Hi,

I posted this in the wrong location originally. I'm re-posting it here under a new topic for clarity.

I am a 30 year old male and first tried attempting suicide at the age of 12. I've been diagnosed with dysthymia, major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, along with a severe anxiety disorder. I stumbled upon this website after some googling and just read your article "The Real Cure for Depression". I'm wondering about your strategy of developing close relationships with people while at the same time admitting that depression is the loneliest experience in the world. Depression has its basis in genetics, biology and environment. I do agree that this illness is indeed the loneliest experience in the world. I'm tempted to say that even this is an understatement. Well I just said it. But it is so extremely lonely not necessarily because of a lack of a physical presence by another person. This implies that depression is solely caused by one's environment, which is untrue. This is much like saying cancer is solely caused by smoking. Even being surrounded by people like family members, the loneliness, and as a result, the depression (or is it the other way around?), does not go away. Anhedonia is considered to be one of the primary symptoms of depression, which means the victim cannot derive pleasure even from relationships. As strange as it sounds, being around people can actually intensify the depression, since this can make one realize just how depressed he/she really is when they find out they cannot experience any pleasure from social contact. Also, since anxiety goes hand-in-hand with depression, you did not address the issue of people so overcome by the illness that they become socially withdrawn and isolated. Many social skills end up suffering as a result and attempting to make a friend ends up triggering a panic attack! Not all of us have the luxury of having a wife or husband or best friend or even a friend to talk with (since we lost them as a result of depression), so perhaps you could provide advice on how to overcome the issues mentioned above before you suggest building a social network. The strategy mentioned in the article is too simplistic relative to the complexity of depression and unrealistically optimistic for those with severe, treatment resistant depression. It has very little to do with the latest research in depression treatments (i.e. vagus nerve stimulation, serotonin4 (5-HT4) receptor agonists, hormone therapy, Cytomel, transcranial magnetic stimulation, flagellation, etc.) and suggesting that it's a cure for depression would be a major turning point in the history of mankind. But nevertheless, I do appreciate your article. Thanks for letting me post.