

Developers and Depression – 30 mins that changed how I look at Mental Health - gloves
http://businessofsoftware.org/2013/11/developers-entrepreneurs-depression-a-wonderful-talk-at-business-of-software-conference/

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gloves
@exodust

Thanks for the summary.

I comment specifically to two of your comments.

1\. "Get a beautiful wife" \- I see this more as a comment about support
networks - Wife, Family, Friends etc. Having someone understand what you are
going through I imagine would help through the pain (I'm not a sufferer
myself). Having been around people with depression however, even if they do
not necessarily want the attention, knowing there is someone there can help.

2\. "Personally I can't help doubting depression as an illness. It could
instead be some sort of ego malfunction" \- While I respect your opinion...
Have you ever just felt bad for no good reason? Like you want to retreat into
a dark room and just have noone around? I'm not even talking about a romping
hangover. I think even for people without the label of depression attached,
most can relate to unexplainable emotions sometimes.

I think to not think of depression as an illness would be to suggest that
those who suffer from it think their way into depression, and therefore could
think their way out of it. I believe personally the fact the brain can enter
an altered chemical state, causing symptoms of depression, would suggest this
does have a biological background.

I guess it all comes back to the nature/nurture stuff. I think there will be
aspects of both in depression, but to my knowledge noone really knows.

Medical stuff aside. The good thing I feel about the video however is it shows
whomever might be feeling similar emotions realises and knows that they are
not alone.

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exodust
tl;dr...

* sharing/talking is helpful if you have bipolar depression or any depression...

[googles bipolar depression.... "The depression that people with bipolar
disorder experience is generally of a melancholic or psychotic type and
therefore more biological in its nature"]

Biological depression? I gotta say that's hard to swallow. But anyway back to
the talk...

* Best cure: Get a beautiful wife (he shows picture of wife)

and

* Get good meds. Get therapist or doctor to advise and supply you the meds, don't just order a bunch and start munching.

Well that's advice I suppose, if a bit unusual. He quotes Swartz with the "not
even fresh air helps" thing, which is arguable. Getting out and lungs working
and body moving is almost always a good thing. Physical attention helps to
attract the beautiful partner which is the ultimate cure apparently. So in the
end, there's no reason why depressed techies can't chess-move their way out of
whatever holes they're in.

Personally I can't help doubting depression as an illness. It could instead be
some sort of ego malfunction. Something about self-expectations vs realities,
the vast difference growing between those, acting as a crushing force, keeping
you in bed. You've tipped your own chemical balance with your own free will
though. That's why the meds work, because they tip the balance back and you
follow/float along, until it all starts again (pending intervention/kick in
pants by wife/partner).

