Posts by analogwolf4

That is just wild... absolutely insane... a divorce judge... haha... you really cracked me up with that one...

George Taylor94 said:1. I know that because I'm a psychologist.
2. We don't actually know the exact reason why depression happens. What we do know is that mood is highly correlated with neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain—mostly serotonin, which everyone calls the "happy hormone." But honestly, it's still unclear whether the chemical shift is the cause or just a side effect.
3. When I cry, I'm just releasing tears.
4. And what does high adrenaline have to do with depression? Absolutely nothing.

Hehe... well, good for you if you really are a psychologist, but there's no way to prove that here... and everything you just said is stuff you can find on any random corner of the internet (sorry if you actually are what you say you are!)... As for the tears... maybe check some medical literature regarding which hormones (neurotransmitters) get released when we cry and why we feel "different" afterward... Adrenaline speeds up everything in the body, including hormone release, so in my opinion, people dealing with depression should probably try to work up a sweat at least three times a week—you know, get the heart pumping a bit more... though I guess it might not help everyone since it depends on the individual. Eh, and since you're a psychologist, tell me this... why do you all think talk therapy can solve everything? Because if it could be fixed just by talking, then it would mean my "stupid logic" is right—that depression is some abstract concept floating above us in our consciousness rather than something physical. But you just said it's linked to serotonin levels... which means it's also a physiological issue, so there has to be a physical way to treat it... even without antidepressants... and that correlation was mentioned in the post above... where serotonin gets inhibited... why that happens, I don't know... but the inhibition part is a verified fact, not just something from a random website, but confirmed by institutions like the Mayo Clinic and validated by the CDC... and I don't think any real psychologist would mess around with the fact that someone might take 20 antidepressants just because they couldn't cure their depression through talk alone... so... yeah, now we can be friends!

Larry Lewis2 said:Hey, could you please explain a bit more about those hormones that control how we act?🤔

And how exactly does an inhibitor stop a hormone from getting where it needs to go?🤔

Hillary Clinton😬

okay...but first off, this is just what I know! It’s not like I’m quoting some textbook word-for-word, though I did use it for a seminar once, so I guess I've got the gist... basically, at the ends or beginnings of synapses, you've got receptors for various hormones (or neurotransmitters). They're these tiny little molecules (I know I said I wouldn't get into details, but since you asked...) that carry compounds which release when needed and travel to wherever they're required... uh... man, I can't decide if this is good or bad info.. anyway, when that molecule travels along the nerve and reaches the end of the synapse, it runs into some stupid inhibitor that prevents the "happiness" or "good behavior" molecule from reaching its target—you know, passing onto the next nerve. In our case, it stops it from reaching the "depressed" part... and why that happens? Well, as far as I know, it's still a total mystery!! There are theories, though... hold on, gotta hit the restroom🙂..anything else?

gentlepanther10 said:Yeah, I totally get all that, and honestly, I’ve felt it myself—trying to find comfort in those kinds of explanations when my own health issues were acting up and making me feel pretty low...

Still, I can't help but think it isn't just one thing. It’s the circumstances, the environment, and so many other outside factors that play into why people fall into depression...

The real key is figuring out which specific influences are hitting you!

Well, I don't think that's quite it... depression can actually stem from a huge variety of things. Like, seriously... it could be genetic, maybe an injury, body image stuff, even just poor nutrition—there's a massive list of triggers. If you really want, I could write down everything I know about what causes it and shoot it over to your email... blah blah blah... but at the end of the day, it manifests because of shifts in brain biochemistry. Now, why those specific triggers cause those chemical shifts? Well, that's what was mentioned above. And how do you stop it? Eh... someone I was arguing with earlier made a good point... medication, psychotherapy, and then there's OTHER stuff, but I still stand by my take: if you don't get off your butt and actually get out of bed to start seeing the world in color again, 🙂there isn't really a magic cure...

gentlepanther10 said:Fair enough, and thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely look into that once I have a spare moment....

I mean, I get the basic physiology part....
but I don't really wrap my head around why there's such a big distinction made between men and women...
Maybe that's like, the very first hurdle we face in life?
I mean, isn't a human just a human, regardless?

Hmm.. I guess it mostly comes down to things like testosterone versus female cycles—you know, progesterone and that other one, uh, estrogen? It's all about the ratio of those hormones in the body, man... at least, that's just my theory... but maybe depression kicks in because inhibitors (those chemical blockers in the brain) mess with the release of certain hormones that drive behavior... basically, they stop the hormone from getting where it needs to go.... that's about as simple an explanation as I can muster without getting too deep into it. I won't try to give you a full-blown biochemistry lecture because... well, I don't want to get banned from the forum...🙂 it happens right at the start or end of the synapses (where the nerves connect), and honestly, there are probably a dozen different reasons why this happens...

gentlepanther10 said:Oh my gosh, seriously? Is electroshock therapy still actually being used somewhere in this day and age?😲

And honestly, what’s even the big deal regarding gender differences here??? 🤔

Hmm... I think I'm just gonna stop talking now!!! I mean, I only really understand brain physiology—like, you know, how one thing triggers another... but for actual answers to questions like that, you should probably just head over to Google and type in "depression statistics in the US" or something like that.

analogwolf4 said:Man, there are all kinds of psychotherapists out there!
I’ve actually only ever seen one therapist in my life...

So, he asks me something, I answer, we're just talking away...

And then he just falls asleep on me! 😲

I mean, I just let him nap...

And then I just walked right out!

* You know, there are good therapists and bad ones, and then there are people who can help themselves versus people who really need some outside support...*
whether that comes from a pro or just from the people around them *

Thanks... seriously, thanks... I guess the more you rely on psychotherapy, the more it really depends on the individual receiving it—how they choose to take it in and actually put it into practice...

Look, I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think you picked a pretty weak example there, maybe a little too basic... You were the one who started picking on people, I was just jumping in... And honestly, regarding those psychotherapists... I mean, can someone explain to me why a person would go see a therapist twice a week and still decide to take twenty antidepressants and end it all? I’m just saying, if a person doesn't actually accept reality and stop being lazy about making changes, I guess no therapist in the world is going to be able to help them.

Saxophone said:Depression isn't even the most common illness globally—that title goes to cardiovascular disease—and it definitely doesn't hit 80% of the population. If that were true, out of every 10 people, 8 would need to be on antidepressants! Seriously, maybe do some actual research before spreading rumors in this thread. Go post that over on the medical forums instead.

Haha... wow... okay then... so, what makes you such an expert all of a sudden?
I mean, you've read the literature, right? Cool... but do you actually get why depression happens in the first place? Like, if we’re looking at brain physiology? Do you know what chemicals your body releases when you cry? Or what happens to the oxygen levels in your brain, or why you can't think straight when your adrenaline is spiking and you just end up acting purely on instinct? Just curious... please, go ahead and answer those for me...

George Taylor94 said:Oh my god, you guys are talking such nonsense... like, running up a mountain, crying at movies, and cutting back on sugar isn't going to cure depression. Hellooo?

So, I guess according to you, depression is strictly just some psychological thing that has zero connection to how your body reacts when its physiological needs aren't being met? I mean, maybe that could be true... but in my opinion, if someone has been stuck like that for 30 years, with that exact same worldview for three decades... they aren't just going to change overnight. Like, there's no chance. A different perspective won't fix them if they can't change their core mindset... because, well, you can't really fuck with that on a purely psychological level. I mean, therapy and talking it out is probably the best way for everyone... because honestly, a person can't heal another person any better than they can heal themselves. Even if they manage to crawl out of the hole, something is always going to come along, throw them off balance, and drag them right back to where they started. Just looking at your super basic example here... let me add something to that. Say she develops a constructive way of thinking and finally escapes the depression... and now she’s all happy, but she gained 10 pounds, feels unattractive, and starts hating herself. And that's what trips her up again... and she slips right back into old habits. Or, okay, say she goes on a diet, loses the weight, and she's all happy because she's thin, but then something happens that knocks her right back down. If you don't have the character, there's just no help. If you lack the backbone to tell yourself, "Screw it, I'm staying home today," or "I'm going out to have fun," or "I'm gonna go for a run to lose these 10 pounds because this diet is total crap but I don't want to get fat," or "I need to quit smoking"... man, if you don't have that kind of mindset, no psychotherapist in the world is going to save you. We could blah blah blah about it forever, but the fact remains that depression hits every individual differently, acts differently, and it's easily one of the most common issues in the world today (around 80%)...🙏

hmm... I think I might have a slightly shorter way of looking at this... because honestly, everything you guys have mentioned so far... it’s all still a bit unproven, isn't it? I mean, what people say doesn't always hold water... because when you eat certain things, they don't necessarily go where you think they're supposed to go. Our human brain... hmm... it's a much bigger mystery than we like to admit. Like, do you have something that actually makes you happy? I mean, something that makes you feel absolutely, incredibly joyful when you're doing it? That's usually what pulls you out of a funk. And just taking a daily walk helps too. As for antidepressants... well, those can actually mess with your synaptic connections over time, which might end up making things even harder in the long run. Chocolate helps, though—and it's not really about blood sugar, I guess. It's more about that chemical reaction in the brain when you eat it, and that release of oxygen... the more oxygen flowing in your brain, the more active it is, and you just feel better. Coffee... man, coffee isn't always the answer, but maybe one cup with a good amount of sugar... you know, a sweet one... just one should be enough to carry you through the day if you aren't doing anything too mentally taxing. And finally... intimacy. Real, physical connection, especially sex... eh, if anything is going to help, that's it, particularly for women. That would be my take. Of course, this is all totally subjective and scientifically unproven on my part—I'm sure others have proven it better than me—and it really just depends on the individual. You just have to find whatever it is that gets you back on your feet.

ahem... okay, so I guess the answer to all these questions is pretty straightforward... it's just about observation... and drawing conclusions... which, honestly, might be totally wrong, but hey, we basically just bend the truth to fit how we see things, right? So that's that. And if you look at it from a global perspective, this whole "phenomenon" thing is super subjective... at least in my book. Like, to some guy out in the middle of nowhere who’s never even seen a smartphone, that's a phenomenon. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit there, but you get what I mean. To someone who doesn't understand why a plant's structure works the way it does—like, who actually decided everything inside a plant should be arranged exactly like that?—well, to them, it's a phenomenon. But they still find it amazing, I guess. To me, though, as someone who kind of gets it, it's just... well, a plant. It's the same with those giant faces carved into mountains, or crop circles, or someone suddenly recovering from a bad bout of something, or waking up from a coma... to everyone else, those are massive phenomena. But really, it's all so simple it actually makes my head hurt... at least for someone else. Maybe someone looking down on us from above, laughing at our cluelessness... figuratively speaking, of course. You guys wrote that man is a phenomenon. And yeah... he is. But why do we think that? That's where the real mystery lies, but it's only a mystery for us. Man, I'm already getting lost in my own thoughts here... my head is spinning. Why do you even ask these kinds of questions anyway? Can't you just live normally with your own thoughts? I mean, humans have been walking around for like 10,000 years just existing without knowing why, so why would we suddenly need to uncover everything now? Just live... enjoy yourself... don't stress too much... and maybe try using words that the average person can actually follow!!!

This is such an interesting topic... man... I just love philosophy... especially when it gets a little bit unprovable... that’s kind of where the magic is, right? But honestly, answering your question is pretty straightforward... regarding consciousness... first, you have to accept that it isn't some abstract concept floating out there... it's yours. It's just yours. Because if it wasn't, you wouldn't be thinking or remembering anything at all... so, you basically just accept that it belongs to you... okay... Anyway, I know tons of people wonder why we dream sometimes and other times we don't... hmm... I'll give you my own subjective take on that, which is something a good friend of mine—she's a psychologist—totally trashed me for... but let's look at the mind. Let's move away from those untouchable, abstract, absolute truths and talk about stuff that actually feels real to us... say, imagine the brain is a processor... and a freaking fast one at that. Try running three heavy AAA games at once on your PC... any high-end software... everything is going to lag, right? Yeah, exactly. Maybe think of it like this: while you're sleeping, the brain is basically doing its cleanup. Like an antivirus program scanning the system and wiping out junk, using up most of the CPU power. You don't even see what it's scanning. I guess I'm drifting a bit off-topic here, but bear with me... if you try to run more programs at the same time, the antivirus slows down, and suddenly you start seeing more of what it's doing. That's how dreams work for me... I mean, not always, but most of the time... when you're overthinking things... or when you're super stressed... you dream, 100%. Or hey, try eating a massive, heavy meal right before bed and you'll probably end up dreaming too... So, where does consciousness go? Nowhere, in my opinion. It stays right here. I mean, haven't you ever had those moments where you could actually control your dreams? Like, when you're flying through the air... that's freaking awesome, isn't it? You're dreaming, but you're steering the flight, and you can actually feel it—at least I can. So yeah, consciousness is still there... wow, I really simplified that whole thing. I'm actually kind of proud of myself right now.