A new nasal spray to treat depression has been approved by the FDA.
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Need a fast-acting antidepressant? Pull an all-nighter. Whenever I’ve had to do an all-nighter at school, at work, or for a personal project, I’ve noticed two effects that kick in towards dawn. One is that I am flooded with positive emotions that border on euphoria, and two is that the creative juices start to flow, and solutions to a math or writing problem suddenly appear.
This has happened too many times for it to be a figment. My theory is that disrupting the normal sleep pattern opens the door to the unconscious, the source of creativity.
Of course, it isn’t practical to use more than once a week because you’ll feel like a zombie later in the day, unless you have a stimulant stronger than coffee.
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I would add to find an outdoor activity that gives you joy (flow)… that is a million times better than just exercise. I have given up my extreme sports that have me joy…I need to find new.
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I was listening to the Diary of a CEO podcast today and he was interviewing Dr Daniel Amena, a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist, and founder and CEO of the Amen Clinics I’m not finished, but some of it was interesting.
He mentioned that omegas and saffron have been shown to be as effective as medications used for depression. He also added that saffron is good for memory and as effective as one of the Alzheimer’s medicines. Sorry, I have no idea if these were quality studies
We assessed the association between glucose-lowering therapies and the risk of depression and all-cause mortality over 1-, 3-, and 5-year follow-up periods. Compared to metformin, GLP-1 RA users were associated with a higher risk of depression (HR 1.54–1.84) and a modestly elevated risk of all-cause mortality at 1 and 3 years (HR 1.19 and 1.21, respectively), though this association was not observed at 5 years. Relative to SGLT-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), GLP-1 RA users demonstrated a higher risk of depression (HR 1.33–1.59) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.24–1.35). SGLT-2i use was associated with a lower risk of depression (HR 0.62–0.70) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.54–0.65) compared to DPP-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i). Notably, DPP-4i users exhibited the highest risk of both depression and all-cause mortality relative to metformin (HR 1.53–1.74 and HR 1.56–1.57, respectively).
SGLT-2i was associated with significant reductions in depression and mortality risks, highlighting its potential advantages for type 2 diabetes management.
Totally aligned with my experience: dapagliflozin (SGLT2i) improved my mood while semaglutide (GLP-1RA) made me depressed.
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And another good app from the famous Stanford University professor who wrote the self-help CBT book “Feeling Good”:
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I read recently that the new theory is that depression is your body’s reaction to stress (Utah University?). It makes sense to me.
So, a wholistic approach?
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Sorry, I have no idea if these were quality studies
Beth, I generally like to provide details but it’s too much trouble in this case. So, I will summarize. Research with ChatGPT (which is sometimes accurate) notes that Iran is the major supplier of saffron worldwide , the studies that support the possible mental benefits of saffron were all done in Iran over 10 years ago and the source of the saffron used in the trials was Iran. I found nothing in the last 10 years that supports saffron as being as good as or better than standard medicines. This does not mean the data is incorrect, but I’m very skeptical. So, I won’t waste any of my money on saffron.
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I was feeling great about trying out the Feel great App.
I went to install it and found out it’s not available in Hong Kong.
Not feeling so great now. 
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I doubt it. I had a lot of stress in my life, but have never been depressed (in a clinical understanding of the term).
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@DeStrider what does it say about me that now that I know you want it but can’t have it, I’m suddenly intrigued 
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IMO the best remedy to any down moods is to own a dog. Even thinking about it gives me joy.
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That reminds me of when I went to see a therapist years ago to say ‘I’m depressed, I need drugs’. She said you are not a depressed person, you are just going through something awful and you are reacting to the situation.
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Exercise is tremendously helpful to reduce depression and the general frustrations of life, which turned inward turn to depressive thoughts as well.
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Yes.Everything about a dog makes you feel better, from the constant live and affection they show when you come home to the exercise you get walking them everyday!!
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Exercise (or just long rucking), Sauna, Red Light, Eating Healthy, Be Present, Hugs, and Don’t Borrow Future Worries.
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I am not my brain.
The brain is a weird thing. It will involuntarily offer up dark thoughts, destructive thoughts and drag me into it’s alternate reality.
I have found that by understanding that my brain wants to harm me, I take control and stop those thoughts by focusing on my reality, and I end up in a better place.
By learning how to disarm those thoughts, by recognizing what they are and where they came from, I find I spend more time in a good place
Just because something in my life is difficult doesn’t mean I can allow my brain to drag me down.
It took me a long time to get to that point of understanding the battle between my reality and what my brain presents as it’s reality.
My reality, while often difficult, and has on occasion been severely dysfunctional (like all humans) is filled with a lot of joy, happiness, accomplishment and gratitude.
For those who do have more serious issues in this area, all the other suggestions about exercise, diet, drugs, counselling etc are quite often necessary and truly beneficial. For me it’s a matter of understanding that not all my thoughts are my own or my reality.
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Haha! Wishful thinking!
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He is right in that OCD, stress and lack of sleep can change thinking patterns to the worse compared to baseline.