TED Talks - Depression was Great

[Deleted]

I discovered the TED Talks on Netflix and love to watch them.  The other night I happened upon this talk by Andrew Solomon.  I was fascinated by the fact that about 90% of what he says or describes are things I have written about or shared with my doctor. 

Then a day or two ago I was listening to CNN and they were interviewing a writer and I discovered who Andrew Solomon was and had that de javu feeling because I had just watched the Ted Talk by him -and I previously had never heard of him. 

The talk is online here if anyone wants to listen to it:

www.ted.com/talks/andrew_solomon_depression_the_secret_we_share

[Deleted]

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE TED talks!

I have never seen that one. I sometimes use them with my university students (business school). 

My favorites are:
www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability

www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame

www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion

www.ted.com/talks/bandi_mbubi_demand_a_fair_trade_cell_phone

The other thing I love about the TED site is that you can search by time (they are in 3-min increments, from 3 to 21 minutes). So if I have 5 min left at the end of class, I can go to the site, search by time (3 min) and ask my students to choose one. (I won't use subtitles.)

[Deleted]

There is a series of the talks that cover the mind.  One of them talks about the "power pose" and another talks about how you can learn to memorize things by building a palace in your mind.  Fascinating.

I love the talks because I loved that part of school - learning something interesting from someone who knew what they were talking about.

I'll check out the links you posted.  Thanks! 

[Deleted]

Shasta, the first talk I linked is the "power pose" one. 

[Deleted]

Can you please link the one about memorizing things?

I have a REALLY hard time memorizing my students' names. I have about 200 of them, but some of the other teachers have just as many or even more, and they manage with no problem. I DO get there in the end, but it takes me longer than it takes them, and I feel extremely guilty / ashamed about that. 

I'm finally changing my course load next year because of this issue, but I'd really appreciate it if you could post that link.

Thanks!

ETA: You don't need to actually link it, but could you give me a bit more info on it so I can find it? Thanks!  It's important to me, because I really LOVE my job, and I do it well, apart from that. In fact this is a huge issue for me.  

[Virgil Showlion]

I've been medicated for depression since age 12, as I've disclosed in the past, to combat precisely the condition Dr. Solomon describes. It's a worthy talk in the sense that it helps explain the differences between depression, grief, and anxiety, and it dispels the myth of the "happy pill".

I've been very blessed in having been provided with a loving family, excellent treatment, and a sustaining faith.

[Deleted]

Debt -

www.ted.com/talks/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_can_do

I can't remember names to save my life.  And, I could never memorize anything in school.

I found this technique to be really interesting.  I started building my "palace" and do find that I can link something to an image and remember it! 

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2014 3:58:08 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

I've been medicated for depression since age 12, as I've disclosed in the past, to combat precisely the condition Dr. Solomon describes. It's a worthy talk in the sense that it helps explain the differences between depression, grief, and anxiety, and it dispels the myth of the "happy pill".

I've been very blessed in having been provided with a loving family, excellent treatment, and a sustaining faith.

I particularly like his comment about the opposite of depression not being happiness but rather vitality.

I am always complaining to my doc that I don't see my issues as being "depression" because I am not in a depressed mood, sitting around crying in a corner.

I just simply feel horrible and unable to do anything. When Solomon talks about being hungry but making a sandwich is too much work, I was saying "exactly" at the TV. 

Zoloft worked very, very well for me before it stopped working.  Celexa is working at a lower level, but when my dose was raised I got horrible anxiety and suicidal.  It's really frustrating.  But, it is what it is.

I am looking now at CBT and how to incorporate some of those techniques into helping myself feel more functional.

[Virgil Showlion]

Mar 16, 2014 12:21:07 GMT -5 @atsahsreborn said:

Mar 15, 2014 3:58:08 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

I've been medicated for depression since age 12, as I've disclosed in the past, to combat precisely the condition Dr. Solomon describes. It's a worthy talk in the sense that it helps explain the differences between depression, grief, and anxiety, and it dispels the myth of the "happy pill".

I've been very blessed in having been provided with a loving family, excellent treatment, and a sustaining faith.

I particularly like his comment about the opposite of depression not being happiness but rather vitality.

I am always complaining to my doc that I don't see my issues as being "depression" because I am not in a depressed mood, sitting around crying in a corner.

I just simply feel horrible and unable to do anything. When Solomon talks about being hungry but making a sandwich is too much work, I was saying "exactly" at the TV. 

Zoloft worked very, very well for me before it stopped working.  Celexa is working at a lower level, but when my dose was raised I got horrible anxiety and suicidal.  It's really frustrating.  But, it is what it is.

I am looking now at CBT and how to incorporate some of those techniques into helping myself feel more functional.

Mood medications suddenly, inexplicably not working is extremely common. Both of my psychiatrists (old and current) called it the "poop out" effect. The formal name is "tachyphylaxis", but apparently even psychiatrists just call it the "poop out effect" everywhere except in formal literature. Medical science still has no idea why it happens, just a bunch of vague theories.

I've experienced it three times in 20 years. Twice prompted moderate dosage increases, and one time prompted a change in medication.

What Dr. Solomon describes in terms of the sandwich is formally called "anhedonia"--the inability to derive any enjoyment from normally enjoyable activities--and is highly characteristic of my own symptoms when not medicated, along with severe anxiety symptoms. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, but as Dr. Solomon says, the dark times become a part of who we are, often proving mentally and spiritually profitable to us.

[Deleted]

Strangely enough, I am fairly creative and have made the best of my art when either feeling happy and manic, or feeling abjectly crappy. 

[Deleted]

Thank you Shasta! I've bookmarked it and I'll watch it this week (I am being inspected tomorrow so I'm too busy hyperventilating LOL).

[Jaguar]

I bookmarked this thread.