
Startup depression - jcap49
http://startupdepression.com/
======
Argorak
I have multiple issues with this. First of all, depression through stresses
and clinical depressions are very different and the introductory paragraph is
extremely shallow, brushing all over this. Many mental issues can lead to a
comorbide depression.

Secondly, being depressed and being suicidal are related, the first often
comes before the second, but not the same. By putting suicide hotlines front
and center, the impression is there, though.

I know multiple cases where "but I'm not trying to do me any harm" was an
internal barrier not to seek help, although they were depressed. If you are
seeking help because you are suicidal, that's already way too late.

Finally, it assumes that this is just an unfortunate side effect of startup
life, without critically engaging with that statement.

If you are down for irrational reasons of in emotional flakey states, try to
find contacts, post on devpressed, visit a professional. Even if you don't
have a strong or lasting depression, this will probably help get more secure
in your feelings again.

~~~
Devthrowaway80
I'd have to agree, this strikes me as confusing situational depression with
clinical depression.

When I was at my worst with my depression, by all objective measures my life
was going just great - good girlfriend, lots of money, stable and interesting
work. When I started receiving treatment, my life was by the same measures in
much worse shape - had just gotten fired from a job for non-performance (due
to a total inability to concentrate, as well as the lack of motivation that
usually goes with depression), was broke as broke can be, was having a lot of
relationship problems and so on. With my neurotransmitters tweaked, I felt
better while dealing with very difficult circumstances than I ever did with
untreated clinical depression and an otherwise-easy life situation.

I am not trying to dismiss the emotional turmoil that people no doubt
experience in stressful and uncertain circumstances like starting a business,
but I think it's important to understand the difference between that emotional
state and the sort of irrational utter despair that people suffering from
mental illness feel. I think the tools needed to address each problem are
likely to differ significantly - no amount of therapy or reading
r/GetMotivated (bizarrely linked in the article above) would change the fact
that I was experiencing the effects of what was most likely a physical
ailment.

~~~
Argorak
Thanks for writing this. I agree, bad feelings and anxiety are not necessarily
"bad" if they are coming from an external source, meaningful source. Finding
the line is hard, especially as those suffering from an illness quickly find
sources if they are asked for.

------
greensnake
As someone who is dealing with a similar issue right now, I actually felt
inclined to create a throwaway account just to comment on this. It's easy to
find all kinds of talk about depression online, but that talk is less helpful
when (in my case) the cause of the depression is at least in part due to
difficulties in terms of sustaining normal friendships with other people in
real life. And, I might also add, having nobody to talk to in real life about
these kinds of issues. The last thing I need to be doing to fight depression
is to continue sitting indoors at my computer reading more articles on the
internet.

~~~
amelius
As a nerd, I also had problems finding "normal" friends. Not anymore. How I
solved this:

\- Enroll in a soccer team

\- Take tango dancing classes

From there, it just went naturally. Of course, your situation might be
different, but indeed staying alone at home doesn't help much.

------
m52go
This is an excellent start with excellent intentions. My first thought: it
would help tremendously to have a dedicated, anonymous discussion forum to
really have a chance at making an impact.

~~~
Argorak
[http://www.devpressed.com/](http://www.devpressed.com/)

------
miduil
I would also suggest
[http://founderswiki.com/wiki/Avoiding_burnout](http://founderswiki.com/wiki/Avoiding_burnout)
via. lfittl

------
anandtwisha
This is a very useful compilation of resources. At 7 Cups of Tea, we are in
the initial stages of figuring out how to better support the startup
community. Being a YC startup, we very well understand the challenges founders
face in a high pressure environment. If you are interested in working with us
on this, then please send an email to info@7cupsoftea.com and we'll be in
touch!

------
known
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists
in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the
unreasonable man." \--George Bernard Shaw

------
zeeshanm
Here is a hack I've found to steer focus away from depression. Whatever your
goal is, you have to begin with an understanding you are going to fail. So you
won't be depressed since you already know that you are failing or have failed
to begin with. Hence, you can focus on the right things to not fail as much.
This would help you keep your feet on the ground so you can act small to do
things that matter. It may sound silly but, at least, it may help you stay
focused.

------
jglauche
There's also a ##depression IRC channel on Freenode.

------
madamepsychosis
I'm curious - why are there constantly posts about depression on HN? Is there
something about the programmer/startup lifestyle thats more accepting of
depressed people?

~~~
DanBC
Mental health problems are very common. There is some stigma around mental
ill-health. These tie into cognitive bias to make us think that mental ill-
health is more common in developers than it is in the general population.

Learning about mental health is important for people running a business. They
need to look after their mental wellbeing. They also need to avoid
discriminating against employees who have a mental illness.

[http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/mental-health-statistics-
fa...](http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/mental-health-statistics-facts)

Stigma around mental ill-health makes it harder for people to get work; to
stay in work; to seek help for their mental health problems (both informal
help from friends, colleagues, and family; and formal help from talking-
therapists or doctors) and also from seeking help for other illness. For
example: a person who self harms on their arm may avoid doctor appointments
where blood is taken or blood pressure is taken because that person does not
want to reveal their self harm. (This also applies to women who self harm on
their thighs avoiding gyno appointments.)

Ignoring all the human stuff this has costs to business and to society: about
70 million days are lost to UK industry because of mental ill-health. Billions
of pounds (£) are lost to mental ill health.

Some simple measures could reduce that a lot. Building a culture where people
can talk about their mental health is important. Allowing people to access
therapies while staying working is important.

[http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/your-
organisation/support-w...](http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/your-
organisation/support-workplace)

------
notastartup
I guess often the feeling of despair comes from working super hard but still
looking at the jarring amount of work ahead. It's not required that you know
an answer to everything and finish it all by tomorrow but it's a general sense
of running in the desert searching for spots of water here and there, you are
worried when you come across long stretches where theres not even a puddle of
water and you begin to panic and start asking all sorts of questions like,
maybe you've been walking in circles or you start seeing skeletons where those
who have walked before you lie. You are getting thirsty but instead of resting
you just keep pressing on because the anxiety is slowly setting in. Keep this
up and suddenly you aren't able to move very far without considerable amount
of effort. No water in sight.

------
DepressionApp
Depressed? No problem, this app will solve all your problems!
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6754953](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6754953)

~~~
applekor
I know you mean well, but this isn't necessarily an appropriate place or
method for advertisement. It's a serious thing, and insinuating that your app
will/can 'solve' other's depression can be seen as belittling others'
emotions.

As a side note, preventing suicide is very different than supporting someone
with depression. Suicidal thoughts are cause for major alarm, and call for
emergency intervention. Depression is typically a longer, slower ordeal. It
still certainly warrants seeking help, but the kind of help needed isn't
something that an app can provide (at least from my personal perspective). But
what an app _can_ provide is a way to find help and connect to those sources
easily, whether it be in case of a crisis or just simplifying a process which
can be overwhelming, particularly for someone dealing with depression for the
first time.

Just some thoughts for you, and hopefully an explanation for the downvotes.
You have an opportunity to help people with this project, and I hope you do
well with it. Best of luck.

