Depression and the Software Developer (part 3)
(This is a continuation from part 2 of “Depression and the Software Developer”.) [Note: This is a recounting of an experience from several years ago. Read the story from the beginning in order to catch up.] According to psychologist Joe Griffin, the cycle of depression starts when innate needs are not being met. Among these [...]
Depression and the Software Developer (Part 2)
(This is a continuation from part 1 of “Depression and the Software Developer”.) If one of the most powerful weapons against depression is hope, one of its most powerful fuels is hopelessness. I attacked my next job with gusto and enthusiasm. The company had previously outsourced a project to an offshore contractor, and now that [...]
Depression and the Software Developer
Knowing what I know now, I wonder how I avoided depression for as long as I did: Stress causes depression. Perfectionists are more prone to depression. Isolation reinforces depression. As a software developer, those frequently go along with the job description. Seasonal Affective Disorder has gotten the rap for at least some of the funk, [...]