They used a clinical depression survey (CES-D). The questions were:
1. I was bothered by things that usually don't bother me.
2. I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing.
3. I felt depressed.
4. I felt that everything I did was an effort.
5. I felt hopeful about the future. (REVERSED)
6. I felt fearful.
7. My sleep was restless.
8. I was happy. (REVERSED)
9. I felt lonely.
10. I could not "get going."
So yes, it seems like responses to 2, 4, 5, and 10 could have something to do with the nature of the work in addition to students' mental state. But it is also possible that feeling that way about one's work takes a toll on one's mental health. I don't think it's appropriate to conclude anything based on this survey, but it certainly seems to call for further investigation.
Anecdotally it sounds very stressful and even if it turns out that 50% of people think they have depression that would also be a sign of a huge problem
Just a heads-up, commenting on down voting is generally considered bad form (and called out specifically in the guidelines https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html). It's not unusual to be down-voted just for making such comments. As I understand it, get enough negative karma and you're effectively banned.
Yeah, i wasn't saying that i expect to get downvoted for that specific comment, but i take your point that that's how it came across.
That's what i understand too, about karma. shrug The HN community has made abundantly clear, over and over, that people like me aren't actually welcome here.
Looks like you edited this as i was typing, but: I almost never comment, though, and when i do it's usually angry (on account of how horrified and unwelcome i feel basically every time i happen to read past the front page). So grzm has no particular reason to realize that i'm a longer-time user than they are. I certainly don't have anything resembling regular usage patterns. I did parse it as an attempt to be genuinely helpful, whether or not that was the actual intent.
To be fair, I checked your profile. I know you've had an account for a while but you don't comment very often. And yeah, I am trying to be helpful (and welcoming, for what it's worth :)
As for you, @grzm, you've been on here for only 60 days, and you're already acting holier-than-thou to someone who has been a veteran HN member for over 5 years now.
Note: parent comment was edited while I was submitting.
I've engaged with a lot of users in the admittedly short time I've been on HN, and have tried very hard to be respectful, civil, and constructive in each of those interactions. If something is coming off as holier-than-thou, that's definitely not my intent. If you'd point them out to me, and suggest a better way of interacting, please do. One of the aspects of HN that particularly appeals to me is that there is the opportunity to have discussions based on their merits, rather than status or seniority.
My comment to 'adrienne was sincere, and it looks like she received it in the spirit it was intended. I've seen a lot of users complain about being down-voted and then be shocked when they're down-voted some more. I'd rather 'adrienne avoid that (as I've done for other users) than get down-voted.
I do understand that "I'm gonna get downvoted for this opinion, but..." is a form of well-poisoning. It was genuinely not my intention, but I completely understand how what i said looks like that pattern, and that's my own fault.
Nope. I'm not a mod. As for acting like I am one, if someone's got a question, I've been trying to answer it, or if a thread is potentially heading off into a flame war, I've tried to address it in a straightforward manner. I think that's part of the community's role as a whole, not just the mods'.
Figuring out how to do that in a way that doesn't increase tensions is important, and takes practice, especially if you're in the middle of a discussion and are perceived as being on the "other side". And doing it in a way that comes across well. That's why I wanted 'Hydraulix989 to provide any pointers. I was glad to see that 'adrienne heard what I was saying with the intent I had.
There's a lot of intelligent people on HN who have a variety of different ideas, and being able to discuss the more contentious ones, especially online, takes extra effort on the part of everyone. I can see how some of my interactions can appear as acting like I'm a mod. It's rooted in a very real concern about how fraught discourse is in the US right now. I personally want to learn how to have meaningful conversations with people who don't necessarily hold all of the same beliefs I do. Anyway, that's that.
Even upper div engineering was insane. I had stress related high blood pressure, cholesterol. Tang reduced my course load but the College of Engineering undergraduate dean was having none of it. I had recurring nightmares for years afterwards, always the same thing. I hadn't finished something.
20 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 18.8 ms ] thread1. I was bothered by things that usually don't bother me.
2. I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing.
3. I felt depressed.
4. I felt that everything I did was an effort.
5. I felt hopeful about the future. (REVERSED)
6. I felt fearful.
7. My sleep was restless.
8. I was happy. (REVERSED)
9. I felt lonely.
10. I could not "get going."
So yes, it seems like responses to 2, 4, 5, and 10 could have something to do with the nature of the work in addition to students' mental state. But it is also possible that feeling that way about one's work takes a toll on one's mental health. I don't think it's appropriate to conclude anything based on this survey, but it certainly seems to call for further investigation.
...i'm sure i'm going to have negative karma by the end of this week, but oh well.
That's what i understand too, about karma. shrug The HN community has made abundantly clear, over and over, that people like me aren't actually welcome here.
Hm, I'm not sure of the specifics, but wow, this got real pretty quickly.
Note: parent comment was edited while I was submitting.
I've engaged with a lot of users in the admittedly short time I've been on HN, and have tried very hard to be respectful, civil, and constructive in each of those interactions. If something is coming off as holier-than-thou, that's definitely not my intent. If you'd point them out to me, and suggest a better way of interacting, please do. One of the aspects of HN that particularly appeals to me is that there is the opportunity to have discussions based on their merits, rather than status or seniority.
My comment to 'adrienne was sincere, and it looks like she received it in the spirit it was intended. I've seen a lot of users complain about being down-voted and then be shocked when they're down-voted some more. I'd rather 'adrienne avoid that (as I've done for other users) than get down-voted.
Figuring out how to do that in a way that doesn't increase tensions is important, and takes practice, especially if you're in the middle of a discussion and are perceived as being on the "other side". And doing it in a way that comes across well. That's why I wanted 'Hydraulix989 to provide any pointers. I was glad to see that 'adrienne heard what I was saying with the intent I had.
There's a lot of intelligent people on HN who have a variety of different ideas, and being able to discuss the more contentious ones, especially online, takes extra effort on the part of everyone. I can see how some of my interactions can appear as acting like I'm a mod. It's rooted in a very real concern about how fraught discourse is in the US right now. I personally want to learn how to have meaningful conversations with people who don't necessarily hold all of the same beliefs I do. Anyway, that's that.
You have to graduate in 8 semesters. Period.
No complaints.