
Depression's Upside (2010) - SuperChihuahua
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28depression-t.html
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vermooten
I've just started CBT to hopefully fix my broken spirit, the article nailed my
symptoms. I'm not sure my staying indoors in a darkened room and sighing a lot
is helping me to focus on anything though.

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tim333
Good luck. I did some and found it helpful. I kind guess personally that it
works by a kind of neural network rewiring. Before CBT some neurones are
taking input, processing it as indicating things being crappy and directly
signalling that to the older reptilian bits of the brain that deal with that,
without conscious awareness. By consciously becoming aware of the things are
crappy reasoning you can argue against it and rewire those networks. At least
that's my theory on it.

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empressplay
That's essentially mindfulness too -- you catch a negative thought and then
you construct a counter-argument against it to placate the reptile-brain. It's
like living with a little child who's prone to temper-tantrums. Whatever it
can take poorly it will, and it's your responsibility to re-frame things in a
good light quickly.

~~~
d-equivalence
But mindfulness is not about re-framing or answering back with an argument.
Its exactly the opposite!

------
Foy
"I shall probably do little more but be content to admire the strides others
made in Science." \- Charles Darwin

Understatement of the millenia?

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arbre
I suffered from depression for several years. What worked eventually is
meditation. I meditate 1 hour every day in a meditation center and I
participate regularly in retreats and I feel happier every day.

~~~
ep103
I would love if you would be willing to spare more details. I'm looking to
start learning how to meditate. What worked for you? Where did you start?

~~~
arbre
A good posture, focusing on the moment, the sensations, the breathing,
accepting the thoughts but not feeding them. Do that every day and be patient.
It is best to practice with other people as more experienced people can guide
you. Some people start right away with a retreat. It is also a good way to
start.

~~~
ep103
I... need a guide or something. I expect I'll do more research this weekend,
but just sitting and listening to myself breathe? I have plenty of calmness in
my life, but surely there's a difference between meditation and relaxation?

Sorry, not really directing this at you, its late, kinda just stream of
consciousing before sleep. I do appreciate your response : )

~~~
hanley
Check out [https://www.headspace.com/](https://www.headspace.com/) They have
guided meditation that I really like. At least give the 10 free days a shot
and see what you think, nothing to lose!

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jE22teTh
In the US, a surprisingly easy way to inadvertently cause mild depression is
to decrease intake of iodized salt over time. The "natural" iodine content of
many foods (bread, milk) seems to be dropping steadily due to organic and
other preparation practices. Kelp-extract supplements with around 200mcg of
iodine daily can go a long way towards preventing mild depression associated
with borderline iodine deficiency.

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alecrn
If it's iodine deficiency that causes depression, then why would decreasing
intake of iodized salt help?

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jE22teTh
Sorry for the poor phrasing. Decreasing salt intake is a healthy thing to do
these days, which will likely also decrease one's iodine intake.

~~~
jetru
It's not. We don't really know for sure.

[http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinolo...](http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/GeneralEndocrinology/49602)
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/06/m...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/06/more-
scientists-doubt-salt-is-as-bad-for-you-as-the-government-says/)

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RyanMcGreal
> They began by focusing on the thought process that defines the disorder,
> which is known as rumination. (The verb is derived from the Latin word for
> “chewed over,” which describes the act of digestion in cattle, in which they
> swallow, regurgitate and then rechew their food.) In recent decades,
> psychiatry has come to see rumination as a dangerous mental habit, because
> it leads people to fixate on their flaws and problems, thus extending their
> negative moods.

This really spoke to me. My mild tendency to depression seems to be predicated
entirely on rumination. To the extent that I can avoid taking the first few
slippery steps in those mental pathways that spiral down into despair, I am
generally able to avoid getting dragged down. That required me to accept that
some existential questions aren't answerable in any satisfactory manner, and
to simply stop posing them to myself.

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selimthegrim
And Jonah Lehrer has magically regained credibility how?

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doomrobo
Something something ad hominem. Besides that, to what are you referring?

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lgieron
In real world, ad hominem arguments make more sense that they are sometimes
given credit.

Of course, in an ideal world, we should be able to just judge someone's
argument based on its own merit; however, in practice, an 99% arguments
(pretty much everything that is not a mathematical proof?) will cite external
facts and references. This creates an ample opportunity for manipulation for
someone dishonest and hence credibility is important.

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albatross_down
William Styron, one of the authors quoted in the article, wrote a fascinating
memoir about depression called Darkness Visible. Highly recommended!

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univalent
I read an interesting paper a few years back showing a correlation between
low(er) rates of depression in population areas with high(er) lithium content
in their drinking water. The paper also discussed how big pharma had pushed
doctors away from Li over the years towards more expensive drugs.

~~~
tormeh
Lithium is quite dangerous, though. The quantities have to be pretty exact and
injected with syringe, if I remember correctly, which means a doctor will have
to do it for you. Every time. That's obviously problematic.

~~~
MDCore
Lithium salts are most commonly prescribed in pill form. Their therapeutic
range is quite narrow, and the toxic range follows quickly beyond that, so
blood levels need to be monitored on a regular basis.

