On Depression | Hacker News Reader

On Depression

onepercentbreadsticks.com

26 pointsgsibble8 comments

What I don't understand is society's strong aversion to the notion of suicide. Simply stating that I want to opt out of the bullshit I have to endure by being alive on this rock can get me locked up, and has in the past. Which actually just guaranteed no one would see it coming if I were ever serious about it.

Even when I am in a good mood, I just fail to see such a decision as irrational -- which is what society and modern psychiatry wants to convince me. If less drastic options have been explored and nothing seems to be working, what is so wrong with not wanting be alive anymore? How long should one hold out?

I didn't even know Robin Williams had died -- an unintentional byproduct of no longer using Facebook and Twitter which I guess has deprived me of "news". It's sad in that I wish it didn't have to be that way, but I also find it bittersweet in that his suffering has ended. I would rather he be alive, but he didn't, and he's the only one who had to live his life, so I don't feel that it's my place to regret his decision for him or suggest that he didn't make the correct decision for himself. Am I wrong for feeling this way?

You make a rational case for it, while for many going through suffering every day, it doesn't seem to be an option. Think of slaves, (and all the modern more subtle forms of slavery). A far as I am aware the majority still wanted / want to live despite suffering every day.

I guess the idea (for most western people) is that it is a phase that will pass / things will improve.

Heya author, I've found self administering ketamine I picked up off silk road to be tremendously helpful in managing my depression:

Results from a newly published study indicate that intranasal ketamine spray can produce a rapid and sustained antidepressant effect within 24 hours, and was well tolerated in a small group of patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2014/04/13/intrana...

Take a look into it, and best of luck!

If ya want more details just reply. I've found information on diy ketamine for depression to be sparse unless you know where to look. And it's gonna be a while before any k treatment makes it to market for the public.

Did you need to go into the k-hole to achieve results?

Definitely not, but you are going to get weird for 45 minutes.

The study in that forbes article used 50mg intranasally (basically snorted). The earlier study backing ketamine's efficacy[1] used "0.5 mg/kg diluted in saline, administered over 40 minutes by IV pump". Works out to 35mg for a 70kg guy with a drug delivery rate in the ballpark of snorting it.

Redosing protocol is up to you, I'd read both papers, track your mood, and decide something reasonable. [1] dumps a fair amount of K into their volunteers in one part. Basically the 35mg every two to three days. When depression hits hard I do 35mg every one or two weeks, and go up to 3 weeks as I'm feeling better.

I like dissociatives but maaan 35-50mg is pretty much the least pleasant dose. You're not near k-holing but reality is still pretty bent for about 45 minutes. Normal social interaction is totally out of the question for me and my thinking is warped. What works best for me to handle it is putting on an album I can play all the way through, lying down and meditating on the music until I sober up.

Cheers!

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935847/

>Sadness tends to have a source. Depression does not.

All depression has a source. Often we simply can not understand it (neither scientifically nor socially). When we do understand the source, it can lead to more effective treatment; such as better medication, or more effective lifestyle interventions. In the far future, we may entirely realistically be rid of depression entirely, if we learn to understand its sources.

Perhaps triggers, but I wouldn't say that persistent depression has a source that is consistently present.

Unless you refer to the source being chemically.

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