Thread: Depression

"new study of Chinese-American youth has found that family obligation, for example caring for siblings or helping elders, plays a positive role in the mental health of Chinese-American adolescents and may prevent symptoms of depression in later teenage years."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0604124804.htm

Just thought this might be useful for some people out there looking for alternative treatments for depression.

You can't ignore the east-west duality of philosophy and culture though. The east tends to focus more on one's responsibilities whereas the west tends to focus more on one's individuality. So it is possible the helping one's family, might just be comforting that socially engineered part of the brain. In western culture it might do the opposite. So art, for example, might help the westerner more. Of course these are generalizations, and there are bound to be exceptions. In my opinion though there is an ideal balance between civil duty and individual expression.

Solution no.2:

Put depressed people in jail.

LOL

I was thinking forced labor camps. Since exercise and responsibility is correlated with helping fight depression.

Just kidding

I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.

Indeed, though it might just be easier to hide/forget when your busy.

It does seem to be most predominant in those who have the most free time.

but that in no way is to say that all people suffering from depression are lazy, to the contrary, they might be overworked and over stressed, trying to avoid the symptoms

Originally Posted by spuriousmonkey

Solution no.2:

Put depressed people in jail.

Seems like a plan since all the medication we have created for them isn't working.

We could give them morphine or endorphines at a regular basis. Twice a day or something.

Yeah that would work too, at that point who cares if they end up with a dependency as long as they are happy right?

Make them watch Oprah Winfrey.

Originally Posted by spuriousmonkey

Make them watch Oprah Winfrey.

Eeew... The thought alone makes me want to puke!

Originally Posted by spuriousmonkey

Solution no.2:

Put depressed people in jail.

More expensive than paying for the various drugs, in all likelihood.

Let them deal with it themselves, I say. It may sound heartless, but it works very well for me. I'd hate to become dependant on a drug or a person to prevent me being depressed.

Almost all problems can be solved if you are willing to go out and solve them.

I've never seen a depressed person dance. I don't know if they are related, but I think anyone who is depressed and trying to "cure" themselves might think about heading to a jazz club and getting loosened up for starters.

Originally Posted by Artemis

I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.

Call me a cynic (if thats even spelled correctly) but i think the sole reason people feel better for helping others are PURELY from a selfish standpoint.

1) They get attention.
2) They see people that has it worse than them.
3) They are given a sense of purpose. Idioticly enough it seems humans are addicted to having a "purpose" wich is why i love nihilism wich spits in the face of that very idea. Purpose seem to make people happy by giving them a sense of self-worth. Wich is destructive because it amplifies the value of WHAT a person is and not WHO a person is.

It sure would be a selfish world if everyone did things for other people wouldnt it!?

Originally Posted by Raziell

Originally Posted by Artemis

I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.

Call me a cynic (if thats even spelled correctly) but i think the sole reason people feel better for helping others are PURELY from a selfish standpoint.

1) They get attention.
2) They see people that has it worse than them.
3) They are given a sense of purpose. Idioticly enough it seems humans are addicted to having a "purpose" wich is why i love nihilism wich spits in the face of that very idea. Purpose seem to make people happy by giving them a sense of self-worth. Wich is destructive because it amplifies the value of WHAT a person is and not WHO a person is.

I call you an Egoist, not a cynic. Egotistically speaking, every action made had been selfish at it's core. Meh, it's a way of thinking, and I can see how it's true.

Originally Posted by Raziell

Originally Posted by Artemis

I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.

Call me a cynic (if thats even spelled correctly) but i think the sole reason people feel better for helping others are PURELY from a selfish standpoint.

1) They get attention.
2) They see people that has it worse than them.
3) They are given a sense of purpose. Idioticly enough it seems humans are addicted to having a "purpose" wich is why i love nihilism wich spits in the face of that very idea. Purpose seem to make people happy by giving them a sense of self-worth. Wich is destructive because it amplifies the value of WHAT a person is and not WHO a person is.

I don't think that is true at all, though there might be point in your third statement. People can actually enyoy helping other people without getting anymore out of it then the staisfaction and the thankfulnes. It has nothing to do with other people being more misserable then yourself. It has more to do with the time you would normaly take to be selfloathing, which you don't have if you have to spend it on others.

People who are alone and poor, have to fight to keep themselves alive. Everyday it is strugle for them. Those people, for example, won't even think about ever committing suicide, while a rich lonely person might, just because he or she has all the time to do so.

Originally Posted by drowsy turtle

Let them deal with it themselves,

Almost all problems can be solved if you are willing to go out and solve them.

So true, but it can be very hard to take the steps that may be needed to come out of this cycle of selfloathing and/or -hatred. A good psych can really help if you are willing to listen and TALK about your problems (the latter is usual a big problem)

Originally Posted by Raziell

Call me a cynic (if thats even spelled correctly) but i think the sole reason people feel better for helping others are PURELY from a selfish standpoint.

1) They get attention.

Wrong. I do not. I keep it to myself; family and friends largely don't know what I'm thinking/feeling.

Originally Posted by Raziell

2) They see people that has it worse than them.

Hence my reply to (1).

Originally Posted by Raziell

3) They are given a sense of purpose. Idioticly enough it seems humans are addicted to having a "purpose" wich is why i love nihilism wich spits in the face of that very idea. Purpose seem to make people happy by giving them a sense of self-worth. Wich is destructive because it amplifies the value of WHAT a person is and not WHO a person is.

hehe. I am a nihilist, and depressed.

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works. Probably I'm just a statistical outlier.

Originally Posted by Artemis

Originally Posted by drowsy turtle

Let them deal with it themselves,

Almost all problems can be solved if you are willing to go out and solve them.

So true, but it can be very hard to take the steps that may be needed to come out of this cycle of selfloathing and/or -hatred. A good psych can really help if you are willing to listen and TALK about your problems (the latter is usual a big problem)

I'm sure you're right. I don't want to talk about it though.

Originally Posted by drowsy turtle

I don't want to talk about it though.

Lol, nor should you to me. There are better suited people then me, or even profesionals if you want

Just know that you're not alone...

At least that's what they tell me

lol don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm by no means the worst I've ever been.

Strenuous exercise I have found to be the best cure. Running through the woods is particularly theraputic.

So is playing chicken with traffic, but I'm not doing that again :wink:

Originally Posted by drowsy turtle

lol don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm by no means the worst I've ever been.

Strenuous exercise I have found to be the best cure. Running through the woods is particularly theraputic.

So is playing chicken with traffic, but I'm not doing that again :wink:

You should run through the wood naked!

I would love to, but a court order insists I mustn't...

Originally Posted by Sfere

You should run through the wood naked!

Hèhè, I've tried that one... Not really a good idea if I may say so... But perhaps that's because I tried it at noon when almost everyone seems to walk the dog The noon part isn't really a problem, the dogs are if you get what I mean.

seven words and a colon: chew toy

From a genetic standpoint, yes everything is for the purpose of the survival of one's own genes.

But in that sense, I often wonder if we don't experience "bad" things: like pain, sadness, fear, etc

just as a motivational force to find "good" things: comfort, pleasure, happiness, safety

etc

this goes hand and hand with the whole depression-artistic ability relationship

luvox made me worse

Originally Posted by marcusclayman

I've never seen a depressed person dance. I don't know if they are related, but I think anyone who is depressed and trying to "cure" themselves might think about heading to a jazz club and getting loosened up for starters.

That is a good way to fight depression. When a person is happy he sometimes dance, so maybe dancing will fool the body into thinking it is happy and also u get some endorphin kicking into the brain.

Depression is common now a days.. here I am sharing some tips to reduce it.

-> Get physical exercise

Adults forget about exercise when suffering from depression. Make sure you are exercising daily and sending more oxygen to your brain cells. The result of exercise will improve your health as well as your attitude.

-> Breathe deep and relax.

Practice the following breathing exercise to relax your body and mind.

Breathe deeply and relax. For 2 or 3 minutes each hour, take a short mental vacation.

You can engage in this exercise while you are standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or when listening to others while talking on a telephone. You can complete the exercise at home or at work.

Originally Posted by Artemis

I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.

after 911 and still i guess i was depressed and traumatized and after the cops were killed in wa state

life is getting depressing and chaotic!!!

Depression is not an effect of depressing things, but things seem depressing because you are already vulnerable.

Don't think you'd really class it as depression if you're sad/scared because sad and scary things keep happening. Depression tends to be marked by negative feelings out of proportion with a person's experiences. It's very much a medical condition, albeit one which can be heavily induced or modulated by personal experiences with an emotional impact.

Originally Posted by Raziell

Originally Posted by Artemis

I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.

Call me a cynic (if thats even spelled correctly) but i think the sole reason people feel better for helping others are PURELY from a selfish standpoint.

1) They get attention.
2) They see people that has it worse than them.
3) They are given a sense of purpose. Idioticly enough it seems humans are addicted to having a "purpose" wich is why i love nihilism wich spits in the face of that very idea. Purpose seem to make people happy by giving them a sense of self-worth. Wich is destructive because it amplifies the value of WHAT a person is and not WHO a person is.

In my opinion, supporting others satisfies conscience (abiding by the principle of all sentient life being selfish); i.e. I believe evolution derived a conscience in an effort to interpret emotional constraints for accurate assessments on acquiring more value from the victim. Inadvertently, this delegates our own emotional experience; i.e. our own emotional cognition reflects upon that of the victim, and thereby causing ourselves to feel their experience. Supporting others may lessen the emotional impedance provoked by our conscience interpreting external entities - thus, by lessening their negativity, we reduce the negative experiences derived from our own conscience.

Meditation and Yoga is the better choice to avoid depression.



http://www.soberrecovery.com/

Raziell wrote:
Artemis wrote:
I had a discussion on depression with a friend of mine just the other day. We think that depression is somewhat a luxary problem. Poor people who are figthing just to keep themselves and/or their families alive seem to have less depression or suicidal problems. So it is probably true that when you have responsibilities other then your own, the chance of becoming depressed is smaller then when being alone.


Call me a cynic (if thats even spelled correctly) but i think the sole reason people feel better for helping others are PURELY from a selfish standpoint.

1) They get attention.
2) They see people that has it worse than them.
3) They are given a sense of purpose. Idioticly enough it seems humans are addicted to having a "purpose" wich is why i love nihilism wich spits in the face of that very idea. Purpose seem to make people happy by giving them a sense of self-worth. Wich is destructive because it amplifies the value of WHAT a person is and not WHO a person is.

I agree with you, although some people here seem absolutely not to agree. But in my opinion that is only for their benefit. To keep the illusion going. You are really not wired that way, in a biological sense. I think these notion has been made by many philosophers and religious man in the past, reflecting a need for salvation or enlightment. A result of a brain that can capture and reason about the essences of life and how it should be, but has to work with an ancient brain that has very little to do with that. But for some, this way of thinking has been a threat for ages, blocking the knowledge of the heart, that we are in essence extremely good and loving people (I tend to disagree, but I'm sure people love positive feelings and can reason about life, which will lead to good behavior) Although I believe that you can liberate the ancient by reason, for a large part that is, which is enlightning, but I do not believe that you will help others purely for their needs. It would take a long way, and you will logically never know for sure. Perhaps you would be able to accelerate the processes by cutting out some brain tissue. Makes me think of God, saying that he would one day live among us, carving his commandments in our flesh. And of course I do not feel these three points when I help others, I would function less effectively. It is an automatic process that is necessary and should be valued.

Interesting information about health you cand find here on : http://www.humanrestore.com/

Today's era life become busy and fast. Tension and stress is part of every persons life. There are many ways to reduce depression like think positive, face all situation with confidence, eat healthy food, make god relation with every one and so on.