can we stop diagnosing unknown people based on a 2 paragraph post on HN? the obsession with finding a label for all sorts of mental states is crazy. I agree with the rest of your post though

we should also stop treating depression as the ultimate disease,

Depression is definitely real, and fairly easy to diagnose for.

Absolutely real. So real that every human being will be depressed sometime in their life. It is just one of multiple mental states we have in our framework.

And just like any physical pathology, people deserve to recognize and address depression if they experience it.

Nope. There's a difference between being sad and being clinically depressed, there's a difference between being distracted and having ADHD, there's a difference between worrying and having OCD, there's a difference between not wanting to eat a particular meal and having anorexia or ARFID.

Please. Having a mental disorder is stigmatized enough already. Please don't play into it by implying it's not real.

Give us a break.

"Depression is definitely real, and fairly easy to diagnose for"

It is so "easy" to diagnose that a bunch of sad people go around telling others that they are depressed and the world needs to bend to their self-diagnosed "stigmatized" enough "disease". Again. Give us a break.

I wouldn't call it diagnosing. Just suggesting they consider it.

Personally it all sounds very familiar. So familiar I'd admit I'm mildly depressed. But I do still have a pad of good ideas that I add to.

Also very interesting is that yes even with ideas I'm not good at doing them - but the suggestion that their thing might be the enabling others to achieve theirs really sticks out for me. I'm definitely at my best helping others to do better.

All in I'd say it was a good response.

Thank you.

Can we stop dismissively projecting pet peeve interpretations onto posts that aren't worthy of them?

I didn't say "you are depressed". I said "have you considered that you might be...". When did that become diagnosis?

FWIW I said "clinically depressed" to draw the specific distinction between colloquial use of the word "depressed" meaning "down", and the medical notion of depression that covers this sort of stuff -- long term loss of direction, low self-esteem negativity etc.

It's just a suggestion to consider the whole picture and maybe seek advice.

Ah, yes, the "I didn't technically say so" card. How quaint. Have you considered that you might have degraded mental faculties? Oh, what's that? No, I didn't diagnose you, nor call you a moron, I just said "have you considered that you might be ..." When did implying, or otherwise speaking with heavy connotations or subtext, ever even pass the notion that I might be diagnosing you? Nay. Nothing of the sort!

Yeah, that logic doesn't really check out dude. You can cry all you want that you didn't diagnose the lad, but language sure is a lot more complex than just yes and no in many cases. And you sure did imply a clinical diagnosis heavily, and quickly. Honestly, if you'd just used "depressed" as opposed to "clinically depressed," I may have even taken you seriously. But honestly, I don't think you'd even know the difference even if I smacked you over the head with a dictionary. Not to mention the pointless smartassery.

Oh? What's that? Is that me labeling you because of a perceived tone in your words? Huh. Funny how language works out, right? Twat.

It's not a matter of "I didn't technically say".

I didn't diagnose. I made a suggestion. Full fucking stop. I didn't imply a diagnosis.

I suggested the possibility (I even used that fucking word). That he might want to think about it. Because the entire tone of the OP's question suggested it to me. Based on my own miserable lived experience of the last two years, for what it is worth.

So fuck off with this po-faced internet warrior shit.

You sure seem to think you didn't imply it, that is clear. But that is literally what you did. The moment you used "clinical depression" instead of "depression," you were talking about a clinical diagnosis. One which you made into an implicit condition by the very way you structured your sentences. Welcome to language. Your interpretation of it isn't the be all, end all.

Oh, and since we're waving around personal experience as a stick, as if it leads credence to our words; I was diagnosed with clinical depression years ago. And yet, you don't see me just assuming and then implying that someone else is clinically depressed, when reading someone's post, just because it strikes a cord or seems similar. This is literally why we have professionals for the field, so that they can make the decision of whether the depression is clinical or just the winter blues, while morons like us can continue to argue and waste ours and others time.

If you just wanted OP to think about it, like you say, you could've just as easily have asked if he'd considered the thought that he might be depressed. Instead of, you know, if OP is bloody clinically depressed. Those are very different things.

So, likewise, fuck off with this trite "I'm not diagnosing, just suggesting—and thereby implying—that you may be clinically depressed—which, by the very definition of the phrase, means that a doctor has given you a diagnosis of depression. And it's usually used for when it's a more severe case—when there's a perfectly apt, commonly used, non-diagnosis alternative that wouldn't imply a diagnosis that I won't use because I'm not diagnosing—trust me, bro!" shit. I severely doubt you are an active, practicing PD or psychologist, given your lackadaisical use of clinical conditions.

just wanted to say actively trying to get bored is some of the best things that i've done for myself as an adult in a dopamine-driven world (exercising aside). i'm not saying to do nothing at all, but trying to be bore yourself whenever you're off work. some examples are like instead of scrolling your phone whenever you're in public transit, just do nothing.