No, it isn't, but people really, really like to think that it is [1]. Like most other interventions worth talking about, there are situations it improves, situations where it doesn't change much, and situations it worsens (those "consult your physician before starting an exercise program" disclaimers aren't just for show).
[1] http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2010/11/30/ex...
It didn't help. For me. I still wanted to kill myself, and all the while I went to the gym I felt it was pointless.
Again, that's an anecdote of one. The cause of my depression and someone else's, and the effective treatment, are potentially very different.
Great if exercise helps a particular depression. But if it doesn't, the that person is fit and depressed.
A mental health professional is the best bet.
I went on a fitness binge a bit back. These days I can run a 10k in 45 minutes pretty easily, hit very good lifts for my weight class, and eat salads basically every single meal.
After work and after the gym, all I want to do is drink or anything similar to get rid of all the thoughts in my head about how pointless it all is. Why the hell do I care if I can do all that crap.
I feel like how others do. I work 60-70 hours a week because work is the only thing that keeps me away from more depressive thoughts. I don't enjoy doing anything. I've tried going on vacations, hiking, all the things people say young people should do.
All it ever does is make me more depressed that I don't enjoy these things at all, especially since I'm in my early 20s. I've tried doing hacking with Arduino and Raspberry Pi's because I'm supopsed to enjoy that, but no matter what, I don't care because it all seems like junk. I don't care about that shit at all.
I sold a majority of my stuff, and the majority of my possessions fits into a single SUV. No permanent furniture, nothing that costs more than a grand.
Owning stuff brings me no joy, so why even bother having it around.
What helped me was talk therapy, medication (the biggest factor), and having really supportive friends.
For sure friends are best. But if someone vents online, how are we to know whether this person will go elsewhere or not for support? I'm not offering to take the place of a professional but I wonder if it really hurts to converse with a depressed person online by asking questions. Silence certainly isn't helpful. And if everyone just says, seek professional help, is that really empathetic? Sounds a bit robotic to me.
Not really. It's really easy to find out how, for example, cognitive behavioural therapy works, and it's not about asking
Counselling is just talking (or perhaps "active listening") but the evidence shows that counselling is pretty terrible as a treatment for depression.
I think we'd be a better society if this form of treatment were prescribed more often.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_...
I'm terrible with people in general. I'm generally a huge bummer to be around and people don't really interest me too much.
Sports are boring as hell to me. I used to play tons of soccer, but I don't quite enjoy it all that often. Tried hiking and mountain climbing and never really enjoyed it. Even after dozen hour hikes, mostly just got a dull sense of meh.
I get that you don't like being around people yourself. But I know there are some who'd enjoy your company despite your own feeling. I don't have a magic solution for how to find such friends.
My only other suggestion, aside from speaking to a therapist, would be trying meditation. Taking a few deep breaths in a quiet space, sitting in a relaxed but upright position, and trying hard to think about nothing, or only your breath, for 20 minutes, can do wonders. It is harder than it sounds and can open your mind to a lot of possibilities that previously seemed impossible. I recommend the book Mindfulness in Plain English if you're interested to learn more. It's free and available online. You're as valuable as any other person on this planet. We're all equals. Once you believe that, you can do anything you set your mind to.
Kudos on being able to accomplish all the fitness goals under the circumstances, fwiw.
I was mildly depressed for a while and even things that previously gave me great joy, like music and hanging out with close friends, lost their charm. I believe the technical term for this is ahedonia. Luckily I got better and the joy came back.
So perhaps you do enjoy some of the things you've tried, your just not in a physical state to feel it at the moment.
For me, with treatment, I've gained back the capacity to enjoy life. I've gained myself back. It's not happy pills and shining eyes, it's just me, still with my individual qualities and quirks, who's been in there all these decades.
I hope you get help. It's hard to think that help is worthwhile, when everything else seems pointless. But it's worth talking to your doctor or other professional, and it's worth continuing to try if the first methods don't work. You are in there somewhere.
> The evidence for physical activity being good for just about every ailment under the sun is about as incontrovertible
How do you explain the meta-analyses that show weak results for exercise?
http://www.cochrane.org/CD004366/DEPRESSN_exercise-for-depre...
> However, it is not clear if research actually shows that exercise is an effective treatment for depression.
> Exercise is moderately more effective than no therapy for reducing symptoms of depression.
> Exercise is no more effective than antidepressants for reducing symptoms of depression, although this conclusion is based on a small number of studies.
> Exercise is no more effective than psychological therapies for reducing symptoms of depression, although this conclusion is based on small number of studies.
> The reviewers also note that when only high-quality studies were included, the difference between exercise and no therapy is less conclusive.
> The evidence about whether exercise for depression improves quality of life is inconclusive.
From your post it looks like exercise can have positive effects on depression. I haven't read anywhere here that it's the only solution. But it's sometimes as effective as other known treatments (according to your own link) and it's cheap and easy to implement.
Anti-depressants and therapy don't work for everyone, either.
There are people in this thread crying for help. They are looking for advice. Yes, going to see a doctor should be at the top of your list. But let's not pretend the medical system is perfect, or that we all live in San Francisico with a ton of progressively thinking doctors. There's still a stigma with mental health, even in the medical field.
No, they don't. But they are more likely to work than exercise, and they're easier to try than exercise. The problem with recommending exercise is that it's not effective for most people, and can increase feelings of hopelessness and despair in people who try it but who see no effect. This makes it harder for them to seek help from a qualified professional. It also requires considerable effort - 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week isn't something that most people with a severe depression can do. (And here the recommendation was more than that! 30 minutes a day.)
Here the suggestion was not "try exercise on top of seeing a doctor", the suggestion was "try exercise".
Don't forget that suicide is a leading cause of death (second leading cause of death in US males aged between 13 and 35 http://www.cdc.gov/men/lcod/ ) so there's a risk of real harm here.
If people are going to give unsolicited medical advice to someone with a potentially fatal illness they should probably spend a bit of time to see if there's any evidence to support their advice, or they should make it much clearer that they're sharing their anecdotal experience in an attempt to empathise.
Every single time depression is mentioned on HN someone will say "try exercise".
It's a meme that needs to end because it's potentially harmful, mostly not helpful, and it can feel really dismissive to people with depression.
Unless you have some weird heart condition, or are attached to an IV pole, or are not subject to the laws of gravity and therefore are in danger of floating off into space should you leave your apartment, exercise will probably not hurt you, and may possibly create a positive change in your circumstances, whatever they happen to be[1].
[1] I trust the majority of HN readers to figure out when disclaimers apply.
The best advice and only one worth giving is to please seek professional help if you think (or know) you have depression.