Stanford's Sapolsky On Depression in U.S. (Full Lecture)

This was posted in a HN comment not too long ago. It's a very good lecture that goes into both the biological and psychological aspects of depression and then manages to tie them together. ▶ this video > We say that there is something wrong with their brains, rather than saying that there is something wrong with society. The real answer is probably a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B.

in “We Need to Have Sympathy for Those With Depression. It is an Illness” · View on HN

And for something less disappointing see this Robert Sapolsky lecture ▶ this video Also his lecture series on Human Behavioral Biology.

in “The Opportunity Theory of Depression” · View on HN

Years ago I found the video by Dr. Robert Sapolsky[1] to be a good introduction to the topic of depression. I also suffered a major depression of my own about six years ago. It was a horrible time in my life. [1] ▶ this video

in “Experimental depression treatment is nearly 80% effective in controlled study” · View on HN

Stanford's Sapolsky does a pretty good job explaining what is and isn't. I recommend the full lecture, it's interesting stuff: ▶ this video

in “I built an app to fix my depression” · View on HN

I find it very disheartening to see antidepressants described as "happy pills" that "numb your senses". Comments like this only serve to reinforce the stigma around these medications. This stigma is the part of the reason why I held out from seeking help for years. My experience taking Mirtazapine has been the exact opposite. At the deepest point of my depression, that is when I was "numb". Like many people I would listen to sad music when I was depressed, but eventually sad music didn't make me feel sad anymore, I literally just felt nothing. Since being on Mirtazapine, my depression is gone for the first time in 13 years and it's completely changed my life. I still have the full human emotional range - I have good/bad moods (mostly good), days where I feel bored/meh, I cry at the sad parts in films. The antidepressants cured my depression, they haven't given me a false sense of inflated happiness. The question of "am I actually happy?" doesn't even really cross my mind. I'm just content. The only side effects I experienced were 3 days of extreme tiredness when I first started taking them, which then subsided. And my appetite increased, so I have gained a few pounds, but since I was already quite skinny and had started lifting weights, this has been a net plus. I found this lecture by Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky highly insightful - ▶ this video - We all get depressed, it's a normal part of life, but depression is a disease which causes you to stay depressed for no reason,

in “Surviving Depression” · View on HN

Depression correlates with hormonal changes, but saying it's a result of it is reductionistic and inaccurate. Depression also highly correlates with changes in inflammatory markers called cytokines[1], but reducing it to a single biological factor never yields an accurate pathogenesis of the disease. Robert Sapolskys Stanford Lecture gives a good overview of the interaction an relationship of the main risk factors causing depression[2]. [1] [link] [2] ▶ this video [Robert Sapolsky On Depression]

in “Exercise as a treatment for depression: a meta-analysis (2016)” · View on HN

I agree that depression can be caused by many things. This might be more of a case of chronic depression vs. temporary depression, although I don't presume to know which one the author was/is dealing with. People bounce back from temporary depression, but chronic depression is a problem for life. Here's a great lecture that discusses the differences (I'm pretty sure it was this one... if not, it's still a great lecture): ▶ this video

in “Two Root Causes Of My Recent Depression” · View on HN

I've been incredibly vocal about my stance on depression here on HN in the past, specifically that saying things like "man up" is absurd. Depression, like every other disease on the planet, is not something you "man up" through. It's a disease that happens to manifest itself in the same places that personality does. To a casual, uninformed observer, depression is a choice of behavior. It isn't. You don't get depression from weakness in the same way that you don't get cancer from weakness. Depression also kills more people per year than cancer does. Cancer about 20,000 -- depression about 30,000. (Highly relevant lecture by a very brilliant neuroscientist: ▶ this video ) -- That said, Ed Weissman made an inappropriate comment. Every single person here, including me, has made inappropriate comments in the past. Let's not start the pitchforks and torches just yet, guys. He who is without sin, and all that.

in “Aaron Swartz, Asking For Help, 119 Days Ago” · View on HN

Depression is not a well understood phenomenon. It is vital in such a discussion to be mindful of the term "depression". It is used colloquially as a synonym for being "sad", "grieving" or just having a sad day. I am depressed because my mom died. Usually means "I am going through natural grief process because someone very dear to be died recently" Robert Sapolsky explains this much better than I [1] I have lived with major depression for 3 decades or so. Treatment is frustrating. You go through whatever diagnostic process is being used. Then they throw pills at you. This one might work, take it for 3 weeks - 3 months and tell us how you feel. You have to take it for a good amount of time to ensure that it's "fully working". Some make you more depressed and more suicidal. Some have other serious side effects. If the doctor treating, you figure that you tried out one for long enough they will throw a different pill at you and then you rinse and repeat until you feel better. Then they will start to try combinations. That is even more fun. I have spent years being a Guiney pig for the most part getting worse and having to deal with various side effects. I am not unique in this. It is common for major depression to have to try and fail, try and fail, try and fail meds. We have no physical way to diagnose depression as far as I know. You can't go to the ER and they measure something and can tell you if you are or not. We dont know what causes it, (we have many ideas of things that

in “Study suggests mechanism through which psychedelics may alleviate depression” · View on HN

Stress impact also varies per individual biological differences. According to Sapolsky's lecture on depression [1], a stressful childhood experience is 30x more likely to cause depression in individuals with a particular serotonin-related gene variant. [1] ▶ this video @ 47:00

in “A shift in American family values is fueling estrangement” · View on HN

Okay, my mistake for getting dragged into the archetypal HN argument. It's clear you cannot be convinced. Your original point - that depression has no biomarkers and is extremely subjective - has been proven wrong by a couple others and you've shown no gratitude or interest in this information. Only replying where you think there's an argument to be won. Maybe you, some random person on Hacker News, are not in fact smarter than the medical consensus? ▶ this video

in “Ask HN: How do you deal with depression?” · View on HN

> for me it was about NOT talking oneself into sadness. Exactly. one tool you learn is how your thoughts/feelings/actions interact: You cannot control your feelings, but they do influence your thoughts. You can control your actions, but they can influence at least some of your feelings. You can control some of your thoughts, which will influence your feelings. (I may not have stated this exactly correctly, but the gist is the same ). So basically you learn that if you begin "investing" in healthier actions and thoughts (i.e. not sulking or self-pity or rumination), it will slowly pay off in less negative feelings. No it doesnt' solve every single problem in your life, but a big part of depression is "learned helplessness" [1], and learning about thoughts/feelings/actions can be the first tool to counter this. [1]. ▶ this video

in “Cognitive behavioural therapy is falling out of favour” · View on HN

Depression is an illness. If the guy had died of cancer, would you be reading so much into his decision to "let himself go"? (I confess I find this turn of phrase so repugnant that I can barely bring myself to type it, even inside scare quotes. Its implication is that a person with a proper philosophy, or one whose belief was sufficiently sincere, wouldn't have slacked off to the point that they suffered from a debilitating, painful, often fatal condition that is apparently the number-four cause of disability in the USA: ▶ this video )

in “The Happiest Regions in the U.S.” · View on HN

▶ this video "Stanford Professor Robert Sapolsky, posits that depression is the most damaging disease that you can experience. Right now it is the number four cause of disability in the US and it is becoming more common. Sapolsky states that depression is as real of a biological disease as is diabetes."

in “Depressed woman loses benefits over Facebook photos” · View on HN