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Comment by dschiptsov | Hacker News Reader

Depression, like obesity, is acquired, habitual change due to environmental factors. Non fraudulent CBT (active traveling in a unfamilar environment as a simplest example) is enough to introduce persistent changes (that is why there are so many stories about profound changes people undergo after visiting the East - radical behavioral change will lead, through conditioning, to change in biochemistry - body is a dynamic, adaptive system).

There is, of course, no way to change one's physical or mental conditions without introducing changes to habits, daily routines and environment.

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This is, of course, bullshit. I know two friends who acquired their depression genetically from their parents, and it manifested itself in them, and their siblings as well. At times they were extremely suicidal, and they described it as waking up and wanting to kill themselves every day, and not killing themselves was the biggest struggle they ever faced.

Genetic depression is really bullshit.) These "genes" would have been wiped out in a few generations.

Genetics does not work that way.) Behavior straight out of genes, without social and environmental conditioning is bullshit. Behavior is product of training and acquired habits, guided by hard-wired instincts and emotions.

There might be some predispositions - mutations which introduce minor changes (there cannot be major ones - changes must be small and gradual enough for the organizm to cope with) into some locations, which affect sensitivity to certain chemical compound (hormones, neurotransmitters) or minor structural changes which affects metabolism, but all this could be easily compensated by behavioral patterns on a higher level.

Animals and people with sudden traumas leading to disability are doing this, but way too sophisticated, self-obsessed hipstes and couch potatoes cannot.

Right, just like all other diseases. If any disease had a genetic origin, it would be wiped out within a few generations.

Oh, except for all of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genetic_disorders

There are even lots of diseases that provide strange benefits that protect the sufferer from other illnesses. Having half the genes for sickle-cell trait will give you strong resistance to malaria. Having both is a terrible illness. Huntington's Disease seems to provide resistance to certain types of cancers, but when you turn 35 or 40 your life becomes a real nightmare.

The point is that the purpose of genetics is not to promote healthy humans, it's to promote the reproduction of the group of genes in question. Genes will use all kinds of tricky methods to duplicate themselves, including all kinds of things that are awful for the person with them.

What is the genetic basis of depression, according to which set of successfully replicated experiments?

What is the experimentaly supported cause of depression, what are the pathological changes, in which areas, caused by which genes?

Truthfully? I don't know. That's why I didn't state depression was genetic or provided any benefit to those who suffer from it.

My point is merely that stating depression can't be genetic because of its negative effects misunderstands genetics, evolution. I'm not saying your conclusion is incorrect- there may not be a genetic component to depression at all- but I am saying your methodology for coming to that conclusion is wrong.

LOL! okay keep doing what you're doing.

> "Behavior straight out of genes ... is bullshit" > "Behavior is product of ... hard-wired instincts"

Congratulations on contradicting yourself in two sentences! Or how do you suppose hard-wired instincts are hardwired?

‘Researchers have found that CBT is roughly half as effective in treating depression as it used to be’

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/03/why-cbt-...

Why should I take a tabloid story that refers to a study which is unaware of profound cross-cultural differences in what depression is seriously?

Like obesity, it is an acquired, habitual disorder due to certain "standards of life", overconsumption and resulting pathological behavioral patterns, similar in nature to autoimmune diseases, BTW. It is due to major environmental, not genetic factors.

Then, like any culturally-mediated behavior, it changes over time. People responded to CBT before, now they respond less. Chemical interventions sometimes work. I'm confused by your stubbornness on this point.

This may very well be true, however, some people may still need help in the form of drugs to get them to a point where they can actually begin to make those changes.

sounds good. so how do i get off my ass and do it?

Like everyone else.

You sure have the answers, pal.

There was a guy named Jack Kerouac, among many.

One could literally see how it works for others.

Puzzled (but also fascinated) at your motivation to post ignorant and seemingly inflammatory comments like this. But, there's probably a CBT treatment for it, right? Please let us know how the treatment goes.

The meaning was that roughly two thirds of world's classic literature is about how people are capable to alter their life circumstances and conditioning.

There might be a legitimate question of which particular CBT is more efficient, but there is no question of whether or not it works.

Smart people usually bootstraping individual CBTs for themselves. Some, like Hermann Hesse, even wrote books about it.

One of the many mistakes you've made in your string of bad posting is the assumption that all brains behave the same. Another mistake is being histrionic as hell. Maybe you could CBT some of that away by not posting.

You mean the Jack Kerouac who ended up drinking himself to death? Perhaps the road trips did not cure all ails.

Consider the magnitude change his character had undergo after he left mom's basement in New York.

Kerouac himself was smart-enough to realize the dynamic and illusory nature of what we call "myself" (it was one of his main themes - unfolding of Cody and himself and of everything else) and that his alcoholism was the cause of his suffering.

Why he didn't choose to fight it is another question. Perhaps, it was too late.

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