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Comment by jvanderbot | Hacker News Reader

If you are feeling consistently behind others, please consider seeing a doctor and adding one or more of the the big three of individual cognitive reshaping: 1. Meditation, 2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 3. Medication. And nearly everyone would benefit from (4) cultivating an additional meaningful relationship in their life.

These have significant research supporting _at least one_ as a meaningful long-term change agent in depressed or unhappy individuals. You may enjoy the Happiness Hypothesis for a wealth of other research-supported insights into a fulfilling life.

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> please consider seeing a doctor

Is it just me or has the "tell people to GO TO A SHRINK" plastered all over the internet become kind of obnoxious?

E.g. consider this instance here:

We're on a website where the intelligence required to understand 90% of the content is certainly enough to also be aware of the fact that psychiatrists etc. exist.

So why is there a need to constantly tell people to go to them if you know that they're probably smart enough to figure that out on their own?

It feels kind of patronizing to me.

Sorry if that wasn't your intention!

I suffered some mental issues that began in 2012 and peaked in February this year. I _knew_ I should go and see a doctor but always because of my "intelligence" convinced myself that I needed to get my diet in order first, or meditate consistently first, or exercise consistently first, or apply any number fixes that I knew could shift the needle of my condition.

It took someone saying 'this is bad, you should go to a doctor' for me to actually make that appointment and go through with it.

That has helped a lot. I wish I had done it 8 years ago.

That's OK. not all advice is applicable to all people. For some, they'd rather start small with something that sounds "cool", like say meditation. For others, they are lost and a quick chat with a doctor (or friend) would seem easier. And some just want to stop worrying about it, and one pill per day to change their life sounds perfect.

Normalizing all those options is what's important.

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