How to overcome depression | John Abramson and Lex Fridman

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GUEST BIO:
John Abramson is faculty at Harvard Medical School and a family physician for over two decades. He's the author of the new book Sickening about how big pharma broke American healthcare and how we can fix it.

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[nuadaotee]

The 5 key things I did to cure my depression in order of priority:
1) Exercise
2) Getting good quality sleep
3) Having a healthier diet
4) Shutting out negative people/influences (for me this included not listening to heavy/dark music anymore. This made a huge difference for me personally)
5) getting a full time job (builds self confidence)

[DarkOblideration]

Depression is not realizing your any of your potential, or being on any path at all. You always need an overarching goal or higher purpose in life that is guiding you. Being comfortable isn't the answer, it's constantly being on your feet and achieving new things, and trying new things

[t]

Psychiatry still has a ways to go I think.
Here’s what helps me with depression
for the passers-by:

- caffeine if necessary
- cold showers 2-5min
- meditation & monk/stoic livin
- meditate 5mins before meals
- seeing friends periodically, sharpening up between visits
- traveling outside my life’s tunnel system
- weed if I’ve lost sight of possibilities

And just some thoughts: Don’t lean on comforts, hold your attention up. Cold showers: turn endurance to adoration, make that strong. As meditation gets deeper, the canal for burden narrows. Take it as steady as she goes. Stay ready.

And that’s only for the times when I’m not trying to burn this mfer down 😂

[remdeeprest]

Constantly deciding to live when confronted with recurring suicidal thoughts can be one of the most invigorating feelings.

[frsbitEDIT]

Ive been depressed for more than half of my life and i dont wanna overcome it anymore, i dont care if it kills me because i feel comfort in it

[JayWest]

The one technique that helped me through depression, addiction, and life in general has been cognitive intervention. I was studying Buddism during the same time I was studying Cognitive Intervention and they seemed to be telling me the same thing. Allow your mind to control things around you and not the other way around. When I'd become angry or depressed I'd become aware of it and consciously react accordingly to logic rather than emotion.

[kennethlatorre]

Heads up, this doesn’t mean you will cure your depression. If it was as easy as going out and exercising, it wouldn’t be a problem. Those things only help alleviate depression.

[theexpanse]

I had some form of depression (not major) for several years due to different factors that were going on in my life at the time and it always amazed me that no matter who I talked to whether it be a general doctor, psychiatrist, my therapist, they always tried pushing SSRI’s on me. Even when I kept telling them no, they kept pushing. All I wanted to hear is what lifestyle changes I can do to help me get better but it never turned into that conversation. We need to do a way better job of helping people without constantly pushing antidepressants on them.

[McAwesomeDelux]

I was diagnosed with MDD (Major Depression Disorder) and prescribed an SSRI which I was on for a number of years. Simply put, it worked to get me functioning again, BUT the side effects were insane. I gained weight, lost the better part of my impulse control and wound up with high blood pressure that required additional medication.

To be fair, the "loss of impulse control" was largely due to the fact that I became a raging alcoholic. And by raging I mean angry, despicable and mean as hell.

Eventually I hit a bottom, quit drinking and then managed to wean myself off the meds. That was about 3 years ago and now I am med/alcohol free and much better than I ever was on the medication, save for the occasional episode where I have a hard time even getting in the shower. But, for the most part, I am much better.

That's not to say that the meds didn't work. I think they did what they were intended to do, which is bring you out of the "bed-ridden" symptomatic state that MDD throws you into. However, in my case, they seemed to cause a whole slew of new problems that I never had before, which made for a dangerous storm of destructive behaviors.

Diet, exercise and maintaining a sense of purpose in life are the best things for me. The last part is the hardest part and like the first two, comes down to "what works for you".

[DarkPhantomSky]

Appreciate all the posts here, my experience:

- Realize that you don't have to and are not required to feel bad, you can feel good if you want to anytime and it's easier than you think (you just have to allow yourself to feel good, try to smile e.g.)
- Just do something, anything really, that does something for your life right now, don't just sit around (even if it's just organizing your living space etc.), go one step at a time
- Make sure your body is well maintained (sleep, exercise, relaxation etc.)

Eventually you and your habits will change. Just don't expect too much from yourself, be patient. Again: Small steps and everything will slowly start changing and working.
You're just trying your best to find a way.

Peace.

[greg]

From my personal experience, I think a lot of times depression is related to lack of fulfilling one's soul's purpose in this life. Getting off that track and struggling with how to get back on track with one's purpose and service they came here to help others with. And learning the soul lessons they came here to learn. Different for everyone. So many other causes as well such as physical illness and traumas. Medication won't fix this on its own. I can't understand how any doctor can prescribe it as a "fix" and keep someone on it more than a few months without other therapies such as counseling. Especially because it causes physical dependence and dosage increases and medicine hopping. Meditation and Pranic Healing have worked wonders for me. That combined with helping others how I came here to do. Ask your higher self for guidance after stilling the mind in meditation. Find answers within.

[henz]

Exercise and gratefulness is the best natural remedy for depression.

[aaronyeh]

I had a psychiatrist tell me she doesn't think I'm depressed and just need to grow up, followed by her prescribing me antidepressants. I turned her offer down.

[joelrivardguitar]

SSRI meds really messed me up. I took them for several years for situational depression and slowly noticed this weird depressive agitation. After a long period of raising the dose, trying add-ons and similar meds to create a "cocktail" that would work I finally tapered off. Was left with permanent agitation with slight depression/anxiety. Going on year 3. Tried Buspar, mood disorders, nothing helped. Just waiting until it goes away someday possibly. Also doctors know nothing about long term WD syndrome.

[melissaroll]

True clinical depression can only be treated with medication. And even that involves trying different ones until you find the one that makes you feel back to your self. I have tried every single thing you can think of and none of it worked, except for medication. Being sad and clinical depression are two vastly different things.

[bigjim]

Richard Bandler the co creator of NLP always asks people who are depressed 2 questions:
1. How are you doing your depression?
This contains the presupposition that is something they are doing(not something they have) which means they can change it and do something else more beneficial.
If they say they 'have' depression he asks them to give it to him. Depression is not something you have, it's something you do. Even if you're not consciously aware you are doing it.
2. How do you know you are depressed? Maybe this is actually happiness?
The patient then invariably goes on to explain that if they were happy they would feel this and that and be doing this etc. This elicits the desired state and it can then be anchored.
You then have the desired state and the present state and apply the appropriate NLP change technique.

[michaellowe]

Could it be that depression is an adaptation to keep people from overextending themselves in unfavorable conditions? Seasonal depression would have kept our ancestors safe inside during cold winter months. Depression linked to fear or uncertainty would have kept them from other dangers. Maybe this pattern isn't needed as much in the modern world, but may be a vestigial human trait.

[CristiGol]

My guy here has no idea what hes talking about. Depression most times is nothing to do with lack of happiness but a complete emptiness inside. A lot of times with no reasoning for it. It just comes and youre fucked without knowing what to do.

[veselingramatikov]

They root of most depressions is discrepancies between what was expected in life and what it really is. Acknowledge your problems and their roots is very important think. Most people founding they are unable to manage their lives in some or many ways and the discrepancies between their childhood and adult life and expectations lead to depression in most cases for me. Then people want a pill because they are not satisfied even with basic things. That is soo unfortunate but thats what is happening most of the time. Just be real and honest about you and dont blame external things for your lack of control. People even blame the depression for their problems. Sure heavy depressions need specialized supervision and help.

[thepathunknown]

Exercise does it for me but th e problem is i have to keep going further and further or else i just feel numb, and not good