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> even getting to the stage of seeing a doctor can fail, because suddenly everything is 'pointless' (bad wording. sorry.) Everything actually is pointless, sin

> even getting to the stage of seeing a doctor can fail, because suddenly everything is 'pointless' (bad wording. sorry.) Everything actually is pointless, since all matter and energy will dissipate from entropy on a long enough time span. Also everyone you know will be dead in 100 years, most likely. Also most of these people would go see their doctor if there was a million dollars in gold waiting there for them. It's not that 'everything is pointless' is the reason preventing them, but rather that there isn't enough significance in seeing the doctor.

tormeh 11y ago
Yes, all true, but you'd have to be depressed to not have the cognitive biases which prevent you from making this more than an academic observation.
- a3voices 11y ago
  I modified my original comment, so I guess I'll rewrite it. And I totally agree.
Cushman 11y ago
> Also most of these people would go see their doctor if there was a million dollars in gold waiting there for them. I'll caution you against this thinking, in general. If you have a depression so severe it keeps you from seeking help, you're probably well aware that it's a matter of life and death. Even if you're not acutely suicidal, you live day to day just "running out the clock", hoping it doesn't get any worse before you die. The prospect of wealth or fame in your future is not only not enticing; it may well make you feel worse, as self-awareness of your inability to care reinforces your depression. The idea that people who are not motivated by death will be motivated by money is, while not categorically false, surely fraught.
corobo 11y ago
I can't agree with this. Having had a lovely time with depression a couple of times you could double that amount and it wouldn't even register. Depression isn't a lack of motivation, a lack of motivation is a symptom of the greater issue Merely anecdotal evidence of course, but I don't think you're on the right path here

tormeh 11y ago

Yes, all true, but you'd have to be depressed to not have the cognitive biases which prevent you from making this more than an academic observation.

a3voices 11y ago
I modified my original comment, so I guess I'll rewrite it. And I totally agree.

Cushman 11y ago

> Also most of these people would go see their doctor if there was a million dollars in gold waiting there for them. I'll caution you against this thinking, in general. If you have a depression so severe it keeps you from seeking help, you're probably well aware that it's a matter of life and death. Even if you're not acutely suicidal, you live day to day just "running out the clock", hoping it doesn't get any worse before you die. The prospect of wealth or fame in your future is not only not enticing; it may well make you feel worse, as self-awareness of your inability to care reinforces your depression. The idea that people who are not motivated by death will be motivated by money is, while not categorically false, surely fraught.

corobo 11y ago

I can't agree with this. Having had a lovely time with depression a couple of times you could double that amount and it wouldn't even register. Depression isn't a lack of motivation, a lack of motivation is a symptom of the greater issue Merely anecdotal evidence of course, but I don't think you're on the right path here