose-dependent, where the mechanism of action differs radically. A good doctor will help you manage this, but it's less about finding the perfect medication and more about finding the best balance between benefits and potential side effects. Just don't let yourself get caught up in the notion that the grass is always greener on the other side.
mabbo 12y ago
While I agree with most of what you've said here, I disagree with #5. Feeling shitty because life is shitty, that's not depression, that's normal. "Depression is normal in our era because bad things are happening to everyone" is like saying "Well, schizophrenia is normal in our era, because sometimes weird things happen that you can't explain". The symptoms may be similar, but that doesn't make it the same thing.
- DanBC 12y ago
  There are increases in suicide when economies hit recession. It seems reasonable to suggest that some people's depression is triggered by poor economy. I agree that sadness and grief are not depression and are normal parts of life.
DanBC 12y ago
Anti depressants are not the first option to treat depression. Try CBT from an experienced practitioner, in combination with medication if needed. 2) exercise is moderately better than nothing for depression. Exercise is not better than anti-depressants, although there aren't many studies. Exercise is not better than talking therapies, although there aren't many studies. When you only look at good quality research the benefits of exercise over nothing are less clear. http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depression http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for... 3) and 4) are the equivalent of telling someone to just cheer up. This is unlikely to be helpful and may be harmful. http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depression http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for...
- jokoon 12y ago
  > This is unlikely to be helpful and may be harmful. Yes I agree, that it can depend on how it's told. But it's also nice to sometime take the bad thoughts and turn it into lemonade. Some people might just be slightly depressed and might exaggerate their situation. I know that I don't really have a severe depression, but in my head I always was very scared about it. I think you must talk about the good things with someone, directly or indirectly, and don't let them drown in their own bad thoughts. People can be self destructive, so it can be nice to point out the good to save them from themselves.

by jokoon 12y ago

agumonkey 12y ago

Walking 45 minutes is a free medicine. Hills especially, by the time you reach the top, the euphoria may already be there, in sync with the view. Quite pretty. Forests aren't bad either.

goshx 12y ago
My cardiologist once said that simply standing up for 30 minutes would do better than any SSRI. I didn't get it at first and ended up taking SSRI for almost a year due to panic attacks, until I managed to replace it with surf fishing. I'd wake up early, go to the beach, watch the sunrise and stay there for a few hours standing up...
andrey-p 12y ago
Wow, I thought I was the only one who felt that exact way. Luckily I live in Yorkshire, UK, where there's beautiful windswept hills aplenty.
Scuds 12y ago
It might not have straightened my teeth and cleared my acne, but daily walking + listening to podcasts pulls me out of my own head.

jmhain 12y ago

As somebody who has suffered from depression and anxiety, this is (mostly) fantastic advice. I waited so long to try an SSRI because so many insist that they don't work. Yet, when I got on 20 mg of citalopram, panic attacks disappeared leaving only occasional situational anxiety, and my major depressive episodes were reduced to just a little occasional sadness (though this is admittedly confounded with a half dozen other measures I took). Exercise is probably the reason I survived pre-citalopram. For me, the high only lasted while I was running and probably resulted in some overkill cardio, but just having a reliable method to make myself feel better was vital.

mlwarren 12y ago
Seconded. SSRI's seem to have a stigma around them. A lot of people I know "worry it'll change their personality". For me, it did change my personality. I went from being an anxious mess to being functional. Really wish I had started them sooner.
- tormeh 12y ago
  I'm not on drugs, but I view the years before I went to a psychologist as 80% wasted.
- jmhain 12y ago
  Same here. My old personality mostly comprised avoidance of any behavior that had occurred near a panic attack, which slowly began to cover more and more of the things I once enjoyed. My new personality is dominated by intellectual curiosity. Definitely an upgrade, though it also saddens me how much better my life would be had I started sooner.
- mcguire 12y ago
  Thirded. One of the symptoms of depression for me is anger; if I miss a few days of paroxetine, my temper starts resurfacing. With it, it's possible to notice that I actually have a personality.

applekor 12y ago

I wholeheartedly agree with 1 and 2, but I'm less enthusiastic about 3 and 4. I can't imagine that you meant it this way, but it can sometimes come across as "you have no valid reason to feel sad," which then makes some people feel badly about feeling badly, and the loop closes in on itself. At least that's where I find myself in trouble sometimes...

jokoon 12y ago
You're right, but I like to say that just to to make sure people with depression don't redirect their problems towards something else, like politics or people. I used to blame many things for my problems, including me. I kept thinking about that "positive" mentality, for a long time. It can start to make sense at one point or another. If you're depressed, I think it's important to have a minimum of knowledge about questions on the meaning of life or something like that. If it can make you think in a healthy way and prevent people to turn into stupid things, I don't think it's really insignificant. Good life philosophy can help you make better choices. I'm not talking about religion, I'm just talking in general, how do you look at the world. I agree that philosophy won't really help, but it would be stupid to just not talk about it a little.

subdane 12y ago

This is good advice, but I think it's more helpful (and less dangerous) to share personal experience than give blanket advice. "These things worked for me," is more useful than "These things will work for you."

jokoon 12y ago
I agree, but people have really difference experiences with depression. Personality can be a big factor. I'm just trying to narrow down to easy remedies that actually work in terms of mental health.

Bluestrike2 12y ago

For anyone reading this who is prescribed an antidepressants (SSRIs especially, given that they're mentioned by other commenters), please remember that taking them is just the first step in a process you have to be open about with your doctor. Finding the right medication and the proper dosage for you isn't necessarily going to happen at once--there's often a process of trial and error at work. Some can start having an effect within a few days, others might take weeks. And others (SNRIs like Effexor/venlafaxine, for example) are entirely dose-dependent, where the mechanism of action differs radically. A good doctor will help you manage this, but it's less about finding the perfect medication and more about finding the best balance between benefits and potential side effects. Just don't let yourself get caught up in the notion that the grass is always greener on the other side.

mabbo 12y ago

While I agree with most of what you've said here, I disagree with #5. Feeling shitty because life is shitty, that's not depression, that's normal. "Depression is normal in our era because bad things are happening to everyone" is like saying "Well, schizophrenia is normal in our era, because sometimes weird things happen that you can't explain". The symptoms may be similar, but that doesn't make it the same thing.

DanBC 12y ago
There are increases in suicide when economies hit recession. It seems reasonable to suggest that some people's depression is triggered by poor economy. I agree that sadness and grief are not depression and are normal parts of life.

DanBC 12y ago

Anti depressants are not the first option to treat depression. Try CBT from an experienced practitioner, in combination with medication if needed. 2) exercise is moderately better than nothing for depression. Exercise is not better than anti-depressants, although there aren't many studies. Exercise is not better than talking therapies, although there aren't many studies. When you only look at good quality research the benefits of exercise over nothing are less clear. http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depression http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for... 3) and 4) are the equivalent of telling someone to just cheer up. This is unlikely to be helpful and may be harmful. http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depression http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for...

jokoon 12y ago
> This is unlikely to be helpful and may be harmful. Yes I agree, that it can depend on how it's told. But it's also nice to sometime take the bad thoughts and turn it into lemonade. Some people might just be slightly depressed and might exaggerate their situation. I know that I don't really have a severe depression, but in my head I always was very scared about it. I think you must talk about the good things with someone, directly or indirectly, and don't let them drown in their own bad thoughts. People can be self destructive, so it can be nice to point out the good to save them from themselves.