Even Geek Girls get the Blues

I’m struggling today with something that certainly isn’t new, but it’s persistent. No, we’re not talking a new programming language or attaining the next level in the latest MMORPG.

I’m talking about depression.

I wonder sometimes if maybe geeks might be prone to just a little higher probability of depression than the rest of the world. Here’s my thoughts, with minimal scientific data to back it up (sorry, too…meh…to do more than Google) :

1. Geeks tend towards the higher end of the IQ spectrum. In the article “Depression and Intelligence” at RecurrentDepression.com the author states: “In fact, a high IQ is a good predictor of depression. Why? Simply because those with higher intelligence are amazingly “creative” with their inner dialogues.”

2. The nature of the Geek life itself tends towards isolation. If you’ve ever seen “Welcome to the NHK,” an anime about the Hikikomiri life, you’ll see where hours of anime and gaming can lead to an actual documented illness as the individual pulls away from life in general.

3. Geeks…let’s face it…tend not to have the network of friends to support them when they start getting ‘down.’ If all your friends are online, who’s going to see past the IMed responses to see how you really are?

4. Geek activities tend to feed into the depression. While the non-geek population might think a night out clubbing or shopping is the cure to the blues, the Geek gravitates towards their favorite pastimes of computer games and all weekend anime marathons. While physical activity (so all that window shopping and dancing) will actually stimulate the release of endorphins to raise mood levels, there have been studies that show video gaming can lead to adrenalin rushes that will actually dump dopamine into your brain…much like crack will. The problem comes afterwards when the rush fades. In the wake of the rush, your body will crash, and hard. Your mood will in fact be worse than when you started.

5. Geeks are human. I hate to break this to you…but they are. And guess what? If depression affects as many as 19 million Americans every year, it just might well be your turn. After all, geeks have the same money/relationship/life stress the rest of the world does.

So what to do? If you suspect you have a severe problem with depression, please talk to someone. Anyone. I would suggest starting with your doctor.

And as for me? I’m going to get away from the computer a bit and get outside, maybe take a walk and scuff through the leaves with someone I love.

How do you beat the blues?