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This could be why you're depressed or anxious
How your psychological needs impact your life, just like your physical needs like food and shelter do
A thread based on @johannhari101's work
How your psychological needs impact your life, just like your physical needs like food and shelter do
A thread based on @johannhari101's work
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So far, we have scientific evidence for 9 different causes of depression and anxiety. 2 of them are in our biology.
Your genes can make you more sensitive to these problems.
So far, we have scientific evidence for 9 different causes of depression and anxiety. 2 of them are in our biology.
Your genes can make you more sensitive to these problems.
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And then there are real brain changes that can happen if you're depressed, that can make it harder to get out of it
But most of the factors that are proven to cause depression a d anxiety are not in our biology, they're factors in the way we live
And then there are real brain changes that can happen if you're depressed, that can make it harder to get out of it
But most of the factors that are proven to cause depression a d anxiety are not in our biology, they're factors in the way we live
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And once you understand the non-biological factors, it opens up a very different set of solutions that should be offered to people alongside chemical antidepressants
And once you understand the non-biological factors, it opens up a very different set of solutions that should be offered to people alongside chemical antidepressants
4/
For example, if you're lonely, you're more likely to be depressed.
If you go to work and you don't have any control over your job, you just gotta do what you're told, you're more likely to become depressed.
Same if you very rarely get out into the natural world
For example, if you're lonely, you're more likely to be depressed.
If you go to work and you don't have any control over your job, you just gotta do what you're told, you're more likely to become depressed.
Same if you very rarely get out into the natural world
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One thing unites a lot of the causes of depression and anxiety, our psychological needs
We all know, we have physical needs, like food, shelter, water, clean air. If someone takes these away from you, you'd be in real trouble real fast.
One thing unites a lot of the causes of depression and anxiety, our psychological needs
We all know, we have physical needs, like food, shelter, water, clean air. If someone takes these away from you, you'd be in real trouble real fast.
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But at the same time, every human has natural psychological needs, you need to feel "you belong", you need to feel your life has meaning and purpose, you need to feel that people see you and value you, you got a future that makes sense.
But at the same time, every human has natural psychological needs, you need to feel "you belong", you need to feel your life has meaning and purpose, you need to feel that people see you and value you, you got a future that makes sense.
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This culture we've built is good at lots of things, many things are better than they're better in the past, I'm glad to be alive today.
But we've been getting less and less good at meeting these deep underlying psychological needs
This culture we've built is good at lots of things, many things are better than they're better in the past, I'm glad to be alive today.
But we've been getting less and less good at meeting these deep underlying psychological needs
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It's not the only thing going on, but it's the key reason why this crisis is rising and rising
It's not the only thing going on, but it's the key reason why this crisis is rising and rising
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One day Johann went to interview South African psychiatrist, Dr. Derek Summerfield.
Dr. Summerfield happened to be in Cambodia in 2001, when chemical antidepressants were introduced for the first time, to the people in that country
One day Johann went to interview South African psychiatrist, Dr. Derek Summerfield.
Dr. Summerfield happened to be in Cambodia in 2001, when chemical antidepressants were introduced for the first time, to the people in that country
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Cambodians had never heard of these drugs. Dr. explained it to them what these drugs are, and they said, "Oh, we don't need them, we've already got antidepressants"
Dr. was like, "what do you mean?". He thought they were talking about some kind of herbal remedy
Cambodians had never heard of these drugs. Dr. explained it to them what these drugs are, and they said, "Oh, we don't need them, we've already got antidepressants"
Dr. was like, "what do you mean?". He thought they were talking about some kind of herbal remedy
11/
Instead, they told him a story.
There was a farmer in their community who worked in the rice fields, and one day he stood on a landmine left over from the war with U.S., and he got his leg blown off.
They gave him an artificial leg, and he got back to the rice fields
Instead, they told him a story.
There was a farmer in their community who worked in the rice fields, and one day he stood on a landmine left over from the war with U.S., and he got his leg blown off.
They gave him an artificial leg, and he got back to the rice fields
12/
Apparently, it's super painful to work underwater if you've got an artificial limb, and it might have been traumatic for him to go back to work in the fields after he got blown up.
He started to cry all day, he refused to get out of bed.
Apparently, it's super painful to work underwater if you've got an artificial limb, and it might have been traumatic for him to go back to work in the fields after he got blown up.
He started to cry all day, he refused to get out of bed.
13/
He developed all the symptoms of classic depression. The Cambodian Dr. said, "this is when we gave him an antidepressant, Dr. Summerfield asked what was it?
They explained that they went and sat with him, they listened to him. They realised that his pain made sense.
He developed all the symptoms of classic depression. The Cambodian Dr. said, "this is when we gave him an antidepressant, Dr. Summerfield asked what was it?
They explained that they went and sat with him, they listened to him. They realised that his pain made sense.
14/
One of the doctors in the community said, "If we buy this guy a cow, he could become a dairy farmer, he wouldn't have to be in this position"
So, they bought him a cow.
One of the doctors in the community said, "If we buy this guy a cow, he could become a dairy farmer, he wouldn't have to be in this position"
So, they bought him a cow.
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Withing a couple of weeks his crying stopped, within a month, his depression was gone.
So the community doctor said to Dr. Summerfield, "So you see Dr. that cow, that was an a antidepressant, that's what you mean, right?"
Withing a couple of weeks his crying stopped, within a month, his depression was gone.
So the community doctor said to Dr. Summerfield, "So you see Dr. that cow, that was an a antidepressant, that's what you mean, right?"
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This might sound senseless and weird to us, but what those Cambodian doctors knew intuitively, based on this individual unscientific anecdote, is what the leading medical body in the world, @WHO has been trying to tell us for years, based on the best scientific evidence...
This might sound senseless and weird to us, but what those Cambodian doctors knew intuitively, based on this individual unscientific anecdote, is what the leading medical body in the world, @WHO has been trying to tell us for years, based on the best scientific evidence...
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If you're depressed or anxious, you're not weak, you're not crazy, you're not a machine with broken parts, you're a human being with unmet needs
If you're depressed or anxious, you're not weak, you're not crazy, you're not a machine with broken parts, you're a human being with unmet needs
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Those doctors didn't say this to the farmer, "hey buddy, you need to pull yourself together, it's your job to figure out and fix this problem on your own"
"On the contrary what they said is, we're here as a group to pull things together with you"
Those doctors didn't say this to the farmer, "hey buddy, you need to pull yourself together, it's your job to figure out and fix this problem on your own"
"On the contrary what they said is, we're here as a group to pull things together with you"
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"So together, we can figure out and fix this problem"
This is what every depressed person needs, and this is what every depressed person deserves
Doctors from the @UN said, this is why we need to talk less about chemical imbalances, and more about the way we live
"So together, we can figure out and fix this problem"
This is what every depressed person needs, and this is what every depressed person deserves
Doctors from the @UN said, this is why we need to talk less about chemical imbalances, and more about the way we live
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We are the loneliest society in the human history
The speciality of early humans was the power of banding together, they used to live in tribes.
And we are the first humans to disband our tribes
We are the loneliest society in the human history
The speciality of early humans was the power of banding together, they used to live in tribes.
And we are the first humans to disband our tribes
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A doctor named Dr. Sam took a different approach towards treatment when a lady named Lisa with depression and anxiety came to him
Dr. Sam prescribed her drugs, he also prescribed her to come to the center to meet with the group of other depressed and anxious people
A doctor named Dr. Sam took a different approach towards treatment when a lady named Lisa with depression and anxiety came to him
Dr. Sam prescribed her drugs, he also prescribed her to come to the center to meet with the group of other depressed and anxious people
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Not to talk about how miserable you are, but to figure out something meaningful they can all do together so that they don't fell lonely and life is pointless.
In the beginning, Lisa was very anxious, but people decided to figure put something together
Not to talk about how miserable you are, but to figure out something meaningful they can all do together so that they don't fell lonely and life is pointless.
In the beginning, Lisa was very anxious, but people decided to figure put something together
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They planned to start gardening together. They started learning from books, YouTube videos, the learned the rhythm of the seasons, they got their fingers in the soil
There's a lot of evidence that exposure to the real world is a powerful antidepressant
They planned to start gardening together. They started learning from books, YouTube videos, the learned the rhythm of the seasons, they got their fingers in the soil
There's a lot of evidence that exposure to the real world is a powerful antidepressant
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But they started to do something more important, they started to form a tribe, they started to care about each other. If one of them didn't show up, the others would ask , and try to figure out a solution.
They said, "as the garden began to bloom, we began to bloom"
But they started to do something more important, they started to form a tribe, they started to care about each other. If one of them didn't show up, the others would ask , and try to figure out a solution.
They said, "as the garden began to bloom, we began to bloom"
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So often when people feel down, in our culture we say, "be yourself"
Actually what we should say is, "don't be you, be us, be we", be part of a group
So often when people feel down, in our culture we say, "be yourself"
Actually what we should say is, "don't be you, be us, be we", be part of a group
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Just like junk food makes us physically sick, junk values make us mentally sick
Just like junk food makes us physically sick, junk values make us mentally sick
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The more you believe you can buy and display your way out of sadness, and into a good life, the more likely you are to become depressed and anxious
As a society, we've become much more driven by these beliefs
The more you believe you can buy and display your way out of sadness, and into a good life, the more likely you are to become depressed and anxious
As a society, we've become much more driven by these beliefs
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Just like junk food doesn't meet your nutritional requirements, in the same way, junk values don't meet your psychological needs
Just like junk food doesn't meet your nutritional requirements, in the same way, junk values don't meet your psychological needs
29/
We live in a machine that is designed to make us neglect what is important about our life
We live in a machine that is designed to make us neglect what is important about our life
30/
We need to change our understanding about what depression and anxiety actually are.
There are very real biological contributions to depression and anxiety, but if we allow biology to become the whole picture, what we're implicitly saying to people is...
We need to change our understanding about what depression and anxiety actually are.
There are very real biological contributions to depression and anxiety, but if we allow biology to become the whole picture, what we're implicitly saying to people is...
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"Your pain doesn't mean anything, it's just a malfunction, it's just a glitch in computer program, a wiring problem in your head"
The truth is, your depression is not a malfunction, it's a signal.
It's telling you something
"Your pain doesn't mean anything, it's just a malfunction, it's just a glitch in computer program, a wiring problem in your head"
The truth is, your depression is not a malfunction, it's a signal.
It's telling you something
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We feel this way for reasons, and it can be hard to see them, but with the right help, we can understand these problems, and we can fix these problems together
But to do that, the very first step, we have to stop insulting these signals, by saying it's weakness or madness
We feel this way for reasons, and it can be hard to see them, but with the right help, we can understand these problems, and we can fix these problems together
But to do that, the very first step, we have to stop insulting these signals, by saying it's weakness or madness
33/
We need to start listening to these signals, they're telling us something we really need to hear.
When we truly respect and honour these signals, we're gonna see the liberating, nourishing solutions, the cows are waiting all around us.
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We need to start listening to these signals, they're telling us something we really need to hear.
When we truly respect and honour these signals, we're gonna see the liberating, nourishing solutions, the cows are waiting all around us.
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