[grahamburger]

I get so tired of comments like yours. What are we supposed to do then? Just give up and watch them go? If someone can't or won't go to the doctor, they're done for? What about all of the other people reading, who might now or at some time in the future suffer from depression? Is it really 'irresponsible' to suggest that there are ways to prevent/decrease depression besides going to the doctor? Compare it to cancer. There are things people can do to lessen their risks for getting cancer. (Including exercising). Obviously if you have cancer, go to a doctor. But until then it's not irresponsible to suggest that you get some exercise. Or eat carrots, for that matter.

[a3n]

> I get so tired of comments like yours. What are we supposed to do then?

The best first advice is to get professional help. That doesn't mean "get drugs," it means start the evaluation process, which may or may not include drugs, therapy, exercise, whatever.

Go ahead and recommend exercise or herbal remedies or whatever, but I believe one should strongly direct a sufferer to professional help first. The closer and more credible to a person you are, that may be more like telling them to go, or even bringing them there.

Everyone's depression is unique to them. Sure the causes and treatment may be common with other people, but what works for one, or doesn't, is not necessarily the same for another.

Treatment for depression needs to be directed by a doctor or other trained professional.

[grahamburger]

Of course, suggest getting professional help first. But as a random internet board commenter, I can't drive them to the doctor. And for many people suffering from depression (I've been there, many of us have) getting to the doctor may as well be getting to the moon. But for me, if I could just get outside, things started to look just a little bit better, and maybe I could make it down the street. And then things looked a tiny bit better again, and pretty soon I could remember that there were people who cared about me. I doubt I'm entirely unique. Maybe there's someone reading this thread for whom the first step to getting help is just to get outside, and I'd call it irresponsible withhold that information.

[DanBC]

> Maybe there's someone reading this thread for whom the first step to getting help is just to get outside, and I'd call it irresponsible withhold that information.

I don't think that's what the post I responded to was saying. I think the post I was responding to was recommending exercise as a treatment for exercise, not recommending just getting out of the house as a first step to seeing a professional.

> Of course, suggest getting professional help first.

the post I responded to did not do that.

You've described how hard it is sometimes to leave the house. Do you think it's realistic to expect a person in that situation to start doing 5 sessions per week, 30 minutes per session, of vigorous exercise?

[studentrob]

Amen. The drones in this thread calling only for professional help and accepting no other comments are mind numbing and pedantic.

Depression can be deadly but it isn't the same as cancer. Good friends and family support and understanding don't make cancer any better. They may not always help with depression either but it is possible.

So, there is no problem calling for people to propose professional help first. But in a thread where that is mentioned a hundred times, to demand that every commenter preface their feedback with this line seems so pedantic to me.

[DanBC]

But the "get some exercise" suggestion was not made as a way to build resilience to prevent depression! It was given as a method to treat a current illness.

Here's why I think suggesting exercise as a treatment for depression is a bad idea - it might not work. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11368202

If someone can't go to a doctor that's something that needs to be fixed, and if they can't go to a doctor they're unlikely to be able to get the 5 * 30 minutes per week vigorous exercise.

EDIT: I mean, it's an anecdote. "Exercise worked for me". The trouble is I can find you plenty of people (and I speak to them in mental health hospitals and community settings) who've tried exercise, and it didn't do anything and they felt worse because it didn't do anything.

It is really important for people taking mental health meds to get more exercise, but that's not because of the possible treatment effects of exercise, but to try to mitigate some of the side effects most meds have, and to try to build resilience for the future.

[0xcde4c3db]

> Is it really 'irresponsible' to suggest that there are ways to prevent/decrease depression besides going to the doctor?

If the methods you suggest don't actually help, it risks making the depression worse, because it matches the pattern of "Why try anything? Nothing works.".

[grahamburger]

> "Why try anything? Nothing works."

That seems like a better outcome all around than not knowing what to try. At least you know you have some options. For some people, it might help - at least enough to get them to the next step.

[0xcde4c3db]

What I'm saying is that when you convince a depressed person to spend their scarce reserves of effort on useless measures, you risk diminishing their ability to convince themselves that the "next step" is worth taking.

[grahamburger]

Right. If you know the person well, you can probably make a reasonably good decision if it will help or hurt. But on a random internet message board, we don't. Undoubtably there are some people listening who would react as you've described, and some who might actually find a benefit from getting outside. So, if you're listening and suffering, go see a professional. Just keep in mind that if that seems impossible, start by getting yourself out the front door.