Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/1...astronaut.html
That story may interest some of you. Just sharing the information.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

I think this problem has been known and acknowledged for a long time, even in fiction. Sherlock Holmes was depicted as an addict when he wasn't working on a case (not a recommended way to deal with depression!!) I don't believe this behavior is mentioned in children's editions of the stories, so a lot of people may not realize that Holmes had his dark side. Artistically or creatively inclined people, in particular, are stereotypically high/low people. Every time such people finish a project, they tend to drop into an emotional slump until they get started on the next project. I don't believe that all high achievers or artists are necessarily this way, but knowing that there seems to be this tendency may help sufferers get a better perspective on their problem.

On the other hand, I don't want anyone to do what a T.A. did my first quarter in college. When the college issued a bulletin warning people to be on the lookout for depressed and suicidal people around test time, she laughed it off and treated it all as a big joke, right in front of our discussion section. I don't know if she was just a flippant, insensitive person, or if deep down she was hurting so much that she couldn't deal with this issue appropriately.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

I can't say that I'm all better now, but it's improved a lot. I fought enough to get to the Atlanta championships in a month. So, don't give up!

P.S. If you don't like the idea of anti-depressants and other drugs, try a Naturopath. They're really good and use high doses of vitamins rather than drugs.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

Just know that there's light at the end of the tunnel. I've been where you are, and emerged better for it. This is one of the unfortunate hurdles that the "high achievers" among us have to get past.

And FIRST worked as well as anything else I tried to beat the blues...

The unfortunate side effect, of course, is a lifelong addiction to FIRST.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

basicxman, thank you for raising this important topic! I believe this topic is very overlooked in the FIRST community, so this is, IMO, no way in poor taste.

My situation was a bit complicated when I was in high school, as there was no outside pressure forcing me to make good grades. I was obsessed with being a perfect student, and if there were someone above me in a class, then I would have regarded myself as a complete failure with no place in society (I seriously had this strange train of thought). This same obsession even followed me into my first two years on my school's FIRST team where I obsessed over trying to be a perfect member, and if I found myself to be in a situation where I had nothing to do (like if there was nothing on the robot that I knew how to fix or improve) then I would have regarded myself as a completely worthless member of the team.

Eventually I sought help, and my symptoms were dramatically reduced. I still have these obsessive fits every now and then, but I have learned to control myself.

I highly recommend talking to someone you personally trust about any problems you have, since one of the best steps to take is sharing your feelings. Do not ever keep your problems to yourself, as they will build up and may eventually cause something very unfortunate to happen.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

From what I've read here, there seems to be a bit of a confusion. High achievers have no more reason for high levels of stress or anything. It's the fact that people with high stress often are successful that makes it look that way. I'm quite successful at what I do, and I don't get stressed out as much as many people I know do. I find the key is to do things like read the comics, play a flash game, and just take a nap every once in a while. It really has to do with calming down every once in a while.

Side note: Aren't vitamins drugs? I thought they were. Not saying anything against it, but I would definitely think high vitamin pills are drugs. And yes, not all drugs are bad.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

vitamins are natural minerals that treat the cause of your mental illness, drugs just treat the symptoms and generally always have side effects, some safer than others.

to reference, vitamins have done nothing bad to me. Various drugs have caused me migraines, making the depression worse (yes, drugs can do this! be wary...), etc... I have seen anti-psychotics do cause seizures in some

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

Along around this time of year I try to remind mentors (and student team members, too) to be aware of other team members who are suffering from post-event-letdown. Particularly our seniors, who may be realizing that their FIRST experience is coming to an end...

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

Not speaking for everybody here but, I'm thinking more hard workers or people that have generally had success come to them. Not necessarily gifted but that works too :P I wouldn't consider myself gifted...lol

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

I've heard of the idea of high achievers or intellectuals being more prone to depression and I think one reason this might be the case is that they might be pushed harder to excel even more. One thing I've found that has made me into an eternally happy person is living for myself first and foremost, and I don't mean that in a selfish way. What I mean is you have to do what you think you need to do, and not let yourself be pushed too far.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/drug

Read definition 1. Vitamins in the form you described above falls under this definition of a drug. It really doesn't matter whether or not it is natural.

Also, The link I was sent to suggested there is a correlation between perfectionism and high achieving. It stated that perfectionists tend to have depression. I'm not arguing that point. Perfectionists may. I don't know, I'm not one. However, I'm saying that perfectionists are just one of many types of high achievers. I'm the kind of guy that comes acrossed as lazy, doesn't study much for tests, and often don't pay attention in class. Definitely not a perfectionist or your "standard" high achiever. However, I've got a 3.7 GPA and am half way to my mechanical engineering degree. It isn't about what a person does that makes a person depressed, its how they choose to accomplish.

Disclaimer: Not suggesting everybody does things my way, just saying they do work for me.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

Fair enough, my point being anyways, is that vitamins are significantly less harmful.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

Just to comment on your behavior, I think you are right in the sense that it is how you choose to do things. I'm far from being a high achiever but I do fairly well in school without needing to focus. I've also hit points of depression so I can see both sides of this spectrum. Essentially I live my life stressfree because a friend of mine taught me that there is no limit to apathy. Now I'm not saying you should be apathetic about everything because I think that that would be a really bad idea but sometimes you just need to not focus so hard on life and just go with the flow of things. I hate it when things don't go the way that I want them to or the way that I figured that they would go but I've learned to deal with it by just being apathetic about it. I know that it isn't the best advice but you sometimes need to just live life for you and not care about the rest of the world. Give yourself the time and space you need to get rid of anything causing depression. Taking a step back and looking at things from a different perspective is generally one of my favorite techniques to overcome anything that is bothering me.

Re: Depression in High Achievers
 

It always helps to tal to some one. Although I do not suffer from depression this year was so hard for me having a team of 4 people and a faculty advisor who made it impossible to get things done.

My advice: Find a mentor who you can really relate too and talk to openly about anything. I found one of them and she was really able to help me and now I can talk to her about anything. They are in the same boat as you and sometimes that is easier then talking to someone from your school.