Best resource for treating depression hands down

[ites]

I've had clinical depression and some other fun things that I'm not even going to mention. It's the worst, it's the worst experience ever when every trace of happiness and joy is sucked out of your existence. Happily I no longer have any problems with depression at all, and not a small part of that I put down to reading this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Learned-Optimism-Martin-E-Seligman/dp/1442341130

A lot of depression in my experience has to do with the feeling that you're damaged goods and that there's nothing you can do to right yourself, that whatever you do you'll just be this kind of existental freak who got lost on the way to the right dimension. That's just the learned helplessness talking, but when you're in the thrall of it it's absolutely and utterly impossible to see it anything other than somthing as natural and inevitable as the birds in the trees and the stars in the sky. It's a shitty way to live and totally unnecessary.

Seriously, read this book. If you don't read books, start with this one.

There's also a test here to demonstrate how learned helplessnes can impact on your thinking; I've taken this a number of times and shown it to countless friends. If they're feeling bummed they always score the same way. http://web.stanford.edu/class/msande271/onlinetools/LearnedOpt.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me9TI9JhvZw

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26123.Learned_Optimism

[Appleblossom]

I will keep my eye open for it ... I have looked a bit at Martin Seligman before.

I came from a long history of exploring ideas so looked at Skinner ... certainly didnt follow him ... dealt with a range of learned helplessness issues and began to develop a concept of PERSONAL AGENCY from my political science studies.

The optimism/pessimism dualism can be a bit misleading at times though. I think it is important to include neutrality between the two ideas.

[ites]

Oh yeah, what else of his have you looked at?

Don't know that I have a lot of time for Skinner; Koestler wrote a good critique of behaviourism in the first part of his The Ghost in the Machine. Definitely agree about the personal agency side of things; we're not robots.

There are degrees of optimism and pessimism I guess.

[Appleblossom]

The video was discussing Skinner and I interact with people on the other side of the digital divide who still discuss Skinner ..

@Former-Member the moderator is into "positive psychology"

I have not read much self help or psych recently ... I studied psychoanalysis and social theory a long time ago and have been busy doing other things ... kids and music and renos ... just had laptop last 2 years and mainly been trying to catch up and see what is out on the net in a general way.

My lovely friend who discussed Skinner has had a stroke and time moves on ... Welcome

[ites]

I'm not a self-help fanatic by any means, but I did find Learned Optimism genuinely life-changing. Thanks.

[Appleblossom]

I love you picture ... I believe you are not a fanatic ... your post wasnt like that at all .. its a good tip .. I have read probably 20/30 self help books and they all helped me ... now I am trying to do short cuts and as I was off the web for a long time ... like reading about flow ... which i also translate into being in touch with ... in Buddhist speak ... the dhamma ... or in Christian speak ... like the Holy Spirit.

Its all good

Glad to have you on the forum