On Depression

[Music] you awake one day with a sense of dread at first penny did on the common annoyances of work unaware of the descent you'll experience over the next few months the sleepless nights the lack of joy the inability to communicate your feelings to the seemingly happy and content figures that surround you a rift develops between your former and present self hobbies no longer satisfy your desire for weekend escapism your loved ones known as peculiar behaviors but unlike missing an arm the symptoms aren't noticeable enough to warrant a concern and of course you wouldn't want to bring them down talking about it only makes it real every now and then you feel elated overjoyed with life and almost godlike your mania further drives away and confuses the only ones willing to listen in Twilight moments of self-reflection you see the totality of anguish your x-ray vision of despair lasers through the impermanence of it all the insistent misery of beed your only sense of comfort of stability is your acknowledgement that there truly is nothing to be hopeful for David Foster Wallace like in the situation of those seriously depressed to the scenario of jumping out of a burning building make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me standing speculatively at the same window just checking of the view the fear of falling remains a constant the variable here is the other terror the fires flames when the flames get close enough falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors it's not desiring the fall its terror of the flames [Music] you what is depression there is of course the strict division of depression into its characterization as a state or mood versus a full-fledged disorder well the former is but an expected component in the tape a story of human experience the latter is crippling and formed through genetics and environmental stressors major depressive disorder carries with it symptoms of sadness tearfulness hopelessness anxiety states of insomnia thoughts of death and a lack of interest in activities that one had once enjoyed additionally in order to separate it from sadness the symptoms of depression are generally persistent across more than a few months depression is complex although thought to be primarily caused by chemical imbalances scientists have found that the very structure of the brain and neurology especially such science as a shrinking hippocampus also play a role certain genetic factors also contribute studies have shown that some individuals carried genes that are more likely to result in sustained despair after a trauma compared to others interestingly many of these genes also have links to inflammatory properties suggesting at least according to evolutionary psychology that depression may actually have stuck around in our gene pool as a way to keep people healthy and less prone to sickness this explains why they often prescribe preventive measures for depression exercising sleeping enough and lowering blood sugar levels are also anti-inflammatory activities overall pharmaceutical solutions such as Prozac have been known to offset these imbalances it appears to be that in many cases the solution to the problem of depression is medication likewise depression has a feeling of unfounded dread and despair unlike those who are sad who can locate the source of their sadness the depressive is unable to identify why they feel depressed they may latch on to universal issues of the human condition such as an apparent lack of meaning in existence or the tragedy of death or may even project their despair onto insurmountable conflicts such as climate change economic crises or crime waves show Vdara captures this the vanity of existence is revealed in the whole form existence assumes in the infinite nosov time and space contrasted with the finiteness of the individual in both in the fleeting present as the soul form in which actuality exists in the contingency and relativity of all things and continual becoming without being in continual desire without satisfaction and the continual frustration of striving of which life consists thus in ability to find a source the sadness does not mean that there is an absence of a certain personal cause but rather there may be an uncovered stressor in one's life such as a problematic relationship there's unsatisfactory job or even a repressed trauma it is generally the work of the therapist to offer the patient adequate space to confront these incredibly uncomfortable points of contention you if depression can be treated pharmaceutically in therapeutically what's the point of philosophizing over it after all we don't have a philosophy of Lyme disease it should be treated rather than intellectualized and I would by no means encourage one to pass a professional help for an evening with Chopin our and yet depression is very different from other ailments at times it is merged into the Avenue of genius especially when we take into account the works of Nietzsche John Stuart Mill and Vik enstein in fact that after mentioned laser-focused through the BS of life that depression gives you can be of benefit as a healthy dose of philosophical pessimism are we to dismiss all of our dark discoveries about the world as soon as our serotonin levels have adjusted arguably it could even be advantageous as those who believe in depressive realism see it the theory that depressed individuals make more realistic inferences than the non depressed especially under fMRI scans depressives can make more accurate judgments of causal attributions of positive and negative social events of course in terms of pursuing capital-t truth depression might be beneficial but in the domain of living a good or happy life it does seem to be better to assume that ignorance is bliss these larger truths that can only add to the weight of our despair are the classic existential dilemmas of life ones impending death in the death of loved ones the anxiety of absolute freedom the inability to truly understand one another that takes upon the painful experience of isolation and last but certainly not least the meaninglessness of it all existential psychotherapy seeks to alleviate ones concerns with these irresolvable observations if the diagnosis of chemical imbalance appears to miss the mark this form of therapy is used when those who are depressed simply cannot live with the unbearable nough subhuman condition it burrows from humanistic psychology existentialism and phenomenology to remind the sufferer that for instance one should spend less time thinking about life after death and more time living their life before it through a healthy recognition of one's mortality it also helps people construct their own meaning and turns our freedom into responsibility but why do we have to do all this thinking in order to not feel the weight of our tragic lives is it not already so obviously tragic to exist to be without consenting to [Music] David Foster Wallace uses this classic joke to open a commencement speech there are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way who nods at them and says morning boys how's the water and the two young fish went on for a bit and then eventually one of them looks over at the other end goes what the hell is water Wallace uses this not to assert that he is the wise older fish but rather to make the case that the obvious most important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see or talk about it is the depressive who carries with her the simple and useful awareness that life is utterly absurd Albert Camus the French Algerian philosopher although he preferred not to be called one popular as this term and philosophy of absurdism Camille argued that there was a certain in congruence between man and the universe namely human beings always strive for some sort of purpose and unfortunately we are unable to find such meaning in the universe the product of this is the rift he calls the absurd a fundamental disharmony at the core of existence especially in the last few decades as humanity finds itself at the deepest end of the pool with little to cling on to the absurd creeps into every waking moment hopes to find meaning through God meta-narratives and even the notion of one's individuality have all come under the microscope Camus argues that hope is the real issue behind this he refers back to Nietzsche's story of Pandora's Box all of the evils in the world the plague flooding famine have been unleashed by Zeus while the remaining evil is left in a box why is hope so evil it is after all the reason why humans let themselves be tormented because they anticipate an ultimate reward instead of valuing one's life here and now individuals hope for a better life beyond such as in an afterlife according to Camus only once we realized that our hopes of being immortal and significant will never be satisfied that is once we recognize the absurd can we live a good life the world is beautiful and outside there is no salvation he writes Camus himself would attempt to live without hope and take part in the earthly delights of adultery that would contribute to his wife's later suicide attempt in fact commodes tumultuous attempts to live beyond hope something the depressive may struggle with regularly uncovers some issues with no longer hoping for instance we may end up hurting others through hedonistic indulgences into the present as Camus could attest and significantly not hoping seems almost entirely impossible from a psychological standpoint coming even recognized man's inability to live without hope even if we wanted to it is very likely that we are always hoping for something and that's psychologically speaking it may be almost impossible to stop hoping it has been suggested recently that canoes philosophy of absurdism allows space for this inability and what has been called a strange hope directed towards the possibilities inherent in the present this line of thinking is taken up in the philosophy of the French existentialist Gabrielle Marcel ourselves saw the human being in a strange predicament he recognizes that he's an existing thing and yet desires to prove that his life is more significant than this this is very much in line with canoes absurd Marcel argues that the individual in striving for greater significance initially believes that the things around him can give him meaning and value suddenly the desire to possess surmounts the desire to simply be life then becomes a series of instances to possess to control and to own the things that he believes will give value to his existence this drive to possess in order to satisfy the hope for meaning originates at the very heart of the Marcel Yin distinction between problem and mystery for the most part we see this absurd discrepancy between being and becoming something meaningful as a problem to be solved the depressive for instance sees depression as a problem an obstacle to conquer this he argues to a certain extent is a product of the technical character of modern society this urge to systematize everything into problems awaiting a solution a problem does not involve the person who is asking the question or pressing the issue in fact the identity of the questioner can be altered while the problem remains a constant Marcel urges us to reframe our problem with existence into a mystery of existence or being a mystery unlike a problem is met a problematic the identity of the questioner is integral to the question being raised this is the mystery of being one cannot address what being is and who one is separately they're only coherent as a question when taken together furthermore solving mysteries is very different from solving problems mysteries may not even be open to solutions however they demand participation and involvement they require our entire be when confronted by a problem such as feeling sick we hope to feel better however when you're confronted by a mystery such as depression or life it's not always entirely clear what we're to hope for Marcelle favors this hope a general and absolute hoping the act by which temptation to despair is actively or victoriously overcome instead of hoping for X or Y we simply hope there is no anticipation for a specific event but rather a strange but profound assertion that everything is not necessarily lost this does not mean that the person who hopes in this way accepts things as they are Marcelle viewed the strange hope as an act of patience it analyzes probes and actively strives towards being all while accepting the mysterious character of its very work this is not optimism that anticipates or desires a certain outcome the optimists desires can be ruined by a turn of events but the one who embraces this vague hope the hero that maintains their hope surmounts the despair embedded in all mysteries hope consists in asserting that there is at the heart of being beyond all data beyond all inventories and all calculations a mysterious principle which is in connivance with me when all hope seems lost we nonetheless hope for something to hope for hope then this Homer Simpson is also championed alcohol to be is truly the source of and solution to all of our problems and as young rates the greater and most important problems of life are all insoluble they can never be solved but only outgrown this does not mean that the problem is robbed of its reality means that instead of being in it one is now above it we are the mystery of our being we are the hope that strives for its resolution we are perhaps our only hope as long as we remain breathing so - will this undying light whether psychological or metaphysical guide us through despair urging us to push on at times we may find strife and hoping for a better day for an alleviation from depression nonetheless and complete recognition of your personal struggles and your nightly flights of anguish your sense of worthlessness your dread even in the depths of your hopelessness I ask you to betray a logic and reason I ask you nonetheless to hope when he would over philosophize and feel an unbearable dread in his heart the philosopher David Hume would retire to his quarters and play games with his friends and laugh and eat and when after three or four hours of amusement I would return to these speculations they appear so cold and strained and ridiculous that I cannot find in my heart to enter into them any farther I didn't intend to compose an argument against Stuart solve antinatalism nihilism or the deep loneliness you've been feeling about that girl from work leaving you on read I don't think the mysteries of beans should be solved anyway overintellectualizing can imprison someone into a life of contemplative unhappiness sacrificing one's few breaths on earth for a chance at some sort of higher-order truth we mustn't forget to live to laugh to listen to good music to mess up to create beautiful and ugly art I cannot hope to solve your depression and urge you to seek the resources that are available and philosophy can't also hope to solve your problems it's not always very medicinal just take a glance at all of the philosophers that have taken their lives in some respects only you can help yourself only you can decide if life is good I wish I could convince you but words always have a great way of impoverishing the most necessary of truths after this long rant and to paraphrase the closing paragraph of kamusta myth of Sisyphus I leave you at the foot of the mountain you do always find your burden again but you possess a strange hope that rejects that needs for gods and instead raises rocks this universe henceforth without a master seems to you neither sterile nor futile to struggle it towards the heights is enough to fill your heart I imagine you happy it's been said it's hard to keep track of [Music] but I'm trying not to miss you I'm sorry if I have [Music]

Channel: Sisyphus 55

Views: 526,642

Keywords: 2019-07-29, depression, existentialism, camus, albert camus, i'm depressed, what to do about depression, how to solve depression, philosophy, gabriel marcel, what to do when your sad, how to not be depressed, existentialist, school of life, academy of ideas

Id: pJUvvC_Bv5k

Length: 15min 45sec (945 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 15 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/BernardJOrtcutt]

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[u/Complexology]

I found the podcast called "Philosophize This" very helpful for my depression. Philosophy really does help because you really understand what questions are really bothering you and you grow as a person.

[u/i_tried_a_thing]

I have very limited knowledge of the philosophers you mentioned but regardless I want you to know that your art is beautiful and far, far more than a poorly animated YouTube video

[u/NotEasyToChooseAName]

That was incredible! Thank you very much for that video.

[u/[deleted]]

[removed]

[u/a-pennell]

Really enjoyed this.

[u/strawbericoklat]

do you have like the written text version?

[u/becoolandchilandlive]

ABSTRACT: This video firstly explores the feeling and science behind depression as well as the two main treatments, psychotherapy and pharmaceuticals. It then poses the question: If a simple pill can solve all of the insights gained from depression, should one continue in their philosophical pessimism? It also addresses existential psychotherapy, a method of therapy that alleviates those suffering from certain existential dilemmas such as mortality and isolation and borrows from phenomenology and existentialism. In order to better understand the hopelessness of depression, this video then describes “The Absurd” and the philosophy of Albert Camus, who dismisses hope as a fundamental issue in the human condition. Despite Camus attempting to live without hope, there came with it some faults. However Marcel’s “strange hope”, that does not hope for X or Y but rather simply hopes may be better suited in persisting when one is depressed. The video finally ends with an assertion that philosophy is not always medicinal and that Camus’ aesthetic appeal should nonetheless be taken when possible.

[u/mattdylan88]

Well done man! Stay strong and hold onto that hope