I noticed that a significant amount of people that have depression also have ADHD, making it hard for them to read for a long time, so here's a TL;DR version:
Author had depression most of his adult life. He took Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) his whole life. It didn’t quite work, so he went on a journey to learn more about depression.
He found out that:
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SSRIs are mostly all placebo. There’s very little scientific evidence that they work.
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``Imbalance in brain chemistry’’ causing depression is not a thing. It is a marketing campaign by pharmaceutical companies
So he went out to find the real causes of depression, which were:
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Disconnection from people: we are, as a population, much lonelier. More than physical loneliness, we do not have relationships that have a `sense of mutual aid and protection’. This is worsened by social media
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Disconnection from meaningful values: Modern society and advertisements say we need to be more materialistic. This causes us to pursue things that make us more depressed.
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Disconnection from childhood trauma: Depression is a reaction to abnormal life experiences. As children, we blame ourselves for the bad things that happened to us, so it hangs on us a shameful past, that shuts us off from others, causing isolation.
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Disconnection from status and respect: We are let down by society and others so we shut off and say `leave me alone. I can’t take this anymore’.
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Disconnection from the natural world: We get absorbed and obsess over our issues, and dig ourselves in a whole. This disconnection makes us less aware of the other things around us.
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Disconnection from a hopeful or secure future: Constant letdown causes us to lose hope of the future, in which causes us to be suicidal, because one feels like the pain will never go away.
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Genes and Brain changes: Brain imbalance is not a direct cause of depression, but some people are more genetically sensitive to outside stimulus, so they become depressed easily. Attributing depression to biological `sciences’ disempowers people, and tells people that their distress has no meaning.
The author explains ways to get better as well:
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Reconnect with other people. Do things with other people and share your thoughts, concerns, and time with other people, and know that you’re not alone.
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Instead of prescribing medication, prescribing people to social activities, such as community group gardening, has been shown to have a much better effect. By joining a community with a cause, people stop obsessing about themselves and their problems so much.
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Finding meaningful work where your opinion is valued and a job you enjoy is crucial to happiness. Being your own boss, or democratic workplaces have been shown to make people happier
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Ask yourself and others of your/their intrinsic values, instead of talking about extrinsic values. Reduce social media use and think of what you really want, what makes you sustainably happy.
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Meditation helps you to self-center, and makes you more robust (resilient) to the materialistic nudges of the world. Some studies suggest LSD or magic mushrooms may have a similar effect.
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By recognizing childhood trauma and understanding that it is not your fault and is not a flaw that you have, is a good place to start the healing process. It is not your fault.
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Universal Basic Income, or a policy that reduces future uncertainty makes people happier.
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