in my cognitive neuroscience class (undergrad) we discussed dehumanization--specifically mechanistic dehumanization, where a human is likened to a machine ("In this factory, all the workers do the same task.Their uniforms prevent dust. The factory floor is silent while the workers concentrate on their task."). when mechanistic humanizing is compared to mechanistic dehumanizing, one area in the brain that is activated is the posterior superior temporal suclus (STS). what's interesting is that this area shows decreased gray matter (density? something like that) in lonely people.

in other words, being lonely is like being mechanistically dehumanized--being thought of and treated as if a machine. 

sure, people will move out of your way on the sidewalk, make room for you so you can have a seat, but who ever talked to a machine, a computer? 

let's end with a carl rogers quote (forgive his almost archaic use of "him" and "he," he gave the speech in 1964, after all):

~~Almost always, when a person realizes he has been deeply heard, his eyes moisten. I think in some real sense he is weeping for joy. It is as though he were saying, "Thank God, somebody heard me. Someone knows what it's like to be me." In such moments I have had the fantasy of a prisoner in a dungeon, tapping out day after day a Morse code message, "Does anybody hear me? Is anybody there?" And finally one day he hears some faint tappings which spell out "Yes." By that one simple response he is released from his loneliness; he has become a human being again. There are many, many people living in private dungeons today, people who give no evidence of it whatsoever on the outside, where you have to listen very sharply to hear the faint messages from the dungeon. 

I'm not a depressed person but I became depressed playing this game.

Wow, that's awesome. Sounds like you have the same issues as me. I get awful panic attacks and depression. I stress out about a lot of things that I shouldn't stress out about. But if I try and tell someone why I stress out or get those attacks, I have a hard time putting a finger on it. Maybe I'll look into this game. Thank you for posting about this. Very much appreciated! =)

I first saw this game because of Danny playing it in his Random Encounter series, and I was enthralled for the whole (almost) 2 hours of it.  I mean, it really is frighteningly accurate.  I think the thing that really hit home for me was the fact that early on, a lot of the options were shown to you, but crossed out because you couldn't pick them.  As someone who suffers from depression, that is exactly how it feels.  I know that I should work, or go out, or do something, anything productive... but I just can't.  The option is crossed out in red in my mind.

Anyway, it takes a brave person to post about this when he/she (you, specifically) is widely known as something of a personality on a popular website.  It means a lot to me, seeing someone be so open and honest.  Thanks :)

Ps I love the videos.  Keep up the great work

I was close to someone in college who suffered from horrific panic attacks as a result of agoraphobia so I gained some invaluable first hand knowledge of what it's like to be in that state. I was (and still am) suffering from Asperger's Syndrome at the same time which often includes depression as a byproduct. So we were able to communicate well and share our thoughts with each other in a way you can't do with a psychologist. I was able to empathise with you on a deeply personal level because of those experiences.

I appreciate you sharing this but I often feel like it has to take personal experience before anyone can truly understand conditions like depression, agoraphobia or Asperger's Syndrome. Maybe that's why they receive so little support from politicians.

Wish there was an option just to 'like' blogs as a show of support without having to comment on them. But if that's not possible, in the meantime I'll say this is a great blog, thanks for writing. In my personal case I've had my faith help me out of it. I do admit I also wish this issue was explored more often, and I am glad that the game makers decided to do so with depressionquest. I hope writing about it has helped. And I am pleased to read the positive comments below.

thank you for sharing that deeply personal story. it takes courage to open up to an online and public community, but that's how we can all learn about these things that either we or our loved ones may be going through. kudos to you for your honesty.

I didn't play the game but I watched Danny play through the entire thing on Random Encounter. It's a game that really hit home for me and how I felt when I was suffering from depression. Even today it feels disingenuous using the past tense, I'm very visibly doing better and am for the most part doing alright. But every now and then a bad day comes around and it's just kind of a stark reminder for me that it's something that I'm going to carry for the rest of my life. I gave the devs some money because it really is a cause that could use the attention, serious trigger warning for people that do or have suffered from depression. It's an incredibly well made game and is worth playing. 

I should probably end this by saying that if you think that you suffer from depression or that someone you know might do (there are some symptoms but not always) go see a therapist or doctor about it. It's not easy and it takes time but it does get better.

That was a really personal open blog and I feel after reading it that I have to play this game. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, seems like something really important and incredibly interesting.

I bookmarked the link so I can have access to it and will try it soon. Well my biggest anti-deppression remedy is: "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David Burns, M.D. He has written other books as well but this is his best work imo. I have bought it many years ago re-read it always and again when I feel bitten und down. I think the best anti-depressing is to keep busy. It is not important what you do, just do something. When one sits around doing nothing, dark clouds will come...