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> My own theory of how depression works is that it involves an inescapable realization that your model of reality is broken and can't be used to make predictions that allow you to effect the change you want to see in your life. You wanted to be happy, society gave you a bad model to work from, and the mind's reaction to discovering that this model doesn't work is depression.

You should read the book Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Jonathan Hari. I read it this summer, and it completely overturned how I look at depression (and other mental health issues). I truly believe that a lot of them (not all, mind you; there's also a lot of over-diagnosis) stem from a breakdown of what made us human, particularly relevant in American culture. It's a very interesting read.

A very insightful comment. I have no idea to what extent your hypotheses describe reality, but the elegance of your line of reasoning deems this path worthy of further investigation.

Where does the sex come in?

Part of (some) human relationships. Being ignored at the expense of working towards success or building a brand towards status.

It's worse than that, it's active avoidance of human relationships because they're a liability. Not just because they create dependencies but because in order to form connections we need to make ourselves vulnerable.

Some people find sex pleasurable and emotionally gratifying. If you have a soulless job etc and you also aren't getting other pleasures in life, I can see that being a factor.

I mean, that's kind of a nutshell version of the issue. Human psychology and sexuality are complex. But I think it's a worthwhile detail to consider.