[Filbert]

What some recommend is long-distance running, like 1-2 hours per day.
Another good remedy is sleep deprivation.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...epression/

[Bad Hussar]

For most people simply getting their blood sugar in order will probably cure their depression. Doctors are set up to diagnose specific diseases, so they may be of limited help. If you don't meet a specific threshold, or fail to exhibit other symptoms, you won't be diagnosed with a blood sugar disease like hypoglycemia, pre-diabetes or diabetes. Better to buy the machine and strips and test yourself.

Frankly, almost everyone in the modern world has blood sugar issues. It's a result of our diet and behavior. And blood sugar is intimately connected to mental health. It's really the first thing people should go to when faced with mental issues. If you still have trouble after a couple of months of stable blood sugar, then you should seek out a Psychiatrist, but it is my opinion, at least, that 90+% of mental health issues currently treated with hard-core drugs could be resolved simply by stabilising blood sugar alone.

How to stabilise blood sugar? For people who have trouble processing carbs, and if people are overweight and/or depressed they probably do, a period of low Carb High Fat (LCHF), until levels stabilise in a few months. Then increase carbs to moderate if it has no effect on sugar levels.

[jamaicabound]

(06-07-2011 03:41 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

I was told all my life I should go see someone about my "depression" I had a negative 'tude, bleak look, and complete lack of motivation.

I fixed it.

Change something. Remember that you only live once.


The attached picture seems a little negative, seems like it wouldn't help but it did WORLDS of good for me.

The idea that even if I was the best man ever, if I somehow became the man that brought about world peace, that, in a universal sense, it wouldn't matter, is very liberating. I think depression is so prevalent in the modern world because we're all given this idea that we can be "anything you want"

Thats a lot of fucking pressure. Tell a kid he can be the president, then actually think about what the fuck goes into that, its not just a switch you flip. I spent my whole life pursuing success, not happiness. I had the epiphany that nothing really matters, and realized that the best success I could ever hope for is just like a fart in a hurricane to the universe, gone in a flash and its like it was never there.

At the end of the day all you have is you, and you're the only one that has your back. Not your family. Not your friends. Just you. Your happiness should be your number one goal in life (as long as it doesn't impede someone elses happiness directly, i.e. no stabbing people for kicks lol)

I thought your comment was interesting as I've heard some people comment on how poor people in third world countries are so happy oftentimes is because they expect pain and disapointment and like you said don't have this pretty picture painted of were all gonna be happy, were gonna our dream job, life is going to be peachy and no matter how great your life is we all have shortcommings and bad things happen and if you expect to never face disapointment you are setting yourself up for failure.

I would say some depression probably needs to be treated with medication. Personally I don't like doctors, I dont like medicine, I try at all costs to avoid medication and really don't want to have to take medication. I would say I somewhat wrestle with depression long time ago as a teen I think maybe tried medication but didn't really take it.

I hear some people say how medication changed their lives and have heard other complain they'd rather feel shitty than feel nothing at all, maybe just need a dosage adjustment.

For me personally I feel like trying to keep a positive attitude, not isolating myself which is my natural inclination, staying active and fit, etc keep me in a good place. Now it's easy to allow myself to slack and get lazy about doing those things and then I start to feel shitty but honestly if I stay productive, workout, don't isolate myself I'm fine and don't feel the need to pursue correcting this issue.

I don't by any means want to incinuate this will work for everyone or to downplay the seriousness of depression but this is what works for me.

[jamaicabound]

(10-20-2015 11:33 AM)Bad Hussar Wrote:  

For most people simply getting their blood sugar in order will probably cure their depression. Doctors are set up to diagnose specific diseases, so they may be of limited help. If you don't meet a specific threshold, or fail to exhibit other symptoms, you won't be diagnosed with a blood sugar disease like hypoglycemia, pre-diabetes or diabetes. Better to buy the machine and strips and test yourself.

Frankly, almost everyone in the modern world has blood sugar issues. It's a result of our diet and behavior. And blood sugar is intimately connected to mental health. It's really the first thing people should go to when faced with mental issues. If you still have trouble after a couple of months of stable blood sugar, then you should seek out a Psychiatrist, but it is my opinion, at least, that 90+% of mental health issues currently treated with hard-core drugs could be resolved simply by stabilising blood sugar alone.

How to stabilise blood sugar? For people who have trouble processing carbs, and if people are overweight and/or depressed they probably do, a period of low Carb High Fat (LCHF), until levels stabilise in a few months. Then increase carbs to moderate if it has no effect on sugar levels.

This is of interest to me, can you elaborate a bit? Any specific diet one should follow or just try to cut out carbs and sugars and be more active? Any other tips?

[Bad Hussar]

(10-20-2015 12:53 PM)jamaicabound Wrote:  

(10-20-2015 11:33 AM)Bad Hussar Wrote:  

For most people simply getting their blood sugar in order will probably cure their depression. Doctors are set up to diagnose specific diseases, so they may be of limited help. If you don't meet a specific threshold, or fail to exhibit other symptoms, you won't be diagnosed with a blood sugar disease like hypoglycemia, pre-diabetes or diabetes. Better to buy the machine and strips and test yourself.

Frankly, almost everyone in the modern world has blood sugar issues. It's a result of our diet and behavior. And blood sugar is intimately connected to mental health. It's really the first thing people should go to when faced with mental issues. If you still have trouble after a couple of months of stable blood sugar, then you should seek out a Psychiatrist, but it is my opinion, at least, that 90+% of mental health issues currently treated with hard-core drugs could be resolved simply by stabilising blood sugar alone.

How to stabilise blood sugar? For people who have trouble processing carbs, and if people are overweight and/or depressed they probably do, a period of low Carb High Fat (LCHF), until levels stabilise in a few months. Then increase carbs to moderate if it has no effect on sugar levels.

This is of interest to me, can you elaborate a bit? Any specific diet one should follow or just try to cut out carbs and sugars and be more active? Any other tips?

It's fairly recent that I've come round to this way of thinking. Mostly caused by two somewhat recent observations, and also the crystallisation of years of observations.

One was a simply bizare event were a very long-time contact of mine got into an argument with me that I would find difficult to describe. He was holding forth on a point that as so obviously wrong and irrational (equivalent to saying the sky is neon-purple, say) and I was having none of it. The only way out of the situation without a blow up was to agree with him or walk out of the room. I wasn't inclined to do either so he blew up in a fashion that reminded me of scenes in movies were men in white jackets come in and drag someone off to the psychiatric hospital. End of relationship. This caused me to do some research on this sort of behaviour, the results of which I'll describe later.

The other case is observing someone I've known for a very long time. Diagnosed as bipolar, on all sorts of hardcore psychiatric meds. Was having coffee with him the other day, and he chucks in the equivalent of at least 7 teaspoons of sugar into his coffee. This gave me a kind of "aha" moment and tied in with my previous research.

Basically, there is a theory that much of what is described as mental illness is simply the mental result of a particular type of hypoglycemia, called reactive hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar, but the folks who talk about reactive hypoglycemia usually seem to think about it as unstable blood sugar. Spikes and troughs. The idea is that many mood chemicals, like serotonin and dopamine, depend on blood sugar to maintain reasonable levels. A messed up blood sugar therefore equals messed up mood hormones. Mental illness is then seen as a way of trying to re balance things, by triggering release of serotonin. e.g. In bipolar disorder if the person pushes themselves low enough (depression) or high enough (mania) he can trigger the release of serotonin. The mental effects are a learned way that the person uses to cope with out of whack hormone levels. And once you learn one way that works a connection is formed and it is repeated again and again. The point is that these levels do not have to be out of whack. If blood sugar were normalised the hormones would be normalised over time, eliminating the need for coping mechanisms like depression and mania. Rage is also another technique people use to release brain chemicals otherwise lacking. The adrenaline spike causes the release of dopamine and serotonin I believe. So the way to see an irrationally angry or depressed person is really like seeing someone who is dead thirsty and grasping for any drink he can find. Maybe it's a glass of disgusting looking brown water, but it's all he has available. I don't have these sort of issues with blood sugar, so it's difficult to completely identify with them, but I understand that we are all different and must make use of what we have.

Moving on to the positive point. The theory is that all this drama can be avoided if only you could normalise peoples blood sugar levels. The problem is that for most people the modern diet and lifestyle makes it impossible for them to do this. People with very high carb tolerance can (and I consider myself one since I am not overweight and don't have major energy shifts), but most people on a standard carb heavy diet will inevitably develop serious blood sugar issues, resulting in overweight and mood disorders.

The recent fad/trend used to correct these issues has been the Low Carb High Fat diet. Very popular among a surprisingly broad economic spectrum in South Africa right now. But just as popular in many countries all over. It is as it's name implies. Eat very few carbs, eat a great deal of fats (including animal fats, but not including manufactured plant fats like margarine). Moderate protein. By all accounts it will achieve what it claims. Weight loss for the overweight, and stabilised blood sugar due to the limited of carbs. And the high level of fat means pretty much no hunger.

Anyway, I've gone on for too long. Will be attending a conference on LCHF and related issues soon and will see if I can specifically ask questions re blood sugar and mental health. Will be several high profile doctors and researchers there. Not sure they will want to wade in publicly since they are already getting massive blowback from certain quarters in the medical establishment here, just for threatening the orthodoxy on weight loss and heart disease. Not sure they'll want to get the psychiatrists on their back as well. But we'll see. Will report back if I learn anything interesting.

PS: Here are two links you may find interesting:

Reactive Hypoglycemia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia

And it's connection to mental health (Big site. Very interesting articles):
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/

[Fender_Bender]

(10-20-2015 11:17 AM)Filbert Wrote:  

What some recommend is long-distance running, like 1-2 hours per day.
Another good remedy is sleep deprivation.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...epression/

While the long distance running might work (I can't because my knee joints are questionable) there is no way in hell sleep deprivation can help depression. I always feel worse and less capable of doing ANYTHING when I'm sleep deprived. When I haven't slept well I find myself slipping into negativity and not doing much of anything very easily compared to when I'm well rested.

Something that helps me that I picked up from the Danger and Play podcast was simply going for a walk (30 min or so, preferably in a park, woods, or other natural area) and forcing myself to be very observant of what exactly I'm looking at, describing the visuals and other sensations I'm coming across rather than letting my brain troll through random thoughts and worries.

EDIT: I made the mistake of trying to refute the paper you linked with anecdotal evidence, but that's my experience at least. I would be surprised if I knew anyone who felt better after depriving themselves of sleep.

[Odin]

I divorced from the wife and lost my kids ....and went through some depression periods, had a Psych throw 4 different medications at me, which i swiftly tossed in the bin.

Best way i found are:

• Stop drinking Alcohol.
• Take up Weights
• Get a T Booster and Boost your T whilst going to the gym
• Take 25mg of DHEA a week
• Take a few 5 HTP now and again
• Focus on your job and what you want to achieve in the next 2-3 years.
• For pleasure take some MDMA
  

good luck stay positive !

[tynamite]

It doesn't matter who you talk to or what the professionals, doctors or hospitals tell you or do, all what will happen is you'll be put on antidepressants. It's up to you to improve you life. Nobody is going to give you a handout. You have to earn it yourself. It doesn't matter how much people love you or know you, the only person who knows what you want in life is you, and telling them isn't going to change that. Be proactive, ambitious and constructive and don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do in life for any reason unless you'll be in trouble for it.

[Repo]

This might sound a little gay but it has helped a bit for me. Be careful what music you listen to. Avoid anything dark or even aggressive. Avoid that hardcore rap before your workout. Hell, avoid most rap music in general if you are really going through it. Stick to bright, positive, happy music. Even if your not really listening to it, a positive tune in the background can help.

[Hypno]

(10-21-2015 01:47 PM)Odin Wrote:  

I divorced from the wife and lost my kids ....and went through some depression periods, had a Psych throw 4 different medications at me, which i swiftly tossed in the bin.

Best way i found are:

• Stop drinking Alcohol.
• Take up Weights
• Get a T Booster and Boost your T whilst going to the gym
• Take 25mg of DHEA a week
• Take a few 5 HTP now and again
• Focus on your job and what you want to achieve in the next 2-3 years.
• For pleasure take some MDMA
  

good luck stay positive !

Generally good advice, but be aware that while DHEA is harmless in most people it gives me anxiety, which is something different from depression.

MDMA - that may be your problem there. Using drugs like that in your youth will eventually screw you up and may have caused your depression.

[nityasharma941]

Effective treatments for anxiety and depression include psychotherapy and medication therapy with drugs, such as serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants, explains the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. A common form of psychotherapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are a class of drugs effective in treating both mood and anxiety disorders, as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America explains. They prevent nerve cells in the brain from reabsorbing serotonin, which causes the mood-improving chemical to be more readily available in the brain. SSRIs can help reduce symptoms of all types anxiety disorders, but patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder often need higher doses to see benefits. The downside of SSRIs is that they sometimes produce weight gain, insomnia and sexual dysfunction.
Doctors commonly prescribe serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, to treat generalized anxiety disorder, notes the ADAA. This class of drugs increases levels of both norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain by preventing their reabsorbtion. Potential negative effects of SNRIs include headaches, stomach discomfort and blood pressure increases.
Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam and clonazepam, are useful for managing anxiety symptoms on a short-term basis, states the ADAA. They work by reducing tension in muscles and inducing relaxation; however, they are not ideal for patients requiring long-term solutions because patients can develop a tolerance to them, resulting in the need for higher and higher doses to achieve symptom relief.

[Hypno]

Here is an interesting essay about scientific research finding that depression being tied to inflammation, and that the way to fix it is to fix the inflammation. Generally you do that by eating more vegetables and fiber and less sugar and processed foods. Exercise helps. Certain supplemetns like Curcumin help as well.

https://chriskresser.com/is-depression-a...lammation/

[MongolianAbroad]

RioNomad's post from the Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) thread should be saved here. It's a great post, anyone that's been there knows it's a truth bomb, hopefully it will help someone else in the future. I cosign on every single point.

Quote:

People who have never dealt with real depression won't understand how someone like him or Chris Cornell, or anyone, can kill themselves. I honestly never did either until the past year, which has been a miserable and tormenting year for me.

I'm 99% sure I'd never kill myself, but I can easily understand how someone can now. It's like you're trapped in solitary confinement and you can't escape, because you're trapped in your head. Terrible thoughts constantly bombard you in the worst possible way and you can't get away from them.

I see Joe Rogan, who I honestly never cared for that much, talking about how he doesn't understand depression or how Cornell could kill himself and how people should just exercise and they will feel great. It doesn't work that way, and if you've never truly been depressed, not just feeling blue, you can never really understand. When you have real depression, exercise won't make you feel much better. If you feel down and blue, exercise absolutely will make you feel great, and it does help with depression, but not nearly to the same extent as people think.

I even posted on here before about how I thought my cousin was a big pussy for being depressed and suicidal, and how he needed to hit the gym, get laid, and get the fuck over it. Now I understand him. Something has changed in me the past couple of years and it's really fucked me up. I never ever struggled with anxiety and depression in my life until recently, so it has been a big shock to me.

I wanted to write this just because I'm sure other people here are in the same situation. I think it's a fucking epidemic in the modern world, for a lot of reasons that I won't get into. But I know a few things (and a person or two) have been helping me, so I thought this would be a good place to share.

1. Get on a sleep schedule. This one is hard for me, but I'm slowly getting into more of a pattern of going to bed and waking up at set times, and not sleeping until 12-4PM like a lazy fuck. The earlier I can wake up, the better I feel. I am also more productive, which has been extremely hard for me. If I wake up and do something, ANYTHING, I feel better.

2. Use a lightbox. You guys all know the thread here, read it. It helps and feels good to sit under it in the morning. I put a big stupid fake smile on my face while I do it. Fake smiles actually make you feel better. Good posture also.

3. Eat healthy. High fat, moderate protein, low carb is the winner for me. It's hard to follow, but when I do, I feel so much better psychically and mentally. I have very fucked up digestion and stomach issues which contribute a great deal to my problems. I'm in the process of fixing this, but as of now, a high fat diet seems to really help. Oils, nuts, grass fed butter, etc. Also, eat ENOUGH CALORIES. For me personally, if I don't eat enough, I become a madman. My head goes crazy and I can't control where my mind wanders. Even eating crap food like a PB&J with a glass of milk usually takes off the edge. Try not to eat crap food, but for me, crap food is better than no food. Fucking Taco Bell $5 big box gets me all of the time lol.

4. Exercise. Yes, I know what I wrote above about Rogan, but it does help. Just not in the way it helps when you're just feeling bummed out. I don't leave the gym feeling like a gladiator anymore, but lifting regularly helps. Sometimes when I feel like shit I'll force myself to put on gym clothes and say "I'm just going to go hit 5 sets of 10 reps of rows, and if I want to, I'll leave." The thing is I have NEVER actually left, and often times end up staying 1.5 hours and crushing back and having a great workout. Pick your favorite and easiest compound exercise and just go do it, even if it isn't much. Working out during the day is better for me too. I get outside, lift, and don't spend so much time zoned out at the computer.

5. GET OUTSIDE. This is a big one. I work online, and it is fucking miserable to stare off into a screen all day. Get outside and walk. Keep your head up high, shoulders back, and walk like you're the fucking man. After 30-60 minutes I feel much, much better. It also is a great time to think on ways to FIX your problems, instead of laying in bed dwelling on them and feeling down. This is when I have my best ideas and feel the most hope.

6. Remember there IS hope. You're in a hole, a fucking deep and shitty one, but you can get out of it. It'll take time and effort, even when you don't think you have any effort to give, but try to do one or two of the things on this list and you'll start to feel a little better each time, and go from there.

Meds didn't work for me, and I'd never take them again. Last ditch effort and they were garbage for me. Maybe they work for you, but not for me. I don't want them.

I almost just deleted this, but I think I'm going to post it anyways. Even though everyone on the internet is a badass that fucks 10's, if this helps one person, then it was worth posting and making myself look like a pussy lol.

Off to crush some legs.

[Cr33pin]

You are what you eat

[Batman_]

Here are some suggestions that have helped me though I should issue the caveat that none of these have actually cured it in any way shape or form. They just make it easier sometimes.

-Therapy (in my experience psychoanalysis is best if its deeply rooted, chronic depression)
-Meditation
-Supplements/drugs (vitamin D, b-complex, magnesium, tyrosine, Tianeptine are some good places to start)
-Exercise (do whatever you like, I prefer weight lifting)
-Develop good sleep habits (no electronics late at night, redshift screens with programs like Flux, sleep in cold environments with as little light as possible and white noise, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day)
-Get rid of poisonous people in your life
-Keep a journal and write all of your thoughts, ideas, feelings, observations, etc with analysis and introspection
-Develop a good diet. That means different things to different people but the most important thing is eat a balanced diet that well get you all nutrients you need, especially fats, while avoiding sugar like the plague.
-Sunlight. Vitamin D supplementation can only be so effective. Plus there are no doubt psychological benefits to sunlight unrelated to vitamin D synthesis.

[tonysoprano]

I struggled with depression/anxiety for a few years and still do here and there, but what has helped me so far is this (80% recovery in a few months & just getting started):

DIET

Completely cutting out simple carbs like bread and pasta (replace with brown rice or quinoa if you need carbs for energy), limiting sugar intake, quitting drinking completely, and eating small meals throughout the day rather than 2 big ones.

I suspect that I have blood sugar issues because after I exercise I get extremely anxious and experience brain fog, but as soon as I eat something I go back to normal. Same with waking up in the morning. If I don't eat breakfast I can't concentrate and become extremely anxious. This was especially bad when I was doing IF and not eating from 8pm to 1pm. Fasting is out of the question until you fix your blood sugar issues, don't listen to the bro-scientists telling you that you NEED to fast. Fuck that, everyone's body is different.

The main thing with this is to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Do these things happen to you? If you're not sure start paying attention. Keep a food journal and make mental note of how you feel depending on what you eat or other lifestyle factors. I plan on reversing my blood sugar / health issues completely within a few years by doing this and living a completely healthy lifestyle.

SUPPLEMENTATION

Admittedly I haven't done a ton of research into this yet, but vitamins like D3, Magnesium, B-complex, Zinc, Calcium, etc. (still experimenting with this) seem to have helped me so far. I'm also looking into finding a quality probiotic to re-populate my gut with healthy bacteria, as I suspect that my high antibiotic intake as a kid (acne meds) completely destroyed my gut flora. In the meantime I've been eating lots of yogurt.

If you took antibiotics for acne as a kid I would highly suggest you think back to when you started having issues with anxiety/depression, and you'll realize that it was at about the same time you started taking them. Gut health directly impacts brain health and there are many studies that prove this.

SLEEP

Fixing my sleep schedule by forcing myself to get up before 8am every day has done wonders. We all know that feeling when you feel so run down in the morning and you feel like you need to press snooze just to get that extra hour of rest in. EVERY TIME YOU DO THIS IT'S MAKING IT WORSE.

Do this instead: set your alarm for 8am or earlier and place it across the room. Jump out of bed as soon as it wakes you up and immediately jump in the shower, start making breakfast, or do some pushups. Within a minute or two you'll feel wide awake because your brain will catch up to your body and realize, oh shit, I should probably wake up my body is telling me to. You have to do this even if you are getting to bed late, and after a few days of this you'll fall behind on sleep and end up passing out early, like around 10PM. If you keep this up within a week or two you should start to wake up naturally about 15 mins before your alarm goes off and your are no longer being woken up in the middle of REM deep sleep, which can cause daytime fatigue/drowsiness/depression.

CONCLUSION

Mental health is completely related to physical health, nutrition, sleep, and lifestyle factors. This is why anti-depressants/SSRI's don't cure mental health issues, they just provide temporary relief and down the line make things worse. It's because they're masking the problem, not getting to the root cause. Whatever you do, do not go on meds and don't let your doctor tell you that any of these "diseases" are permanent. It will take a lot of work, but the majority of the time they are completely reversible with proper changes in nutrition and lifestyle.

[MaceTyrell]

Following this thread, as I need the advice.

So far my best remedy as been a relatively low dose of Wellbutrin, combined with exercise.

[debeguiled]

(08-22-2017 12:13 AM)MaceTyrell Wrote:  

Following this thread, as I need the advice.

So far my best remedy as been a relatively low dose of Wellbutrin, combined with exercise.

No therapy?

A good, male, non-SJW therapist can be a life saver.

[Cr33pin]

[puckerman]

Ayahuasca is the best anti-depressant I've found. Find a ceremony in your area if you can. If you can't, go to a good place in Perú. I highly recommend the Ayahuasca Foundation. I have done 41 ceremonies over about 39 months. I am thankful to this web site for introducing me to this powerful medicine.

Do not do ayahuasca if you are on any prescriptions. Mixing them can be fatal.

[Hypno]

Mike Cernovich has an old article in which he credits an inexpensive supplement, basically an amino acid, N-Acectylsystein (NAC) with curing his depression. Says his family has a history of mental illness.

NAC is given to people who overdose on certain things, like Tylenol. It detoxes the liver. The theory is that mental health problems are caused by toxins in your body, either in your liver or your brain.

I can't vouch for its but Cernovich is worth listening to.

[flanders]

Mitigating depression, like a lot of other complex problems, rarely has one cause and requires ruling things out over time. Make a list of all the things that could be causing or worsening it and ask yourself what you can do to either make things better or reduce the impact.

It's known that diet, sleep quality, lifestyle, mindset, and money issues can make existing depression worse. I'll list a few possibilities.

Diet - are you going 80/20 on a relatively clean diet? Mostly meat and vegetables with enough starches to get by? Obesity and sugar has been known to cause or worsen existing depression. Try to lose twenty pounds and increase your sensitivity to insulin and your depression might just disappear. IF protocols work for this.

Sleep quality - Do you wake up tired in the morning? If you can afford it, have you seen a specialist or do you suspect you have sleep apnea? Have you tried nose breathing or mouth tape?

Lifestyle - This is very broad and encompasses a lot of subjects.
Do you have good friends or relatives you can talk to? Do you get enough sun? Do you lift weights? It has been found that lifting weights (no other changes made) can reduce or eliminate depression and anxiety in men. Do you have actual responsibilities in life that give you purpose and a reason to get out of bed in the morning?

Mindset - When you meet new people, what is their first impression of you?
How others see you tends to be a solid metric of how you see yourself.

How you carry yourself tends to reflect your mindset, so sit up straight, stand and walk with good posture, and the feedback loop may eliminate what you thought was depression entirely. Many people believe they suffer from depression when in reality they are just numb to their own emotions due to crippling anxiety and feelings of powerlessness, caused or exacerbated by horseshit posture. Nobody treats the guy who walks around hunched over terribly well, and if they do it's out of habit or pity.

The Last Psychiatrist has an article about this. He makes a convincing argument that assuming a powerless position is a defense against shame. Make of that what you will. Be aware that if you do make these physical changes, it may draw out a lot of buried shame or negativity that needs to be reconciled.

There are a lot of mindset books out there and this niche has exploded in popularity in recent years, so find something useful on the subject if you need to.

Money issues - Are you suffering from long-term debt problems? Debt burnout can look like depression. Get Out Of Debt Guy probably has the answers you're looking for.

A doctor I talk to at times mentioned to me that a significant number of old people are prescribed antidepressants because they tend to cut back on their salt intake, which weakens the strength of the hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. This has the effect of making them unable to digest protein properly, having a cascading effect of drastically reducing serotonin and causing depression. I am not sure if this science is correct (if there are doctors on the forum, do us all a favor and chime in), but consider your salt intake. For what it's worth, Poliquin espouses the pinch of himalayan salt and lime juice shot every morning for better digestion and gut health, along with the steak/eggs and nuts breakfast.

On a closing note - I notice that a lot of people on the internet have a negative opinion of psychiatry. It is unwise to fall into this trap. Medications can work wonders in a lot of people, and most importantly it can give you the mental space required to make the actual lifestyle changes that could eliminate depression long term.

There are risks that you should be aware of when taking pills (stop immediately and go to a hospital if you have suicidal thoughts) and don't let your psychiatrist bulldoze you into taking large doses of whatever without you researching it first. For many people, going to a psychiatrist is recognizing that you have a problem that is interfering with your life and are taking steps to change that. It is also possible that through some questionnaires they may find you have something other than depression, or underlying conditions that complicate treatment. It's hard to know for sure without seeking a professional. Best of luck.

[Fortis]

Exercise, getting laid and leaving USA all dealt handily with my depression. Still get downturns, but nothing as severe as I did when I was living back home.

[PUA_Rachacha]

(11-27-2017 06:16 AM)Hypno Wrote:  

Mike Cernovich has an old article in which he credits an inexpensive supplement, basically an amino acid, N-Acectylsystein (NAC) with curing his depression. Says his family has a history of mental illness.

NAC is given to people who overdose on certain things, like Tylenol. It detoxes the liver. The theory is that mental health problems are caused by toxins in your body, either in your liver or your brain.

I can't vouch for its but Cernovich is worth listening to.

NAC is especially good for those who suffer from OCD and have anxiety-caused depression.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evo...i-have-nac

[Ethan.Allan]

About five years ago I suppose I was what you'd call depressed: transferring colleges and the parents comparing me to older bros out of college put me in a bad funk during the summer. I fought it by getting angry.
Having your raison d'etre as anger is no way to live. Ended up going to the emergency room for bad hypertension. T'was then I learned to care less about what folks thought and enjoy the little things in life. But it was another three years until the redpill found me.
Doing something physical that you enjoy -carpentry, weight lifting, walks, etc- can help keep the melancholies at bay.