"The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence": www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0 Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses on the planet. Unfortunately, most people misunderstand it. They believe that it exists solely between the ears of the individual in question. This gives rise to the "intrapsychic fallacy", which maintains that depression is either in the brain (the monoamine hypothesis) or the mind (the cognitive hypothesis). However, if this were true, then the interventions designed to address the brain and the mind should have better outcomes. I present an alternative model in this episode. Book a paid consultation: oriontarabanpsyd.com/consultations Social Media Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090053889622 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/orion-taraban-070b45168/ Instagram: instagram.com/psyc.hacks Twitter: twitter.com/oriontaraban Website: oriontarabanpsyd.com Orion's Theme: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WrXBzQ2HDEQ.html Thinking of going to grad school? Check out STELLAR, my top-rated GRE self-study program based on the world's only empirically-validated test prep system. Use the code "PSYCH" for 10% off all membership plans: stellargre.com. Become a Stellar affiliate and earn a 10% commission for every membership purchased by a new student you conduct into the program: stellargre.tapfiliate.com. GRE Bites: www.youtube.com/@grebites4993 Become a Psychonaut and join PsycHack's member community: ru-vid.com/show-UCSduXBjCHkLoo_y9ss2xzXwjoin Sound mixing/editing by: valntinomusic.com Presented by Orion Taraban, Psy.D. PsycHacks provides viewers with a brief, thought-provoking video several days a week on a variety of psychological topics, inspired by his clinical practice. The intention is for the core idea contained within each video to inspire viewers to see something about themselves or their world in a slightly different light. The ultimate mission of the channel is to reduce the amount of unnecessary suffering in the world. #psychology #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness
Thanks sir, I broadly agree and purport the same message in my work as a specialist mental health pharmacist and, prescriber. That being said, we must remember the small proportion of severely depressed people who do respond better to antidepressants than placebo and, for many of them there is a real risk of mortality without them, sometimes ECT and, of course, evidence based psychological interventions. Our issue is the rampant overuse of antidepressants indiscriminately where behavioral and psychological approaches would be more effective… that is our common ground 😊
I am facing a dilemma. It's like no matter what I do, the credit is always taken by someone else...and whatever action is sort of insignificant and appreciating which would tantamount to a "sarcastic reward" is what is finding its way to me. It feels like I'm in a rut and there is no escape. I try to stretch my wings and be a bit more open as compared to being squashed, and it is dealt with aggressive defence. What should I do? My work is like an escape from my home and my home is an escape from work. I really need your help in this regard.
Blimey! I am regularly, and happily, amazed at how Orion logically, intellectually, and so 'real-worldly' challenges long-held popular life-living standards and assumptions. In so doing he points-up "street" ways forward. In this vid the advice "change what you do" stands out to be the flag to nail to your CURRENTLY depressed mast-head. I oft recall my Grandpa's casually said, 50 odd years ago, off the cuff remark, "plough one furrow of your field really well". Note ONE. Effectively meaning become knowledeable/profficient at even only ONE subject/skill and you become a person of STATUS in that area. Thus in your family, friendship group, work environment, or social circle one automatically becomes the "go-to" person in that particular, even seemingly trivial, area; and BANG, one has status, one has respect, one has worth. More importantly one has SELF-respect, one has SELF-worth and DEPRESSION CAN'T LIVE WITHIN YOU ANYMORE! Only just very recently have I started countenancing people to encourage their young family members thus: teach your young girls how to use a SEWING MACHINE, teach your young boys how to PLAY CHESS. I figured those fairly ordinary pursuits do somehow start to equip the young mind with something good, positive, constructive et al. Now I understand from this vid why. Even the hobby of STAMP COLLECTING - knowledge of the PENNY BLACK and the MAURITIUS BLUE (look them up) will make you a STANDOUT whenever the subject of escalating postage charges comes up! Am, and have always been, an introspective long-term worker on my own life view, and this stark, but positively so, vid adds value to even me. Thanks indeed.
@@davidosalsero2519 you plough one furtow well because then the others can simply be lined up with that one and they'll be straight too. It's not that one is enough to do right, is that if you get it right from the beginning, it mages it easier to keep getting right
“The real hopeless victims of mental illness are to be found among those who appear to be most normal. Many of them are normal because they are so well adjusted to our mode of existence, because their human voice has been silenced so early in their lives, that they do not even struggle or suffer or develop symptoms as the neurotic does. They are normal not in what may be called the absolute sense of the word; they are normal only in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their perfect adjustment to that abnormal society is a measure of their mental sickness. These millions of abnormally normal people, living without fuss in a society to which, if they were fully human beings, they ought not to be adjusted.” Aldous Huxley.
The worst people are the ones that push you to open up about your feelings then dismiss those feelings and then start comparing with how they went through something worse and are ok. You're not helping at all whatsoever and are pushing people to just shut down and never open up again.
Yeah, some people try to relate clumsily because they're being polite but don't really care. They blend in with and hide the good people who could actually care, but are still a bit clumsy with figuring out how.
Yet at the same time your happy to hear others going through the same thing as you so you can relate to them. Works both ways buddy.. it's time to grow a 🍐
Depression is not a lack of happiness. That's sadness. Depression is a lack of energy. Specifically internal motivation because of a lack of seeing purpose. Eg "What's the point"
I would argue that sadness is something different, in that it's a sense of loss. Whenever you feel like you've lost something important or valuable to you, and you accept the loss (meaning you are not trying to recover that thing), you feel sad. I suppose you could say that happiness is enjoying the things you do have in life, or that your life is progressing towards the life you want. This is an aside from the topic of depression
I'm the living proof we can defeat depression through recurrent positive behavior and upgrade on living conditions. Two years ago, I could barely get out of the bed and handle most basic tasks. I took a lot of s*** prescribed by my psychiatric and felt like a zombie. Then I decided to toss it all to the bin and spend more time doing things that I liked. I started with my old car, which needed a new paint job and some fixing. After making it the way I wanted it to be, I began to recover the faith in my ability to change my reality. It may sound like a cliché, but that's the REAL KEY to beat depression: to have faith in yourself. Unfortunately, my father couldn't grasp that on time and gave it up too soon, losing a three-year battle against severe depression and brain ischemia. I wish he could have seen it before, like I see it crystal-clear today. But here I am, happier than ever and making 5 times more money than before. It's all on you, fellas. Nobody (I mean NOBODY) can take responsibility for your happiness and wellness.
@@thecurrentmoment I think that it is in line with what Dr. Taraban said. Depression for the most part comes from a distorted perception of the self and the world.
Social media has created attention addiction, a overblown sense of value, and unrealistic expectations of luxury, beauty and perpetual happiness. Damaged goods, with or without the high body count.
That’s not just social media, that’s all media. It’s called capitalist propoganda, because it makes people want to imitate via observation especially when they associate certain cues with high status. Suddenly you buying shit you don’t even need because it also hijaks our evolutionary psych to capitalist ends that don’t serve us, but do a good job of alienating us.
Personally unrealistic expectations of “luxury” is more from tv and media in general and a sort of capitalistic frame which wich most media is done in. Unless you learn about it’s hard to actually spot. Like you wouldn’t even realize it could be different but the dominant frame does affect how things are written and performed. You also have growing income inequality. I do always find it odd how from my research outside women’s egos, women doing porn or only fans sex work in general, is more coorelated with income inequality than anything else. Like some of those shows where they bring the “sluts” on or porn stars etc, like if they talk enough you will see the influence in there stores though even the girls don’t attribute it 100% to this. But that’s what the data shows. There are also increases in insecure attatchments in society, like that includes the men. Perpetual happiness is also not like a social media thing as much as a sort of even religious psychoanalysis projection of desire for security saftey and meeting needs of autonomy competency and relatedness. A lot of that is the media in general no so much social media answer human projection of wish fullfilment. And with addiction, the question typically is not “why the addiction?” But “why the pain?”
The presumption here is that being 'high status' prevents a long-term feeling of being depressed about life in general. That's an interesting hypothesis. The only problem I see with this hypothesis is that a great many 'high status' people -- particularly celebrities and entertainers -- seem emotionally unstable and can sometimes suffer other emotional problems that might be in part caused by their being 'high status'. It seems to me that what people actually need are effective tools for dealing with the ups and downs of life, more than they simply need to become 'high status'. Celebrities and entertainers often report feeling alienated, lonely, pressured, stressed, anxious, used... Many of them often turn to drugs, debauchery and perversion as a result. High status by itself should not be viewed as a cure for anything but low status! What people really need is mental strength and effective emotional tools that will help them to become mentally strong and stable, if they not already.
Good point, but I think celebrity isn't a great example of the kind of hierarchical position that Taraban is talking about. It does appear as though celebrities are on the top of our hierarchy because so much of our cultural attention is oriented toward them, but when you look at their lives and their experienced alienation that you mentioned, it seems more like they've opted out of the hierarchy and have become more of a symbol than a person in the eyes of most people. You can see it in the way people treat celebrities in public, like they're an attraction to take a picture with. No one would treat a person like that if they truly respected them. I think the hierarchy Taraban is talking about is more within the context of your local environment. Where do you stand within your community, your family, your career, your neighbourhood, your town. One's position within a more tangible hierarchy like this will likely predict levels of depression. But you're right that a person does need more than this to have a healthy mind. I just know from experience that it becomes far easier to build the necessary emotional tools as you move away from the bottom. It's truly encouraging when people have some respect for you.
@@ALForb Yeah, I used celebrities as a striking example. Nonetheless, the point here is that achieving higher status on its own is not a cure for anything except low status. Indeed, I would argue just the reverse of what Taraban and you are arguing by saying that a strong mentality is what is frequently necessary to achieve and maintain a higher status in the first place. Sometimes, such in the case of celebrities, talent or skill alone can take you to the top. But what really counts in the long-run is emotional strength to endure and overcome hardship. So, it is not so much higher status that is needed, but emotional strength in the first place -- that is the foundation. Psychology and counseling should be directed towards helping people develop mental strength and emotional well-being for dealing with the ups and downs of life. Thus, even if a person loses everything, he should have the resilience to bounce-back and get on his feet. Status should not determine your strength, your strength should determine your status. (see Stoicism)
@@alwaysgreatusa223 I can get behind all of that in theory. Your last sentence is well put, and I won't argue with it. I agree that bestowing someone with unearned status is certainly not the answer and that a person needs fortitude to gain status. But strength doesn't guarantee you status, and Taraban's video is just about how status correlates with mental well-being (I've had many qualms with Taraban's videos, btw, I'm no fanboy). I can only speak from personal experience: I was severely depressed throughout most of my twenties. I did practice stoicism and saw a good therapist. Those things kept me from harming myself, but it wasn't until I started to make something of myself, started achieving things and gained notoriety in my community that I felt real satisfaction in life. I see the same story all around me. A person can be the greatest stoic, but that won't get them a life partner, it won't get them respect, it won't provide them with more agency, and as much as we'd all like to say we don't need those kinds of things to be happy; Christ, do they ever help. So I mostly agree. I just think it's a mistake to tell people all they need is vague emotional tools and inner strength. I know people banging their heads against the wall with psychobabble while what they need to do is get moving and start interacting with the world.
@@ALForb People who are depressed lack the motivation to engage with the world. They simply don't see the point. They tend to see it as hopeless and pointless to even try. So just telling them to get moving is not going to motivate them to do so. A starving man has to eat in order to survive, but eating is an action, and so it requires strength in the first place to undertake this life-saving action. No strength, no action, no survival.
When I was diagnosed with depression my mother said it's hereditary. My sister whom is religoius kept using religoius quotes as to what she thought I was going through. My father told me " ah you're fine, shake it off". I was put on medication. I also suffer from ocd & intrusive thoughts. It's been a roller coaster but I gotta say I truly think it's all in my head. I took myself off of the medication. I stopped drinking. I work out 3-5 days a week. I stopped drinking sugary drinks. My anxiety has pretty much gone away. I feel healthier. It's the lack of purpose that is the most difficult for me. I'm not a religious person either. I just have to keep going. And so do you 😊
Sounds like the order of operations is based on expedience. It’s faster to change chemicals in body than thought patterns, and faster to change thoughts than living conditions. Thanks for something to think about.
I think that most depression can be treated by an improvement in lifestyle. -More sunlight. Living in housing with large windows. -More time outside. -More exercise/physical activity. -Better quality of food. -Being at a healthy weight. -More and better sleep. -More social interactions and relationships. -Earning more. -Having a purpose in life. -Obtaining a higher quality of life. -Having more control over your life.
I think the large windows is really good advice. Also you should have a view that's good. I life next to a park, so in summer I have trees outside and music from the park. Of course that really depends on what you can afford.
They did a huge study where excercise twice a week for 30 min, cardio or strength training, was better at getting rid of depression than medication. New Zealand and Australia psychiatric associations now mandate excercise before medication.
8:34 loneliness, unfulfillment and undiscipline are not diseases. Maybe simple lifestyle changes likes getting more exercise, cutting down on alcohol, giving up smoking, eating healthily, socializing, and working towards a fulfilling goal would help.
More exercise doesn’t ever help me. I’ve tried for decades and it’s exhausting to exercise. It doesn’t give me a high like it does to some people. I believe some depression is hormonal, because that’s the only hypothesis that makes any sense with my experience in trying to mitigate depression through exercise. It’s all pain and no gain for me.
OP doesn’t understand clinical depression. It debilitates, and you cannot “will-power” yourself out of it. Imagine getting sedated for a surgery. Now-while anesthetized-try to follow the good advice about going to the gym and cooking healthy meals. Now imagine people in your life telling you to get out of bed, stop sulking, use self-discipline, etc. Try to get out of bed while under peri-surgical anesthesia. Try. Try again. Now listen to your friends & fam tell you you’re not trying hard enough.
I wonder does the act of getting yourself in order make you more mentqlly stable, or does setting such a goal force yourself to find the stability necessary to do those things, you have to have the energy to force yourself in the first place, if not this advice is useless, and so is every other
@@heythere2806no it’s not useless. Endorphins rush very quickly, it doesn’t take that much to improve your mood just a little bit. But afterwards it’s up to you to keep the feelgood snowball rolling. If you don’t, you have no one to blame but yourself. You have to want to be better, not just say it, actually want it. Depression is just your body’s way of telling you that the manner you are living in is not the best for you.
@@heythere2806very simple, because a lot of depression is when in your life you felt that you couldn't advance, then with complex goals you feel frightened or paralyzed, this is because you need to advance with the most simple of them, and that movement of accomplishment, even in small things, begin to build up. Depression is when you feel you can't with anything, that's a form of anxiety because are ideas and feelings that make loop in you. So when you break them with action, is when you begin to break them. Thi is why you find that most of depressive people are the ones that don't make anything I. Their homes or with themselves, and that's not because depression,they are charging with those patterns long before the depression, normally because they were raised by parents that neglected them.
I think another big factor is the quality of your relationships and having friends. It’s harder to be depressed if you have meaningful and fulfilling relationships.
For me It's about that only. Having meaningful relationship and good friend circle. But, it is not as simple as it looks. I have many a friends. There was a time I had 100s of them (and yes I am counting real friends, I do not use social media). Currently I have in scores. But it is very different from how it used to be say 20 years ago. The social media, individualistic approach to wards life, rat race of achieving materialistc fulfilment, showing status etc have affected greatly.
This guy is on a lot of red pill videos. I do believe in some red pill ideals, there is an undercurrent of right wing ideaology in Red pill movements. You can see that’s carrying over in this video. You can see the non science narrative being subliminally pushed.
A quick technical tip Orion from a professional audio engineer - please slightly turn down the input from your microphone as it’s distorting. Keep it slightly out of the red and you’ll be fine - and your wonderful insights will sound much better Much love
Correct...digital recording 'needs' to be always below zero. Might also need what is called a 'limiter' to avoid the distortion. BTW I have clinical depression and take generic Lexapro. It is a BIG help. From what you have said SSRI's I'm not sure why it helps. Also been in cognitive behavior therapy. Another significant help. What do you recommend....
This make so much sense! A couple of years ago it felt like my whole life fell apart. I lost contact with all my friends, got divorced and my daughter is no longer with me and is a continent away, and as a 40 year old guy, I had to move back in with my parents. No wonder why I was depressed!
I feel you. Same here on all fronts except living with parents. And I fought for and kept 50% of custody of my daughter. Brutal. Divorce is just brutal for men. Especially when you don’t buy the state sponsored propaganda around Covid, Trump, woke BS. All the propaganda and insanity combined with divorce has been absolute grief for me.
This was something I needed to hear. I have felt depressed for a while. I think a large part of that is feeling unfulfilled in life currently. I went from having a great relationship and working a job where I was making good money to being single and having to move into a new job where I’m at the bottom. My friends are doing well in their lives and their careers. While I’m happy for them and I try not to compare it is hard not to. I feel like a complete loser who has accomplished nothing in comparison and that’s hard to deal with. I have been considering going to school for a specific degree and after listening to this it sounds more and more like the correct move. I need to take action to change my own life sooner than later.
I've seen Depression misdiagnosed a lot. Even healthcare providers often don't know the difference between Depression and Grief or Depression and Sadness If you have a reason to be upset then it's most likely grief, sadness, or a life circumstance that would cause depressive feelings. If you don't have any stand-out reasons to feel terrible then it's more likely to be depression
Yes but what if your life truly does suck? I have a friend that is 37 and he has bad OCD and autism .. it has hampered pretty much every area of his life - he’s been in treatment and on meds for over a decade. He’s still stuck in the same pit though. He’s only been on one date either a woman and has terrible social skills - can’t relate to other guys etc etc.. I don’t even know what to recommend him at this point
I agree with most of this. I wasn't depressed but getting very close to that point over the last 2 years. Just talking about things doesn't do much for most guys. You have to break away from the horrible habits you've picked up. Sacrifice the worst, most useless parts of what you do in a day....say scrolling Twitter or playing games. Take some of that time and just walk or ride a bike. At first it may seem a little useless but you have to find a way to force yourself to do it every day. Make it a habit and build on that momentum. You can't control everything, but you can control what you do in your free time. I call that significant self doubt as the feminine side of you taking over. It makes you doubt yourself on everything. You think about the issue which is often very minor and causes you to mentally make it far worse. Id have an issue that I'd put off for months. It would often be the most minor thing. Then once I addressed it, it was a "nothing burger". You have to focus on doing. Not thinking. Hell, want to just do something different? buy some cheap tools on marketplace and nail some lumber together. Don't focus on the outcome. Just focus on doing. Hell, haven't swung a bat in 10 years? Just go to the batting cages once a week. Yeah, you'll probably suck. Then you'll get a little better. Have no expectations other than just doing. That interesting business you've looked at for years but never stopped in...just do it. You don't have to give them business. Just go and look. Before you know it, you'll probably be chatting with the person at the counter. Probably have more conversation with a random person than you have had in a long time. For me, most of my worries were very irrational and almost comical looking back. Hopefully anyone going through something similar finds their way out. It's easy to get into this but it's also easy to get out of by doing a few different things. The problem is those few things look like mountains when in reality they are speed bumps.
You're right, just doing is the key. Gotta keep moving, push-ups, running, even walking.. A neighbor gave me 2 puppies last year, that saved my life by giving me a reason to get up and take them outside regularly. Now I'm working or developing routines, to stay consistent.
@@E.P.7131 hell yeah. Keep it up. And by doing, I don't just mean working out. Hell it could be painting a wall or cleaning a garage or anything. You have to find a way to break out of that mental aspect. I recently read a book that was talking about doing. It said to just spend 15 minutes of undivided attention on something. No phone, no computer, nothing. Just take that time and just focus on one specific task. You will complete a lot more than expected. Hope You keep making progress and enjoy your dogs
@@Ka_Gg Yep, thanks. I bought a house a few months after an ex left me 5 years ago, many boxes are still unpacked. I'm focusing on going through them now, even if only one at a time. Small projects like scraping the popcorn off the ceiling, organizing workbench, garden stuff, fishing rods & tackle box, keeping laundry & kitchen clean, firewood stocked, houseplants. It's when I get overwhelmed that I get stuck again. Still tryna find that balance
@@E.P.7131 yep. Just one box at a time. I just recently left a relationship and bought a house too. Roof, flooring and all kinds of other stuff. Definitely overwhelming but just trying to make sure I do something every day. Think about your house when you are done. You can legit do anything you want to it without anyone else telling you how to design it. I have all kinds of ideas and find it pretty interesting. I still don't know what I'm doing but at least I'm making some type of progress.
Great video. It should be mentioned though, that a lot of this kind of depression is about a person's PERCEIVED position, and it's far easier to think of yourself as relatively low status when you spend a lot of time on the internet looking at the curated extravagant lives of influencers and celebrities.
When I'm depressed, its usually due to feeling guilty about procrastinating with work, lying about what I'm getting done. I can't seem to work because I'm depressed and unmotivated, and that cycle makes me feel even worse about myself. I am extra sensitive to things compared to others. I feel things very deeply both good and bad. My mood sways my behavior too much I think. When I'm eating right and sleeping right and mildly exercising it does make a world of difference, its just changing those habits and that cycle that I really struggle with. I do admit a large part of my mood issues is indulging too much in hedonistic things, poor quality of food, sleep. When you get into your 30's you lose that invincible feeling of youth, how you could eat anything and still do any work, even on little sleep. Still capable as we age, just feel what I do to my body much more than I ever did before. Its hard to get used to that after a lifetime of bad habits.
I remember being in my 20s and really looking forward to going out with friends on the weekend and drinking - it was still very fun back then. Then in my 30s it started to shift big time - going out for drinks wasn’t nearly as fun and the morning after got much worse . Going out eventually pretty much completely lost all of its allure and now I like very quiet evenings .. daily workouts help too. What I struggle with the most is keeping in contact with friends. We don’t have much in common anymore and it’s just not the same. Meeting new friends is very difficult
What i came to understand about depression on _my_ journey is that its deeply rooted in and nurtured by a) the way i treat myself and b) my degree of agency in engineering my surroundings. ⚙️ Especially regarding the *many* ways in which one feeds the other!
Agency is BIG imo. I like to remind myself from time to time that there is ALWAYS something one can do to improve ones environment - be that very minor, be it a domestic or some bullshit work environment. It might be fixing a door that doesn't shut properly; annoys me every day but it has become an un-noticed part of how the world is. Presently I process discarded nitrous oxide cylinders and weigh them in for scrap, because my employer can't deal with them in any sensible way and I don't like seeing them go to landfill. It's barely worth the trouble but I do it SPECIFICALLY to exercise agency. My working environment may be in many ways hopeless but I am not! As a result I have transformed my junk shed into a working environment, invested in and installed a quality vice and learned of some very effective bolt extraction tools. I'm not a young man so I do have resources that a young lad would not, however I believe that consciously looking for situations where one has agency, even to a trivial degree, can be very helpful to anyone
Life circumstances are always triggering and it signals that a change should be made. Also, don't forget to check for overall health; I suspect that lots of processed food and sedentary lifestyles can make you fall into a pit that is hard to climb out of.
I dedicated over 2 decades to working my ass off trying to elevate myself socially, and I've changed environments several times, and am still at the bottom of the totem pole and about to turn 40, thats why I'm depressed. We live in a day and age where it's harder to elevate yourself socially than it has been for over 100 years, no one since before our great grandparents had it harder to get out of poverty.
Thank you for your concise, clear and scientifically supported explanation, Dr. Taraban. I've been grappling with this idea of depression and changing your situation, especially after your episode about marijuana and how it makes you okay with staying in that situation longer. I think logically and objectively what you talked about here helps tackle the solutions to those problems. It's easy to get wrapped up in the mind and feel hopeless (which in my experience is one of the strongest feelings of depression along with loneliness and being unfulfilled), and often we want a quick fix, but from what I understand, it's about consistency and having a marathon mindset no matter how small those changes are. And it's not easy, but I suppose the first step is to get out and do something about it!
Most mental and physical illnesses can have a basis in environmental chemicals or be effected negatively by the chemicals. The more advanced a country is industrially the greater chance of physical and mental illnesses. Also, chronic physical illnesses greatly correlate with eventual mental illnesses, especially anxiety and depression.
Not to long ago (earlier this year) i fell in a state where everything felt gray and meaningless and didnt wanted to do anything at all . Found a video essay about Nitzche's work about his philosophy and how he explains that suffering is necessary in order for a person to grow and that he's life affirming not life denying. I pondered that analysis for a few days and I figured it out... We need meaningful suffering and steer clear of meaningless suffering. Thats how I got very quickly out of it and anytime I feel down I feel a deep sence of meaning self worth and pride in knowing that I can carry my own burden on my own strong shoulders weathering any storm!
I've never heard things explained this way, but it tracks with my own experience. After years of being at the bottom and feeling sorry for myself, one day I finally had enough. I fully owned the fact that I put myself at the bottom and I had to set some realistic goals to get myself out of it. It took a few years of hard work, discipline and embracing the suck but I eventually got there and never looked back. When people see where I am today and learn that I was once homeless they usually don't believe it.
Raw Milk Kefir and Raw Sauerkraut Probiotics [you can make your own very affordably] played a huge role in helping me also... Suboptimal gut health sets you up so that you don't have the probiotic bulk necessary to make the appropriate amount of happiness hormones in your gut. If you are suffering from gerd, acid reflux, indigestion, or panic attacks you will benefit from eating milk kefir, and/or raw sauerkraut [you can find videos on how to make it]. I used to have severe depression and panic attacks... These two things [starting with the kefir] made the biggest difference so that the therapy, meditation, Zen practice, regular exercise, and brainwave entrainment made the sustainable difference I hoped things would... I also do selfish acts of kindness, like clean up messes and fill trash bags at the park, as a daily strategy... It gets better... I was as deep in as it gets...
Negative thinking that you cannot escape your situation caused , in my early 20’s , a brief , but profound dip , I forced myself forward and replanned, worked on, rearranged, the elements you have mentioned . It taught me to never think negatively, not for 5 seconds, replan , rearrange , force forward,, at any tough moment is my instant thought 💭 negativity never ever happens, it’s a pathway in my mind that’s locked off . I’ve always considered that my brief dip has made me VERY strong 💪.
Tim Dilliom did a rant on therapy. He said "your a loser and that's why your sad." I listen to it a least once a week. Because when you work towards a goal your less depressed.
Dr. Jordan Peterson said something almost identical to this. It's nice to see it echoed by you. It really reinforces how important actions are in improving mental health
In my experience, depression originates from not accepting life the way it is now, and mistakenly yearning for a better life. The key is to accept things the way they are, not be fearful of loss or regret, and to take steps to see yourself progressing in ANY way possible -exercise to make you feel better, AND doing the things you SAY you’re going to do, which creates a subconscious impression of ‘I CAN do this!’’
What we really need is a big compilation of accounts of what people did to successfully get out of depression. That'll help the most amount of people because sometimes an action that works for one person doesn't work for another, so the more ideas to try out the better.
Working 2 jobs to afford rent and pay loans with little to no money left for food to get energy to work. Add the social pressure of age and securing a future spose and get a home. Tell me why shouldn't a human being should be depressed Doc?
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17
“Securing a future spouse” Sounds like you need to put quite a bit more work into yourself first . Very few women are going to be attracted to a guy that is low energy and depressed
I tend to agree with you. Even though many depressed people have a low "social status" because they went through very rough patches, especially during childhood, and became depressed. Like I often say, being depressed or very anxious is like going through life with a heavy backpack, everything is much much harder than for a healthy person.
2:39 🎯 3:57 good point. Our expectations also play a big role in how we feel. The higher our expectations the more disappointed we are likely to become especially if we have done the necessary steps to better our lives. The more disappointed we become the more likely we are to feel hopeless when our expectations are let down by reality. High expectations and perfectionism run parallel to each other. Usually can’t have one without the other. Hopelessness is sometimes pulled from memory… like a bad habit. If we felt hopeless during our childhood for whatever reasons… anytime something reminds us of that feeling we recoil back to the same types of repetitive emotions until we are able to crawl back out. Chronic depression and symptomatic feelings of depression based on current events are different. Right? Sometimes changing what we do is only a distraction for the inner childhood wound that hasn’t healed properly. As long as the distraction is to better who we are it’s a good distraction. If we can heal the triggers that lead to random depression spikes then that is when we are freed. At least I hope so. Now if our “distractions” of bettering our lives are somehow a covert contract with the universe, we are more likely to be disappointed when our silent expectations are not met. 💡… 8:26 Sometimes it’s all of them depending on if what we initially intended matches up with the results of what life gave us. Again expectations. Sometimes our ingredients need to change.
I admire you so much Dr Taraban. I share your videos with people all the time. My best friend has suffered from depression all her life. She is 58 now. She says “that’s just the way I am” I am so supportive of her, but because of your video I gave her some tough love. She is depressed because of the choices she has made in her life. Make different choices ( what you do) change your life and your ability to be happier. Your message to me came in the form of a lack of discipline in some areas of my life. I am a successful sales person and I have the discipline to do the hard parts of my job because they bring monetary reward with persistence. I am now applying that discipline to exercise. I have great discipline with a healthy diet, but have never been consistent in exercise. It’s simply a lack of discipline now isn’t it? Do the hard stuff, reap the rewards. The way you think amazes me! You are so incredibly intelligent. I admire Malcolm Gladwell for the same reasons, but you change my life for the better. I don’t have enough money to tip you for what your messages are worth. You are priceless.
I tried an SSRI and it honestly made things worse. It wasn't a small change either, it was severe. Also, the listed side effects from withdrawal make it sound like they happen if you don't taper off but truth is they still happen if you taper slowly. All around bad experience.
This is how I grew up, my brother is neurotic, and caused me so much distress when I was young. Father was pretty wretched as well, being the youngest, and weakest, but perhaps most spoilt as well, I ended up at the reciving ends of my siblings anger, it's an aweful way to start life, been trying to crawl my way out of it ever since.
Depression is often being stuck in dorsal vagal shutdown via stories, internal felt sense, implicit procedural memorie, plus neuroception of local relationships, societal view and stories + outside enviroment = polyvagal state and emotions
I agree with you and after many years of suffering from anxiety and depression and caring for others who have it and seeing those who do poorly and those who do the best I have descided on my end conclusion on the matter and it is this: A person who truly suffers from depression which is not just circumstantial or even from trauma like myself. Will have good days and bad days whether their circumstances are good or not. For example I explained to the doctor that on a day when I am suffering and thus was an eg of a day I had experienced I had taken a nice walk with a friend on a sunny day with an ice cream, I had no financial or relationship stress etc. But I feel like there's an awful heaviness covering me. The next day that cleared away for no apararent reason and I had a good day. However... Although a person might have such an illness where they will have days where they struggle regardless of circumstances does not mean that they cease to be a human being, and we are all affected by our circumstances and environment. Depression is like a spiral, you can go up or you can go down. Eg. You feel down so you stay in you will feel worse so you will go down, you eat rubbish and it effects you you will go down. You eat healthy and you push yourself out you will go up. You can't keep a job due to anxiety and you miss social occasions due to the anxiety and depression you might end up in a horrible flat as you can't get anywhere better and lose contact with your friends (this happened to me years ago) then you may start to run into crisis as you can't handle your life and start to drink. And if you are without support you may become isolated, before you know it you can't get off the sofa and you may get exponentially ill. This all happened to me at one point in my life. I had to fight to get to higher ground. First thing I called the doctors surgery told them to support me and they increased my benefits. I was then able to get back on the road as I could afford it and buy healthier food. I ditched my toxic friends and moved to a nicer environment and started to to work slowly to chip away at the weight I'd gained. I took up afew healthy hobbies too. All of these things helped. And I will say this in our fight as those who have health problems the pharmaceutical companies have a sick tunnel vision way of looking at things as I went to the doctor and asked for an anti depressant and I said I wanted no weight gain side effects. She put me on mirtarzapine which took me from being slender and healthy to being fat in 6 weeks! Also can make people impotent which causes them to be not just an individual who has mental health struggles but now an individual who has mental health struggles and is fat and impotent so now they are probably going to be lonely aswell. That's why I won't touch antidepressants as they also make you apathetic so you can't climb back up the spiral to get yourself to higher ground. There are many people celebrities, doctors and politicians who have mh issues but it is best to keep them as confidential as possible that helps aswell because how others view and treat us also affects our self esteem. That's why the code of confidentiality is a legal requirement because it is crucial to a person's recovery that their reputation is not destroyed after a bout of illness
Thanks Doc for putting into words what I’ve hypothesised for a long time now….I’m a living example of this theory being true. The “Depression” is also compounded by being involved in a relationship that does not elevate your status, yet the irony is it’s what you feel you deserve; so many will stick around and endure the suffering. Taking a 180 degree turn and starting again from a basis of doing the work eliminated the depression for me… it’s a long ongoing process but worth the effort.
I found advice from ex-convicts, not highly educated, apparently they call it a 'sucker attack'. Solution, if a guy suffers from a sucker attack, go up to him, no talk, judgement... just work out until both are exhausted. Should fire up the hormones and dopamine etc. Good advice, actually. Especially from a bunch of guys who have no option to go to expensive therapists.
This is your best episode. I can affirm from my experience. I was depressed after I lost my job and had no income and no confidence. I took a retail job for something and remember pushing carts Christmas Eve and felt about as bad as I’ve ever felt, because how did I end up doing such a low status job. I felt a lot better when they promoted me there and even better when I landed a new job where I had a higher status. I got depressed again a few years later when I took a job at a huge firm but was in a position where I wasn’t respected. Now I am probably at my happiest in years and it’s because my status is much higher at my new firm.
Excellent advice. If you're unhappy about your life, make some changes and do something about it. Even a small change can alleviate pressure and make a big difference.
for my depression I had to become my own best friend, Listen to your internal critic like your a friend hearing a bad story. dont identify with the voice just because it is coming from you. be the contradiction to the negative thinking. Start small, this water in my shower feels good, I love my dog, the sun feels good on my body. If you cannot focus on good or neutral thoughts about yourself then move onto others. give yourself a break away from thinking about yourself and try focusing on others, just see others having a good life around you, try to feel compassion and love to those other people in your world. Lastly, with this pain you will come out stronger as you emerge from each cycle. You will "know thyself" just a little bit more warts and all and maybe you can see with time and age your negative thoughts not as truth but as an old grumpy friend. You are stronger then you know. Much love brothers and sisters.
Thank you, Dr. thank you very much. You’ve helped me and my ex-wife get the hell away from each other, without dying or getting killed, as if the war of the roses, which is where we had driven ourselves. Well, she drove, having lost all faith or respect, I was unable to satisfy the black hole of unfulfilled desires. “Never good enough” I would yell, walking away. ..4 or 5 times a week. Let that sink in. Digest it. Five times a week. No one can say I didn’t try, and, amazingly, this one didn’t need $. I tried and tried and she was so trying and tiring. I was exhausted. She turned to violence and I turned away from reciprocating, jumping out for a swim in the lake of …reality… took my sweet time coming back to reach past for my sweater, then let her know I’m not here to stay. I’m just cold.
Trying to understand depression without looking at the affects of childhood trauma, abuse, neglect (cptsd) on our developing pysche that continues into adulthood is a disservice. Orion's point is very valid, but appears to be one slice of a multi slice pie. Working on my wounded inner child and going to a good therapist did mountains more than any ssri I was given. In fact, the ssri's only numbed me, while any amount of time I spend reading a book on cptsd, watching YT videos like Orion's and Jerry Wise's, or going to therapy always has a return on value. The return might not be immediate, but it comes around.
CBT was found to be non-inferior to drug therapy. Behavioral Activation which is a tool within CBT was found to be non-inferior at treating depression as the whole of CBT. Behavioral Activation is the best way to increase behavioral/social rewards and participation. Regarding hierarchies, in most workplaces it tends to be social connections that dictate potential advancement opportunities. More often than not one must already have known someone in a higher position before they started working at that place. Thus build social connections and maybe you might have a higher chance of benefiting from favoritism and nepotism, instead of being trapped on the lowest rung.
Perfect! I agree 100%. Probably my favorite video of this channel. I agree that everything has a cause and in this case Dr. Taraban said it perfectly: indiscipline, loneliness and unfulfillment. So, INDISCIPLINE is the primary cause of depression. It is a lot of work to change this, so people look for an easy solution at the drugstore that doesn't solve anything. We can see how much this true in our own lives: depressed people are ALWAYS indisciplined people. Try to find someone very busy with working, studying, doing exercise, eating healthly, helping people, reading, playing an instrument, meditating, etc being depressed. You will find nobody. I hope people really listen to what is being said in this video.
Like so many other psychological labels, the term 'depression' hides and dismissed the root problems that individuals suffer from, and far from allowing for any possible solution to be seen, it instead blinds both those who are suffering and those who are ostensibly rendering treatment to the suffering from clearly seeing the root cause of the problem. People are not types, they are individuals.
One thing that helped my depression, was to stop vocalizing and discussing my problems. I remember being upset after a breakup, and a guy I worked with saying “c’mon dude act like a man”. Believe it or not, that helped me immensely. Stoicism was the way to go for me and has been the best medicine.
I feel the general use of drugs to treat mental issues spawned from this misbelief. Drugs should be the last resort or in acute, critical situations only. We understand so much more about the mind now and how to repair/heal mental issues. We *understand* almost nothing about how many of these psychiatric drugs actual do what they do or why...
Depression is about a mental blockage/void, something your soul is craving for but JUST can’t get that, we can temporarily convince our brain, BUT WE CANT GET OF DEPRESSION UNLESS THE TRAUMA IS RESOLVED…….
The idea that it is caused by what is in our brain makes perfect sense. There's where our virtual reality happens. Our mood and thoughts are controlled by thousands or more chemicals and reactions that happen every millisecond. In comparison with that, a drug is a blunt instrument. People who quit modern vices like sugar, junk food etc and start having a proper diet and extra vitamin D, they all have MASSIVE changes in their depressions. Many even don't know they HAD depression until their new approach to lifestyle, mainly diet, creates a massive positive domino effect of mood improvement, ambition, fitness, disappearance of procrastination etc. There are plenty of people who documented it. I actually experienced this during first lock-down without knowing it. Yep, in spite of all that extra isolation, I ended up feeling better in so many ways, lost weight, I was very energetic etc. When I started to go out again, eat food from restaurants, order takeaway again, starting to drink sugary crap etc things started to slowly degrade again .. Later on I understood these things and now I'm working to bring things back to normal. It's just more difficult, now that I have the temptations I didn't really have during that lockdown.
I have depression and this makes more sense than some of the things I’ve gone through to try and ‘fix’ it. The depression and anxiety medication did help me dial back some things but it’s definitely not a cure. I did have some self image issues and it helped to work on that but it feels like my situation at work, with my spouse and what I have not accomplished that I believe I should have already accomplished at my age are much bigger factors for how I’m feeling. It’s contextual as work is a happier place for me than home and I look forward to seeing a few people and if they aren’t there I am not as happy for awhile.
Great advices...poor people get depressed due to their current low status..but high established people also can be unsatisfied with their life. People who lack of discipline, purpose and goals can indeed avoid depression with discipline, work, effort but people can also get chronically depressed due to traumas..they sabotage themselves with bad behavior because traumas precisely affect their functionality. It is getting worse and worse.
As a medical doctor, I would point out that one would go for a medical professional to fix those issues because one doesn't know that they are in such a pain because of them. It is the role of a competent and honest medical doctor to rule out bodily disfunctions for pain and lack of motivation and give proper direction on engagement in community activities, physical activity and self development. It's a shame that some medical professionals won't act this way, but still: it is not wrong to seek medical advice whenever you are in pain.
He is right, i have depression since i was teenager, after the age of 21 it got worse, i gone to the most professional doctor and they gave me pills for straight 6 years and these pills not only makes my cognitive decline but also imbalance my hormones, and every-time i told them all the wrong side effects associated with it, they always refuse that these will fade away. I stop taking the medication my self and start looking my daily routine my mindset, the diet which is lacking in protein, being a little social, and start working on my looks. I still have depression but it got better after that. Also depression got significantly better. I still have problems but as soon as i looking the pattern which causing them and resolve it my depression gets better. I suggest you look after your routine first, eating habits, exercise, sleep well, and improve your health. You still do better than these medications which cause side effects.
Graduating med school and becoming a resident hasn't made me any happier. It's almost like the more competent you are, the more responsibilities you have, and the more everyone will want to squeeze you for every dime you're worth. Things never get better, so if they are staying the same, you must be doing all right.
I’m doing pretty OK but I can have the blackest almost suicidal feelings when I fight with my wife and I let her emotional traumas get the better of us, after that moment when both us get triggered and we start to tear each other apart verbally. Now I compare that to what Orion says and bingo, by letting myself get triggered by someone else’s emotional baggage I have literally just placed myself at the bottom of the barrel of social hierarchy. Great insight, thank you
“Let her emotional traumas get the better of us” Does she try to work on healing these traumas or does she like festering in it and dumping it on you…? Too many women just want to endlessly bathe in trauma and don’t take steps to fixing it and just take it out on their bf or husband. What’s worse is the husbands usually put up with it
There was an episode of the Tim Dillon show where Tim describes this time he went to lunch with his comedian friend and the friend's dad. In the midst of their conversation, the comedian said to his father, "hey I just don't know what's going on these days, I think I might be depressed." The father responded "you've got no money, no job, and no girlfriend; you SHOULD be depressed!" You can't use chemical responses for physical situations.
Absolutely amazing video. This all makes a lot of sense. I have to watch it again to see how it applies to me but this is an amazing amount of knowledge in a very short period of time👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Hmmm. Lots to digest here. Of course taking positive steps forward makes anyone feel better, feel good. The question is, what makes an individual finally take those steps/actions? Or, what was, or is preventing an individual from taking those steps? Environment? I think not. I think it’s one’s perception of their environment. If being at the “bottom wrung of the ladder” in society is the cause of depression, then no prison inmate has a chance at happiness or joy. Or do they? I think it all depends on how they view/perceive their circumstances or situation - as well as how they perceive themselves. Two people sitting together on a park bench on a nice sunny day can experience two different reactions or feelings. One person is full of gratitude for such a great moment while the other is grumbling that it’s too bright outside, or too noisy or too warm, etc. Now, the question becomes WHY are you perceiving and feeling the way you do/are? And finding the answer to that question takes time and effort. But if one is willing to sincerely seek, I believe they WILL find! That’s my 2 cents! 😀
Some people reach high status and then are not able to cope when that status waines. It is still a matter of adopting a proper perspective, not a chemical imbalance. The old saw about keeping up with the Jones' still applies. If you are fabulously wealthy and have done nothing to earn it, and there are still unachievable expectations put upon you, that can lead to depression.
This a great video. Succinct and too the point. And for young men this is very important. Find something to drive you, men, that is not a woman. As I told my young daughter who started a training regimen and complained about only lifting "5 lbs". I said, "don't get hung up on what's written on the side of the dumbbell. Just concentrate on the effort. You start today to be better tomorrow" It doesn't matter what your starting point, start. Star working on yourself and raise that status.
My worst experience with depression was in the early 90s when was living in a regional town long distance away from my then social contacts where other young people in that town were going through the same thing the town was under recoursed with not a lot for people my age to do there at the time and having been there for four years boredom did creep in which meant I got into a rut and other factors followed like lack of exercise and then a bad diet as well which all contributed to my state of mind and therefore became more isolated
I listened. That was an interesting hypothesis on causation in depression. I suggest another causal factor: diet & nutrition. Many people suffering from depression have terrible eating habits, consume large amounts of unhealthy compounds and adversely program thier minds with propaganda. Many have chronic constipation that adds to causation. Some people just had lots of bad things happen that stack-up and contribute to despondancy and depression. so many causes.
As an INFJ, I evolved the psychological way of rapid mental evolution through times of hardship, which is a daily narrative in our lives. Just lay down and imagine a progress bar in your head starting from 1% to heal your body. After reaching 100% you will feel mostly able to walk and talk better albeit after a cup of tea.
depression is not narcissistic in most cases: an overbearing sensitivity to the chaos-evil-injustice of the world becomes overwhelming and there seems no way out. most social circles of positivism and conformism, constructed opinion and established-conditioned common subject matter of discussion isolates, there seems no outlet and the suppressed anger and despair turns toward self. Fromm gives one key analysis in his book the Sane Society. Marcuse adds in his One Dimensional Man: 'the social controls have been so established that the emotional and intellectual refusal to conform appears neurotic and impotent'(paraphrase) Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning seems a valid solution.
Finally someone said it. Depression is not what people try to make it appear. Next step I'd like to hear, although I don't think that's up your ally, is about narcisism victims, specially from parents. That sht will f' you up in a way that nothing can describe it and no doctor of any field will correctly diagnose.
After having struggled with remitting depression for almost my whole life, I started taking psylocibine some 5 years ago. I only use it very rarely, and only microdosing. I have no idea wether it even works, or it is all placebo. Maybe I've finally grown over it (I am 49), maybe It's because I'm single for 6 years (my favorite ;-)), or there is some other cause. But I am depression free for 5 years now, and I feel finally I am easing to the idea that depression is not around the corner any more. (and it's not that my life has been free from triggering negative life events either the past 5 years, it's closer to the opposite) YMMV but give it a try if you suffer from depression. I tried after I read a first hand experience from some random internet post.
A method that might help with depression. Combine: focus on a sound and an image in your mind to shift focus from idle thoughts; breathe steadily/fully through nose to oxygenate the brain; allow feelings from negative emotions to run their course, if they arise, if you can, to help process the emotion; practiced regularly; avoiding expectations from the practice. It's free, fairly straightforward and you might find it to be effective. You could try it right now even. It could help with generalized anxiety and depression
