Stanford's Sapolsky On Depression in U.S. (Full Lecture)

Professor Sapolsky at Stanford gave an interesting lecture about depression a few years ago... highly recommended: [VIDEO]

This was posted in a HN comment not too long ago. It's a very good lecture that goes into both the biological and psychological aspects of depression and then manages to tie them together. [VIDEO] > We say that there is something wrong with their brains, rather than saying that there is something wrong with society. The real answer is probably a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B.

while on the subject, highly recommend this video on depression from Stanford's Sapolsky to understanding the underlying biological aspect of it: [VIDEO]

This is the quintessential video for understanding clinical depression. A Stanford lecture given by Dr Sapolsky: [VIDEO] I highly recommend watching it to better understand the disease.

Sapolsky on depression: [VIDEO] “Depression is agression turned inwards”. He explains what our current understanding of depression is. I think you’ll have a whole new understanding of depression after watching this.

I tried everything except for medication. I was afraid i would no longer be 'myself' or that's what other people told me — or maybe that it would make the problem more real. Anyway, I eventually took meds, and I have never felt more myself, or the person I want to be. I work, learn, socialize, live in a (relatively) clean apartment, which I leave to go outside. It took me way too long accept that depression is not all my fault, that it's a disease, and that I needed to see a real doctor. For those who suffer, or know those who suffer (that's probably everyone) I really recommend this lecture: [VIDEO] It's super interesting, it ties all the causes of depression together — childhood trauma, everyday experience, down to the neuron, and chemical reactions. It really helps externalize it.

Robert Sapolsky has a fantastic discussion of depression as a form of learned helplessness. We see it in abused animals: [VIDEO] You are not much different from any other animal at some level. With enough conditioning you will believe that you have no agency over your own life, and you’ll just sit there and take the shocks hoping it ends soon. Or worse, you’ll lose perspective and imagine the only solution to your current (likely temporary) circumstance is to (definitely very permanently) end your own life.

I've been incredibly vocal about my stance on depression here on HN in the past, specifically that saying things like "man up" is absurd. Depression, like every other disease on the planet, is not something you "man up" through. It's a disease that happens to manifest itself in the same places that personality does. To a casual, uninformed observer, depression is a choice of behavior. It isn't. You don't get depression from weakness in the same way that you don't get cancer from weakness. Depression also kills more people per year than cancer does. Cancer about 20,000 -- depression about 30,000. (Highly relevant lecture by a very brilliant neuroscientist: [VIDEO] ) -- That said, Ed Weissman made an inappropriate comment. Every single person here, including me, has made inappropriate comments in the past. Let's not start the pitchforks and torches just yet, guys. He who is without sin, and all that.