MetaFilter posts tagged with psychology and depression

Long-term effects of ecstacy

homunculus — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:13:05 -0800

Ecstasy's long-term effects revealed. "Enough time has finally elapsed to start asking if ecstasy damages health in the long term. According to the biggest review ever undertaken, it causes slight memory difficulties and mild depression, but these rarely translate into problems in the real world. While smaller studies show that some individuals have bigger problems, including weakened immunity and larger memory deficits, so far, for most people, ecstasy seems to be nowhere near as harmful over time as you may have been led to believe." [Via]

Just in case...

sondrialiac — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:13:14 -0800

Suppose you have a problem with your thinking, your mood, or your relationships. Come in, sit down, and let the internet help. Meet MoodGym and its newer sister site, e-couch. Of course, you could probably use a real shrink, too. Find one online-personal style, complete with pictures and information about specialties, qualifications, cost, and treatment preferences. You might be prescribed psychoactive medications, aka crazymeds. Did you know that "Lexapro gets rave reviews from the Panic/Anxiety community"? Well, you do now. And to keep it all straight and monitor your progress, PatientsLikeMe will keep track of just about everything about you, Big Brother-style. Don't remember how you felt two days ago? It certainly does. Good luck--and don't lose hope.

Coming of Age on Antidepressants

homunculus — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:15:00 -0800

Who Are We? Coming of Age on Antidepressants. [Via Mind Hacks.] The Medicated Americans: Antidepressant Prescriptions on the Rise.

Heckuva job Brownie!

punkfloyd — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 13:02:29 -0800

Positive self-deception is a normal In 1988, psychologists Shelly Taylor and Jonathon Brown published an article making the somewhat disturbing claim that positive self-deception is a normal and beneficial part of most people’s everyday outlook.

We Used To Get Together And Really Let Our Hair Down...

amyms — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 01:43:47 -0800

Remember When We Used To Have Fun? A look into the causes of modern unhappiness by Barbara Ehrenreich, author of "Nickel and Dimed."

"So I try to laugh about it / Cover it all up with lies"

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:46:18 -0800

Men get depression too. An excellent article about the hurdles men face in coming to terms with having the Black Dog. (Click "Print this" at the bottom for an easier to read one-page version; bonus links inside.)

The Good Burns, Not C. Montgomery Burns

willmize — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 11:17:53 -0800

Everyone in the blue and the green loves David Burns.
His landmark (and most often recommended) book, "Feeling Good" is available in Small, Medium, and you can even Supersize it, complete with exercises, questionnaires and expanded section on medications for depression.
"Feeling Good" is a great book, but Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is good for lots of stuff besides depression.
Like dating, relationship or shyness issues. Solutions that do not involve John Gray, Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, or heck, even the song "Doctor Doctor" from the Thompson Twins.
No worries, because Dr. Burns has a book for that too, and it rocks. It will get you off the couch, and get you out and smooching in no time.
There are others out there also working with CBT to help you make your life all it can be.

Got the right genes?

billsaysthis — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 13:04:01 -0800

Predicting who'll benefit from anti-depressants From the study's abstract: "There are well-replicated, independent lines of evidence supporting a role for corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the pathophysiology of depression." The NY Times has a bit more readable explanation (reg-free link) of a recent investigation of into whether there is a genetic explanation for why some people get more from their drugs than others.

Espoo2 — Sun, 11 Aug 2002 10:47:39 -0800

Low self esteem leads to negative moods..... People with low self esteem believe sadness is part of life and you shouldn't get rid of it.

gloege — Mon, 20 May 2002 06:41:42 -0800

Overcome Depression: The New Computer -Cognitive Treatment Overcoming Depression is the world's first self-educative computer program for understanding, dealing with, and preventing depression using a unique dialogue mode that allows you to express yourself freely in your own words and that responds in meaningful every language characteristic of a therapeutic context. So much for the personal therapeutic process. My question is - can this program prescribe meds??!??