Learning how to make yourself depressed and even suicidal could be useful.
An outrageous statement, I know. But I'm not opening this essay with it for the sake of shock effect. Let me say right away that I don't take this topic lightly, as it is closer to me than I'm comfortable sharing.
Nonetheless, my opening statement is true for a simple reason. If you know what it takes to make yourself depressed, you know what to avoid doing in order not to fall into that state, or at least minimize your chances of it. Furthermore, it would logically follow that by doing the opposite of what makes you depressed, you would be able to get yourself out of depression.
Luckily for you, this is not yet another nonsense self-help method proposed by some guy who likes to write online. What I described was a part of an actual study conducted in 1971.
In 1971, Norman Farberow and David K. Reynolds received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to create a depressed, suicidal person and send that researcher/patient into various psychiatric facilities in order to experience them from the inside.
The purpose of this study was more than understanding the depressed and suicidal person. They also wanted to take note of multiple different aspects of mental hospitals, such as the interactions between patients and the staff, the different types of solutions provided to suicidal patients, and security measures in those facilities. However, having read the majority of the report from this study, I can say that all the findings beyond understanding the suicidal person would be interesting mostly to mental health professionals, as they deal with the mental health system, not the individual. That's why I want to turn back to and focus on the opening statement of this essay.
When Farberow and Reynolds decided to conduct this study, it was decided that Reynolds was going to be the researcher/patient. He adopted the identity of a severely depressed young war veteran by the name of David Kent. The staff of psychiatric facilities gave permission to have a researcher/patient live in, but they didn’t know who he would be or when he would enter their institution.
Reynolds had to learn how to make himself depressed so that he could pass as David Kent. And he did. Psychological tests showed Kent to be severely depressed, and subsequent hospital records agreed. Probably because he was. All indications were that Kent, that is, Reynolds, was experiencing true depression. However, once the research was over, Reynolds had to learn how to stop being severely depressed and suicidal David Kent and bring back David Reynolds; writer, therapist, and healthy functioning member of society.
Descriptions of Kent’s experiences are detailed in a book titled "Suicide: Inside and Out," which I cannot recommend since, as mentioned above, it was not written for the general public and it's a rather dry read.
However, the name David K. Reynolds might sound familiar to you if you are a regular reader of Existential Espresso. He is the founder of a mental health education approach that I've written about called Constructive Living. He has also written a book of the same name. Based on two Japanese psychotherapies, Morita therapy and Naikan therapy, Constructive Living is one of the most underrated ideas or schools of thought that I've come across in the last couple of years. And the book Constructive Living is one of my favorite books I've read this year.
You can read my essay on 4 main ideas from Constructive Living here.
In Constructive Living, Reynolds gives a brief but powerful overview of what he learned by becoming the severely depressed and suicidal David Kent.
"Knowing how to become depressed is important for two reasons. In the first place, you can avoid doing what it is that gets you into this state when you want to avoid it. Furthermore, the methods for getting Kent out of his depression after the research was over involved doing more or less the opposite of what was done to create Kent."
As Reynolds states, depression can be created by seemingly small behaviors: sitting slouched in a chair, shoulders hunched, head hanging down.
“Repeat these words over and over: ‘There’s nothing anybody can do. No one can help me. It’s hopeless. I’m helpless. I give up.’ Shake your head, sigh, cry. In general, act depressed and the genuine feeling will follow in time.”
The principle that is emphasized throughout the whole book, Constructive Living, is the same one Reynolds confirmed during his experiment with depression: feelings follow behavior. It was what he did—sitting a certain way, breathing in a particular manner, repeating phrases of despair—that produced the mood for Kent. He also notes the importance of the environment on one's inner state.
"Later on, merely going on the wards where Kent had been hospitalized and sitting in the day-room chairs in which Kent had sat was sufficient to create strong gusts of depressive emotions. Putting ourselves in certain locations can restimulate feelings."
So what did he do to bring himself back out of depression?
First, Reynolds says, he had to become physically active. A strong emphasis is put on him becoming physically active, even though he didn't feel like it.
"Kent wanted nothing more than to hide out in some dark quiet corner lost in his self-pity and sorrow. Try sitting down for a whole day and see what it does to your mood."
Bringing new sounds, colors, and textures into life also made a significant difference.
"Increased stimulus of all sorts was necessary. Cheery music and bright colors made a difference. Fresh scenery and fresh clothes helped mark the change."
Of course, healthy social interactions, whenever we are blessed to be able to have them, are one of the most nurturing things for our mental health.
"It also helped to interact with friends who knew my healthy identity and expected me to be active and alert."
Once again, Reynold emphasizes the main tenants of Constructive Living: you can change your feelings through your behavior, and you can get things done in your life even when you feel terrible.
"David Kent didn’t want to do any of these things. On some level, he knew they were necessary, though, so he tried them even if he wasn’t in the mood for all that excitement and change. Then, once he was caught up in the activity, he began to change."
It's important to note that Reynolds is a psychiatrist, and he acknowledges the fact that there are severe depressions that have to be handled by professionals, and for an extended period of time. However, that doesn't undermine the value of the methods mentioned so far. Reynolds suggests that they can be carried out simultaneously with therapy. It is also a fact that he and numerous other psychiatrists agree that most people deal with the type of depression that can be outgrown through character development and lifestyle management—that is, through daily action.
"When you feel depressed, the tendency is to depress yourself further by inactivity and recycling negative thoughts. Washing dishes, a walk, table tennis, almost any constructive activity will help, even though you don’t feel up to it at first. The behavior itself lifts the mood."
Thank you for reading. I hope you found this helpful and feel encouraged that you have more control over your life than you’re used to thinking in your dark moments.
Free Resources:
My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading
Paid Resources:
The Art of Showing Up: A Clear and Practical Method for Mastering Consistency
The Gold Pill: Timeless Ideas for a Life Worth Living
If you like my Existential Espresso writing, there is zero-cost support in the form of subscribing, liking this post, commenting if you have any thoughts on it, and of course sharing this with anyone who would find it interesting.
Or you can consider becoming a paid supporter of Existential Espresso for 5$ per month. By doing this you would be helping me to keep investing time into researching and writing all the content on the daily basis.
What you get by becoming a paid supporter is access to the members-only essays (such as “Why Having a Price on My Head Didn’t Upset Me”or “Why Living With a Bulletproof Vest is The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me”), as well as an opportunity to recommend topics for future essays.
However, even taking the time out of your day to read what I have to share with you means more to me than you can imagine. Thank you.
This is such an invaluable resource, and makes a lot of sense! Thank you so much for breaking down the key insights of such a sensitive topic into actionable nuggets that we can start implementing immediately in our lives 🙏 really appreciate how there's empathy in the practicality