Can truly intelligent people think themselves out of depression?

yeah

Psychology is the science of mind and behavior, take it to Veeky Forums you cockmongler.

>people with "social anxiety" make socializing harder with increased unnatural political correctness to keep in mind and sweat about

I dont get it but also this is Veeky Forums so fuck

No, I don't think so, but I think depends what you mean by depression.

If you mean clinical depression, then no chance. But if you mean the kind of existential angst that comes with people not living in good faith, than yes.

more like

You have to throw yourself and your mind into obtaining and researching "the truth". Even if it pains you at first or scares you and worsens your depression, you will be surrounded by unimaginable darkness just before your dawn of awakening. I've been where you are OP, you must persevere and push forward in this journey or succumb to the compounding pressure of knowing and being more intelligent than everyone around you and ultimately kill yourself because your inability to cope with this curse. Make no mistake about it, intelligence is a double edged sword. You are conscious and aware of the truth in everything around while everyone else lives life blindly. You either embrace it or run from it and and reject this sadistic gift. If you wanted an easy answer to this dilemma you're already behind the 8 ball.

How do you distinguish the two? Are there even ways of testing for depression?

>Are you depressed?
>Yes
>Ok *writes prescription*

>the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament

>How do you distinguish the two?

Simple.

Do you have a job you don't mind doing? Do you eat well? Do you work out? Do you have a romantic relationship that is functioning well? Do you have friends and a social network that gives you value?

If you have all of these things, and still have problems getting up in the morning, or want to kill yourself, then you are almost certainly clinically depressed, and anti-depressants will most likely help you, because there's nothing qualitatively wrong with your life.

On the other hand, if you sit in front the computer 16 hours a day, only eat junk food, smoke pot and drink, masturbate 10 times a day, have no friends, no job, and no romantic relationship, and you feel bad all the time, there is something wrong with your life, not your head.

You can come to understand your situation, but "thinking" or the intellect is only single tool endowed upon man. The mind by itself is the slayer of the real.

But the top life sounds completely undesirable

I dont smoke or anything but man having any kind of job seems horrible. I'd rather be bymself than have friends or a relationship to be honest.

Sounds like rationalizations to me. But I get it. If you've done something for a long time, changing seems like a chore, and not worth it.

Just remember that you can change your life at any time.

Success is entirely subjective though user

>done something for a long time
>its rationalization
What does that even mean

Wheres the rationalization?

I think you're trying to paint me as a person I'm not

>Wheres the rationalization?

The rationalization comes where you're saying you don't want any friends or a relationship and you don't want a job.

Which is completely bullshit, and something you're just telling yourself to defend your ego.

>complete bullshit

Objectively not true.

Source: I know who and what I am very well.

I don't have the same desires you do so your attempt to project your desires onto me because you see them as "normal" fails.

>Success is entirely subjective though user

Success is a social construct. And social constructs aren't simply "subjective". They exist for a reason.

>I don't have the same desires you do

You are a human being. So am I. And simply by that fact I know what a healthy human being is like.

And a human being without a job, friends, or romantic attachments, is a resentful, bitter and lonely creature.

But by all means, imagine yourself as the exception. I bet it makes you sleep better at night.

Your remark is untrue and doesn't hold.

Counter-point.

Me. There exists a human who is not resentful, bitter, and lonely while also not having a job, close friends, or romantic attachments.

Do you have a rebuttal sir?

What is the word for personal success then?
Contentedness?

My rebuttal is simply that I don't believe you, and I don't think you believe yourself writing that either.

How about self-respect?

>resentful, bitter and lonely creature
Only at myself though I unironically do not hate anyone and can see reasons for and against almost anything so do my best not to judge others actions. I love the world and I hope there is a god.

I believe that you are projecting your own feelings into the matter.

The truth behind "My rebuttal is simply that I don't believe you" is actually just a case of it being impossible for you to form one. You made a sweeping generalizing statement that you can not prove for all human beings and so it falls apart as soon as a counter example exists. You should take greater care before you choose the wrong hill to die on.

>I believe that you are projecting your own feelings into the matter.

Absolutely. These are my personal opinions on the matter.

You are free to disagree though, but I will caution you to think that your life as it is now is perfect, and to think that you have it all figured out, because it sounds like arrogance to me, and I think you will regret it when you are friendless, spouseless, childless and jobless as a 50 year old.

The true virtue is to be content with oneself alone in a room with a chair.

Arrogance, indeed. To think that the only thing you need, is your own supreme intellect in a quiet room.

Well, I wish you good luck, and happy holidays.

When did I claim any kind of supreme intellect? I am just a man, not even an intelligent one at that. I just value different things than some other men.

>I just value different things than some other men.

You apparently value nothing other than your mind, because that's the only thing left when you're sitting alone in a quiet room.

Yes

most of their depression stem from having questions and no answers from them. So if they have the answers all is well.

Maybe he really likes chairs user?

>Maybe he really likes chairs

Maybe you're right.

How did the universe come to be?

Yes, depression is caused by overthinking in a pessimistic manner usually the result of a low status in the social totem pole.

Actual major depression is not like I'm feeling down xDxxddxdddd, it's borderline psychotic. So, can you think your way out of schizophrenia? Really breaks my balls when people think actual mental disorders are a thing other than a biological and chemical problem. You wouldn't tell to some diabetic to just think his way out of insulin.

>Source: I know who and what I am very well.

You can never be so sure. Individuals are complicated. I bet if you talk to a therapist you could learn things about yourself that you never would have imagined.

But I've been living the 2nd one for years now and I'm 10x happier than when I was wageslaving from 9 to 5

cognitive behavioural therapy. i did. i was having panic attacks so hard id come to on my floor covered in drool. once it happened while urinating and i pissed all over myself. then i studied CBT, used some of its tricks and now im almost normal

cause and effect, which way does it go?

The distinction between being depressed and not being depressed comes from the clinical criteria set out in either the DSM or the ICD. Diagnosis is largely made based on this criteria, and whilst circumstances are taken into account, they not not to the degree that I believe this user is implying.

I don't think so.
t. depressed person who's probably a genius

tfw too smart for this world
why does the modern world hates intellectuals so? Is it because we bring new ideas and chaos and everybody just wants peace and quite life nowadays?

>verybody just wants peace and quite life nowadays
People always wanted peace and quite life

Yes. Read Nietzsche

>why does the modern world hates intellectuals so?
Please, don't delude yourselves, gentlemen. You aren't intellectuals. You are the opposite of that, and LARP into believing that idle intellectual masturbation and participation awards are intellectual pursuits.

So only successful people can be depressed hmmm

This. Depression is more like a biological killswitch installed by evolution. The only thing you can do is, indeed, work yourself out of it, so that your brain circuit goes: "Productive activity detected. Self-destruction timer disabled."

It's not entirely correct. There is more in common with the two: depression itself forces you to commit social suicide as well. So being a NEET loser may be both cause and effect.

"truly" intelligent people would understand the mechanisms of depression and manage to avoid getting it.

Absolutely yes. Just stop believing you are depressed or you need something to not be. If you learn to think for yourself. you realize that all you need to be happy is freedom, the freedom that stems from the courage of being yourself.

I'm trying something similar. Like I write a journal, protocol my days, write down what I don't like about me or my life, write down all the stuff that I tried to suppress so hard, my fears, my dreams and plans.
So far it helped me to stop smoking pot, stop drinking, have a better understanding of my personality and sexuality and cope better with my negative sides and setbacks.
I can't say I have fully conquered my depression yet, but it sure helps saving shrink costs.

See that's funny because I'm incredibly depressed, constantly suicidal, probably have some form of more serious mental illness and managed not turn into a worthless sack of shit. NEETs are just lazy, whining children that refuse to take responsibility for their lives or actions.

>doesn't understand the concept of "all else being equal"

>tfw to intelligent to be depressed

If turning into you is the alternative to depression I'd just kill myself

it's like trying to repair your broken tools with the same broken tools you already have.
so no you can't

>inherent in human nature is the act that every human wants to have a "job"
gee i hope you're not right on that one bro or my whole world view is messed up. jobs didnt even exist before we went and started agriculture btw.

Yes, by having the thought to serve others, and then by doing it.

It's literally what he said tard.

>psychology
>a science

If you were actually intelligent you'd realize that actions you take can get you out of depression, but thoughts alone can't. Exercise, meeting goals in life, making an effort to be social etc.

Cognitive behavioral techniques are empirically proven to work. You can think your way out of depression.

That's what it is.

...

If the results are falsifiable and repeatable, it's a science.

It doesn't have to be deterministic, probabilistic is fine.

When I was at my most depressed, I didn't have most of those things. I did the whole eating well and exercise thing; I looked better than I ever did, yet I still hated myself and wanted to suffer because I felt like an imposter.

The only thing that really helped me was being on antidepressants--if I go too long without taking them, I go right back to being depressed. So, no, OP, you can't just think your way out of an illness, you have to take action to get well. And yes, getting medicated and going to therapy counts as taking action.

>The true virtue is to be content with oneself alone in a room with a chair.
Humans can literally not do that for any long period of time, we need stimulus from outside ourselves to function

Depression is a manufactured concept developed by pharmaceutical companies and the government to keep the citizenry on mind altering compliance medication

No. Depression is a disease. It's something that PHYSICALLY affects your brain. You can't think your way out of it like you can't wish your cancer away.
>non-materialists faggatos will deny this

>I can't do it so no one can

I have done it, so fuck your anecdote. It does not apply to everyone.

>It's something that PHYSICALLY affects your brain.

This is a substance lacking reddit tier pseud bullshit. It's not that it's wrong, it's that a lot of things change your brain physically, it's not unique.

You objectively can think your way out of it with CBT. I fucking hate this attitude that is now so pervasive.

Then thoughts are a physical occurance and you can. What kind of cognitively dissonant retard are you? Fuck this board went to shit in the last 6 months.