Depression is a disease of civilization: Stephen Ilardi at TEDxEmory
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN recommends it in depression threads as a practical, non-medication approach with concrete takeaways.
What it is
Clinical psychologist Stephen Ilardi argues depression is a disease of modern civilization and presents a lifestyle-based program to treat it without drugs. Topics include exercise, sunlight, omega-3s and social connection.
Recommended by 4 HN commenters across 4 different months, 2014 to 2022.
What Hacker News said
Recommends Lifescape · 2014-11 · on “The poetry and brief life of a Foxconn worker: Xu Lizhi (1990-2014)”
Maybe depression can't be 'fixed', but you can learn to understand it and find ways to ignore it. This helped me: [this video] It's different for everyone so it might not make a difference.
Recommends jointpdf · 2021-06 · on “I will never not talk about my depression”
On the topic of destigmatization, I recommend this Robert Sapolsky lecture (on the neurobiology of depression) to everyone to understand just how physical and systemic depression is: [LINK] . For understanding how lifestyle changes can help treat depression, I recommend this: [this video] . He contradicts the author on the point of exercise—it is one of the most potent medicines (though hard to administer to yourself when you’re depressed). Reflecting on my own (extensive) experiences with depression and its co-conspirators, I think there are two deep fears that inhibit seeking or sticking with treatment: 1. What happens if I don’t get better? Then I’m hopeless. 2. What happens if I do get better
Recommends rancar2 · 2022-01 · on “Loving Someone with Depression”
There are programs, non-profits, and alternative treatments depending on the country/region/state/city. If you are able to send US text messages for free to/from the US, you can use X2AI’s chatbot for free by texting “YC” to (650) 825-9634. It will at least get you access to CBT coaching, which has shown to help. Medication (once one finds the right one for themselves) helps many, but here is a good TED talk on approaches without medication: [this video] Disclosure: I know the founder.
Recommends hsn915 · 2022-04 · on “Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?”
I can't say I had full on depression, but I did go through periods where I spent more time in bad moods than good moods, and I didn't have a clear idea of where I was going in life. I remember watching this video [this video] Two points I remember clearly taking from this lecture: - Omega-3. Make sure they are 1) high quality 2) high EPA content 3) over 1000mg of EPA per day - Walking. If you can spend more than one hour walking, do it. The other things I sort of knew, like sunlight and social connection. They are also very important, obviously. So, try to find a way, any way, to have some sort of social connection. Nothing deep. Just very casual and occasional. I used to go to meetup.com and loo
Cites rak00n · 2016-09 · on “Most Depressed Adults in the U.S. Remain Untreated”
I saw this TedTalk[0] earlier that vouches this idea. The genes we got from our hunterer gatherer ancestors cannot sustain sedentary isolated life we live today. [0] [this video] .
Cites schackbrian · 2018-01 · on “Does Depression Have an Evolutionary Purpose? (2017)”
This reminded me of a Scientific American article from nine years ago about the evolutionary roots of depression. It says that depression is a useful adaptation: [LINK] Dr. Stephen Ilardi from the University of Kansas takes the opposite position. In his book, The Depression Cure, he says that depression is a disease of modernity. "[O]ur bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, frenzied pace of twenty-first century life." [this video]