/Hacking_Depression

A list of things people are trying to help with their depression


A list of things people are trying to help with their depression and energy levels.

This is a direct response to this question on Hacker News: View Original Posting Here

So I thought I would start a list (since there were two things on the front page of HN that day already). It always struck me that self-help can be really effective (when combined with medical advice) at mitigating some parts of depression for some people.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. If you have depression you should see a medical professional about it. Maybe you should ask them about the things on this list?

Please send pull requests with things to add or a revised order of things. Let's start it as a page on here and see how it goes. I have linked to Hacker News a lot, rather than the actual article as the discussions tend to be very instructive.

Table of Contents:

Things people are trying to help with their depression

Mental techniques

  1. Mindfulness https://www.mindful.org/the-mindful-way-through-depression-video/

  2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy http://cbtsanfrancisco.com/cbt-is-for-hackers/

Light therapy

  1. Depression fighting lamps-not just for SAD https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10590068

  2. Measuring the Spectral Characteristics of a Light Therapy Lamp https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16146932

  3. DIY therapy light resources

Manipulate your circadian rhythms

  1. By manipulating your sleep patterns
  1. Taking vitamin D https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16556732

  2. Sleeping in the pitch dark https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16562599

Novel drug therapy

  1. Ketamine https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16555757

  2. Magic mushrooms

  1. Curry spices https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16225531

  2. Vitamin D https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17001681

  3. Nutrient therapy

Talk about it

  1. By blogging http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/depression-part-two.html

  2. By Blogging https://zachholman.com/posts/the-depression-thing

Look for a cause

  1. Depression is a symptom https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11372377

  2. Depression as a network http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/12/14/ssc-journal-club-mental-disorders-as-networks/

Exercise

  1. How it may work

Other resources

  1. Things that sometimes help if you are depressed http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/06/16/things-that-sometimes-help-if-youre-depressed/

  2. Mental health on a budget http://slatestarcodex.com/2018/04/25/mental-health-on-a-budget/