Depression: an INT thing?

[Olivia]

So I'm INTP and I've been depressed for a while. My uncle is INTJ and he's been depressed for a long time. Two or three of my friends are INTP (or so the inaccurate online test told them) and they have all had issues with depression. I know that INTPs have a tendency to bottle up their feelings, so that could quite possibly have something to do with it. I also have heard they're more likely to smoke/drink/do drugs. I know that other types can get depressed too, but is it more likely for INTs?

 

[TBerg]

It could be that depression leads to the formation of a polarized Ti. But the raw material has to be there first.

 

[Olivia]

Based on those observations, I suppose we could infer that.

Although, I would be hesitant to attribute depression mainly on MBTI.

Lately, I've been wondering if most of those who study the illness underestimate the environmental factors.

I agree that environmental factors absolutely have a profound effect on a persons mental health. But what I'm wondering is if people turn out to be INTPs because of their environment. Most INTs I know have had self-esteem/depression issues since childhood, and many have come from alcoholic/mentally ill homes, myself included. It's sort of a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" thing. Are people depressed because they're INTs, or are they INTs because they're depressed? I don't mean to infer that it's bad to be an INT, in fact, I'm quite proud of it for some unexplained reason. Another thing I've heard is that INTs seem to be cold and unfeeling. I've always believed that when a person experiences enough pain, their brains shut down and they just stop feeling. Actually, they don't exactly stop feeling, they just stop caring, I guess. Does any of my incoherent rambling make any sense? I'm finding it hard to express what I'm thinking.

 

[StevenM]

Another thing I've heard is that INTs seem to be cold and unfeeling assholes.

Nah. That's a choice the person makes on their own part, regardless of MBTI.

For me, socializing with unknown people not only drains my energy, but puts me in hypo-panic. Closing down and pushing people away slightly is just a defense.

For those closer to me, I'm known to be warm and expressive. I think I've read that some INTP's are like that.

Mostly, INTP's are just really weird and awkward, and stay behind the scenes.

 

[Olivia]

Nah. That's a choice the person makes on their own part, regardless of MBTI.

For me, socializing with unknown people not only drains my energy, but puts me in hypo-panic. Closing down and pushing people away slightly is just a defense.

For those closer to me, I'm known to be warm and expressive. I think I've read that some INTP's are like that.

Mostly, INTP's are just really weird and awkward, and stay behind the scenes.

I agree. I made a poor choice of words. I meant that INTPs often seem to outsiders as cold and unfeeling, but in reality they're not. I'm the same way. I try to help out my friends and be there for them, and I really do care, I'm just incredibly awkward about it.

 

[Black Rose]

I think my brother has Te and i have Ti. He likes working with gadgets and gizmos but i like learning about cool ideas. I wanted to do creative stuff like him but i abstracted my ideas differently. Or he could have Ti also but be ISTP. Before TV was invented books were what gave INTP the philosophic characteristic. Both of us read allot but ideas through mass media like cartoons mean INTPs develop much more uniquely. I never was told i had good ideas and was sad because none of them i could do. If i was raised not in a single parent house (mom is ISFJ) i would probably be with intellectual parents but i picked up on allot of Te things from media telling me how cool ideas could be if they were made or invented. Ne was good for that. i just never could produce anything of higher complexity. i designed my own computer at 13 but it was not von neumann. i wanted to build it with transistors but never found any that worked at radioshack(this made me cry). i was always fighting with my brother and my mom had this man spank us. Eventual after hight school i had been working on ai for two years and i was not good at programming. i tried developing my own pseudo code but before i started that class but id did not understand object oriented code. the teacher did most of the code i provided algorithms. so after graduation in 2007 i had a mental breakdown went to the mental hospital and afterward went to a group home two years then got SSDI. only recently when i got money from my grandmothers inheritance was i able to feel calm in a new house i got a mortgage on April last year. it is very frustrating thinking you are stupid because you cant do technical stuff. i would think a person with Te might not be hindered with Ne type stuff so they just do the empirical research and don't bother with the tangents of Ne. Today i am doing fine just researching on the web but it is true that INTP do get distracted allot by Ne. i still plan on developing an ai.

 

[onesteptwostep]

I agree that environmental factors absolutely have a profound effect on a persons mental health. But what I'm wondering is if people turn out to be INTPs because of their environment. Most INTs I know have had self-esteem/depression issues since childhood, and many have come from alcoholic/mentally ill homes, myself included. It's sort of a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" thing. Are people depressed because they're INTs, or are they INTs because they're depressed? I don't mean to infer that it's bad to be an INT, in fact, I'm quite proud of it for some unexplained reason. Another thing I've heard is that INTs seem to be cold and unfeeling. I've always believed that when a person experiences enough pain, their brains shut down and they just stop feeling. Actually, they don't exactly stop feeling, they just stop caring, I guess. Does any of my incoherent rambling make any sense? I'm finding it hard to express what I'm thinking.

This is what I've thought about for a long time too. I didn't take the 'abusive alcoholic parents" route, but uh, something else. During my childhood I've moved once about every year- to a new house, to a new school, to a new city, and sometimes to a new country. I was in a missionary family.

Relationally speaking, I felt like I was always the last person to be connected to anyone, if I did start to feel like I belong. I felt like I was always observing. I felt really 'delta'- not really 'alpha' in the sense that I was leading nor 'beta' in the sense that I was just a follower. I was there, (I loved the education though, until high school anyway), but I never felt emotionally bonded with people.

I mean I guess there were obvious reasons why this could have happened. Not knowing the country's language, trying to fit into a new school where the social hierarchy and structure were already established, maybe my parent's cultural expression of affection was different to the country I was in- but to some point I felt like I wasn't at all emotionally bonded with my parents either (in retrospect). I think to some degree I did have emotional bonds when I was younger, but I think the constant ripping away of relationships due to this vagabond life somehow built this mental barrier against emotional bonding.

Starting from high school I just knew that it was impossible for kids around my age to understand me, and thereon I began to have bouts of depression and just plain angst against the world- and me. The only solace I could find was in apologetics, RTS gaming, anime, and nature. It was fun, relevant, nonsocial and intellectually stimulating- though in the end I would have to say that they all helped deepen the depression.. into something like soul crushing despair. Any rationalization for my behavior, whether true or not, just made me worse.

This is where I resonate so much with what Oliva said because the depression pretty much made me stopped caring about anything. Soren Kierkegaard had so much allure for me back then. Suicidal ideation was a weekly thing. The poetry and art I have from these times are um... yeah.

BUT, the question is, was it because of the situation that I was in that helped me lead into these highly analytical activities and thus cement me into being an INTP, or was I an INTP regardless? (a lot of anime is based on philosophical elements, apologetics is a highly academic subject, in RTS gaming like starcraft and warcraft requires analytical insight on various levels, psychologically, strategically)

Like if I hadn't moved to a new country right after I just started high school, where I had lots of interest and motivation in math, biology, computer science, and history (and good grades too), would I have been more of a STEM oriented INTP? Or not an INTP altogether and something else?? If I had just stayed in my birth country for my entire life would I have another typology?

Yeah, those are good questions I think.

 

[Seteleechete]

What type were you before your depression/during your early teens? I used to be an entp but got progressively more introverted, I am pretty sure my introversion score jumped from around 10% to 50% because of my own depression.( I base this on my changed way of thinking, it is far more internal nowadays then it was 2 years ago.) I have always been a NTP however.

 

[onesteptwostep]

Is that for Oliva or for me? (or for someone else in the thread?) ?

 

[Seteleechete]

Any1 who had a depression and is int* will do.

 

[Architect]

I've not noticed a correlation between INT and depression. I've known many a depressed S type.

 

[Olivia]

What type were you before your depression/during your early teens? I used to be an entp but got progressively more introverted, I am pretty sure my introversion score jumped from around 10% to 50% because of my own depression.( I base this on my changed way of thinking, it is far more internal nowadays then it was 2 years ago.) I have always been a NTP however.

I am in my early teens, haha. But when I was younger (like 9-13) I was an INTJ, and when I was even younger than that (now we're talking like 4-8), I was an INFP. Actually, I'm not sure if I was a true feeler, or if I was just a normal little kid who got mad when she didn't get her way.

I was always introverted, but I thought I was an extravert until recently. When I was little, I loved being noisy and getting attention and talking to people, but I was still an introvert. For example, I would go to a birthday party, and after an hour or so I would find a quiet place to be alone. Not because I was upset, just because I felt like being alone. This was when I was about four or five.

 

[Olivia]

This is what I've thought about for a long time too. I didn't take the 'abusive alcoholic parents" route, but uh, something else. During my childhood I've moved once about every year- to a new house, to a new school, to a new city, and sometimes to a new country. I was in a missionary family.

Oh yeah, lol, I didn't mean to imply that all INTs are from abusive alcoholic families, I just meant that a lot of INTs have family struggles. My parents aren't abusive, and they've been sober for some 20 years now. I just meant that alcoholism and depression runs strongly in my family.

 

[Dramatic Gecko]

I'm INFP and have suffered severe depression, constantly. But my freedom is being repressed by my loved ones and being me I ought not to let them know how much their hurting lest I hurt them. Funny that ay?

I'd say both our habits to hide our feelings put depression quite prevalent in both of us but the occurrence of drugs, alcohol and other probably tip the scales for INTPs to be possibly the highest risk.

I guess.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Any type that's at odds with societal norms is bound to be at a greater risk of depression.

 

[Brontosaurie]

i think Ti-doms and Ni-doms are at humongously disproportionate risk of depression. they can see it happening and be more aware of its mechanisms and peculiarities than any psych professional. they will have no qualms about what it is, but perhaps reject the label anyway, preferring not to make that big a deal about what they are convinced is an intrinsic component of their psychic mode and the delayed gratification embodied in the great intellectual or artistic vision which they harbor vain hopes of getting the opportunity to deliver.

Fi-doms it's a bit tricky really tell if their eloquent existential despair really indicates personal stagnation, cause they need an intense, propulsive emotional narrative throughout their lives and thus readily engage in dramatic self-centered hyperbole. furthermore, the expected life progress of an Fi-dom is quite blurry since their preferred function is leaps and bounds more personal and tangled-up and intimate than others are. however, a really depressed Fi-dom is likely to meticulously and consistently downplay the validitity and significance of their experience, i.e. would be extremely hesitant to accept a label such as "depression" which shifts the blame away from themselves and their hopeless pondering recursive ways. they will be deeply and secretly attached to the contents of their depression. a normal Fi-dom otoh just thinks lamenting depression is a cool way to frame themselves and their trademark intensity of feeling. so if an Fi-dom considers itself depressed it probably is not.

Si-doms can have more functional depressions because their infantile safe-zone can accomodate productive behaviors such as mundane work. so it is that many Si-doms are stuck in depression for life without anyone giving a fuck. and their dutiful, honorable nature and their tunnel vision may prevent them from realizing it themselves.

 

[Dramatic Gecko]

Just to clarify I am Ni-dom. But I highly doubt a Fi dom (or most Fi doms) thinks it "cool" to act depressed. Maybe its from a lack of Feeling stimulation. Maybe nothing is happening in their life that sates the Fi instinct and so they must generate their own depression to get their daily dose of feels.

A theory.

 

[Brontosaurie]

Just to clarify I am Ni-dom. But I highly doubt a Fi dom (or most Fi doms) thinks it "cool" to act depressed. Maybe its from a lack of Feeling stimulation. Maybe nothing is happening in their life that sates the Fi instinct and so they must generate their own depression to get their daily dose of feels.

A theory.

yeah that sounds about right. i'm not saying every Fi-dom goes around feigning depression all the time. just that if you see an Fi-dom who is "dark" and pursues interest in occult stuff, poetic expressions of anguish and torment etc..., that is probably an accomplished, adaptively successful personal identity (or as you say, some restless jerking around) rather than a sign of depression. depressed Fi-dom has bleak, painfully unimportant and non-grandiose feelings at its center, so they don't see themselves as depressed because depressed sounds too much, too loaded, too important to fit with how they feel about themselves.

what i was getting at is that Fi-doms and Si-doms aren't prone to being correctly labelled as depressed by themselves or others, while Ni-doms and Ti-doms are. and the extraverted types rarely have that kind of problem from what i've seen. but i'm deliberately pushing the generalizations here.

 

[Vrecknidj]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777353/

 

[Ex-User (8886)]

INTPs and INTJs are thinkers, and thinking makes people depressed (I don't remember scientific articles, but you may found many).

Also both types are melacholics (INTJs are generally melancholy-choleric, INTPs melancholy-phlegmatic).

 

[r4ch3l]

I don't know any depressed INTJs. Their worldview is airtight and keeps them in a "pull yourself up by your bootstaps"/depression-is-not-rational-just-get-a-better-chess-strategy kind of mode.

Depression seems to be more of an introversion thing...I also have noticed in my own experience that introverts with Si instead tend to be depressed (so INTPs, INFPs, ISFJs, ISTJs). But the Js are more proud and less likely to admit to dealing with mental illness. I don't know if I'm correct about this, its just a hypothesis.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I know depressed INTJs, at least two. I'm guessing they are less prone to depression than INTPs though for the reasons you mentioned. Once you go down far enough pulling yourself up gets hard even for them.

I dunno about that, when I was a teen I thought mental illness was cool and wanted to be schizophrenic and depressed. Now I've got the depressed part down but unfortunately the cool aura it gives me doesn't compensate for the.. well.. depression.

 

[Pyropyro]

It's hard to find MBTI scholarly articles on depression. Anyways, I found this article comparing unipolar depressive patients and bipolar patients. The study says that bipolar patients are more Extroverted and less Judging than their unipolar counterparts. Perhaps this means that depression is more "I" and "J" oriented.

 

[TBerg]

I am fighting some resentment right now that might spiral into depression. It is like I try to ignore my resentment and try to bring my mind into reset, but the resentment keeps on pulling me and anxiety makes me want to fight it with all that I have to muster in a furious defense of my ego and takedown of my object of resentment. I know that this would just add more points of acceleration to the death spiral with which I am so well-accustomed, but it feels as real as a car hurling towards me in my lane of traffic. I want to avoid it, but road rage is still potent in my psyche. I blame my father for neglecting my mom and not taking responsibility for his actions in life. I just hTe that I never had an intimate inspiration for my own development. I identify with my mom a lot more. She has had a lot of success in her life, except for having a supportive husband. Fuck tolerance of the disintegration of the family.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

 

[Pyropyro]

... I just hTe that I never had an intimate inspiration for my own development...

You should get a set of mentors. They're great intimate inspirations and sometimes good as substitute parental figures (although I'm okay with my real parents). They're probably one of the reasons why I kept myself sane throughout the years.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Depression could be more problematic with introverts, who already tend to prepare their environment to avoid contact and external stimuli. Being depressed only elevates them in these assumptions and leaves them in their core comfort zone, which is their room.
I think all other types tend to have it, but E's have the generally more favourable habits and mechanisms to either have someone help them in time or feel better trying to fight it.

I could be INT and I've had one major and two moderate (whatever that means clinically) depressive periods, last one ended two years ago. Nowadays I recognise the destructive elements and navigate myself out, but I know I will remain at risk for a long time, especially as I never take any medications.

 

[TBerg]

I am back inside my mental prison in which I captivate my intelligence and motivation in order to cope with problems that threaten to overwhelm me. I do this to keep anger from doing too much damage to myself and others and to keep my intelligence from tellinge that what I experience is absolutely degraded.

 

[Brontosaurie]

I am back inside my mental prison in which I captivate my intelligence and motivation in order to cope with problems that threaten to overwhelm me. I do this to keep anger from doing too much damage to myself and others and to keep my intelligence from tellinge that what I experience is absolutely degraded.

i am back where others describe my experience on the internet

 

[TBerg]

Thank goodness, bronto. You too.

It feels like my life is mostly flight or fight.

 

[Ex-User (11125)]

idk about other INTs, but from what ive seen so far on this forum, it doesn't seem like others have the same causes or triggers for depression that i have

Spoiler

i think the main source of depression for me is that im intellectually curious but not intelligent
idk if others suffer from the same problem, but this^ doesnt seem to be an INT thing as far as i can tell, more F maybe.

 

[TBerg]

You should get a set of mentors. They're great intimate inspirations and sometimes good as substitute parental figures (although I'm okay with my real parents). They're probably one of the reasons why I kept myself sane throughout the years.

I would have liked that. Unfortunately I lied too much during the critical stage of my development. I also liked negative attention. Now that my layers of lies have been peeled away, I don't see enough that a mentor would respect. I am currently without my own job and have been helping my family stay secure while learning to wrap wire into jewelry. It might be a good way to make money someday.

I should also mention that I live in an area of sparse civilization, so there are not a lot of options around me. That's why I spend time with you guys. Do you have any ideas as to how to get a mentor understanding of someone like me?

 

[Jennywocky]

I feel rather hosed on mentors. In some ways, I feel too old [too much life experience, too much dealing with things independently and building up my self-reliance and competence], so selecting a mentor feels like just one form of self-validation at this point in life (kind of like "shopping for a therapist").

Another issue is that I rarely find anyone ever who I'm like, "Wait... I could look up to them as a mentor." Although it happens on occasion. I did have one therapist some years back, about 25 years older than me, who I looked at almost as a mother and could allow myself to be "young" with. And I have a friend at work who is about 12 years older than me who, while she never says anything mind-blowing, is a great sounding board for me. So there's that at least. But in general? no, not really.

If you want to discuss existential depression and depression stemming from loneliness, though, I think that has been part of it for me. I love my mother but in large part she wasn't able to instruct me in much ... even if in very recent years I've come to respect her unwavering forgiveness, kindness, and compassion for others.

But I was never able to depend on either of my parents, have them provide decent advice, assume they would be able to bail me out if I screwed something up, etc. I've been on my own all my life... which reinforces the existentialist view, there is no safety net, I am fully responsible for how my life turns out, if I fail no one is there to catch me, and I am also responsible for figuring everything out on my own. This was strongly reinforced by some horrible experiences in adulthood, where I finally wanted to depend on my parents and they really let me down. I forgive them as best as I can, but it's more that it just reinforced people are not dependable even if well-meant and only I can take care of myself.

Usually kids can be kids as kids, then move on to adulthood; I was an adult as a kid and now sometimes want to just let someone take care of me for a bit when life gets hard (be a kid until I get my sanity back) but there is no one to do that... and I've been behaviorally shaped over the years to be reluctant. It's kind of isolating and lonely -> depressing. "You're on your own, kid, and that's the way it's always going to be."

 

[Brontosaurie]

you is good jenny though occasionally scary

 

[Pyropyro]

Usually kids can be kids as kids, then move on to adulthood; I was an adult as a kid and now sometimes want to just let someone take care of me for a bit when life gets hard (be a kid until I get my sanity back) but there is no one to do that... and I've been behaviorally shaped over the years to be reluctant. It's kind of isolating and lonely -> depressing. "You're on your own, kid, and that's the way it's always going to be."

I can relate. That's the price of being too independent. People stay away from independents who don't need/depend on them. The problem is, even the most self-made person will have to depend more and more as the years pass by.

 

[Pyropyro]

I would have liked that. Unfortunately I lied too much during the critical stage of my development. I also liked negative attention. Now that my layers of lies have been peeled away, I don't see enough that a mentor would respect.

I know the feeling of so being used to negative thoughts that I forget how positive things feel like. Fortunately, thanks to the plasticity of our brains the effects can be reversed slowly. Of course, the how to reverse it is the hard part but I think it's partly solved by being more communicative and emphatic.

I am currently without my own job and have been helping my family stay secure while learning to wrap wire into jewelry. It might be a good way to make money someday.

Having a fine-tuned skill on hand is good. Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to practice your craft.

I should also mention that I live in an area of sparse civilization, so there are not a lot of options around me. That's why I spend time with you guys. Do you have any ideas as to how to get a mentor understanding of someone like me?

Oddly, I didn't actively seek mentors when I was younger. They tend to find me instead no matter how hard I tried to lie low. I guess one of the best ways to get yourself a mentor is being really good on what you do (through sheer practice; talent is optional) and delivering the fruits of your labor to your target market. These people seem to be attracted to potential.

Now, I still don't actively pursue them but I do shut up and listen when I sense that they have something that I want.

By the way, my definition of mentor is anyone who's better at a field that I'm interested in and is willing to share their knowledge.

Being on INTPf is fun and informative for me. The forum is a great sounding board and a good source of alternative perspectives (and cats). However, nothing beats IRL talk and mentorship. There are some things that you can only relay through body language and social cues, features that INTPf can't provide.

 

[TBerg]

All I know from personal experience is that permissive callousness is probably one of the worst behaviors ever to behold. I hate people who have nothing to love or hate. The opposite of love is not hate; the opposite of love is indifference. To fight with someone is to respect them, to ignore them something else entirely.

BTW, Pyro, thank you for your time. I agree with you on this one and I appreciate your reminders of common sense.

 

[ToughRye]

I agree that environmental factors absolutely have a profound effect on a persons mental health. But what I'm wondering is if people turn out to be INTPs because of their environment. Most INTs I know have had self-esteem/depression issues since childhood, and many have come from alcoholic/mentally ill homes, myself included. It's sort of a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" thing. Are people depressed because they're INTs, or are they INTs because they're depressed? I don't mean to infer that it's bad to be an INT, in fact, I'm quite proud of it for some unexplained reason. Another thing I've heard is that INTs seem to be cold and unfeeling. I've always believed that when a person experiences enough pain, their brains shut down and they just stop feeling. Actually, they don't exactly stop feeling, they just stop caring, I guess. Does any of my incoherent rambling make any sense? I'm finding it hard to express what I'm thinking.

I will tell my own story. My dad is INTJ and mum is INTP. My dad used to have badly developed Fi and shouted at me when I grew up. Both my parents are loners and have only a few old friends. They moved to a small town of about 75,000 inhabitants where I later grew up. They did never make any friends there apart from some colleagues. Once a year they invited a colleague for dinner, and that was their social world.

I am born hard of hearing and my parents' lack of social contact made it difficult for me to develop friendship and thrive as an INTP. INTPs are independent and introverts but that inferior Fe wants us to enjoy ourselves sometimes. I was always bored as a child, and I think that being an INTP was in part causing that.

I am sure that my MBTI personality type is due to my social inheritance. But growing up would have been easier if I had had normal hearing.

I know depressed INTJs, at least two. I'm guessing they are less prone to depression than INTPs though for the reasons you mentioned. Once you go down far enough pulling yourself up gets hard even for them.

I dunno about that, when I was a teen I thought mental illness was cool and wanted to be schizophrenic and depressed. Now I've got the depressed part down but unfortunately the cool aura it gives me doesn't compensate for the.. well.. depression.

I don't know any depressed INTJs. Their worldview is airtight and keeps them in a "pull yourself up by your bootstaps"/depression-is-not-rational-just-get-a-better-chess-strategy kind of mode.

Depression seems to be more of an introversion thing...I also have noticed in my own experience that introverts with Si instead tend to be depressed (so INTPs, INFPs, ISFJs, ISTJs). But the Js are more proud and less likely to admit to dealing with mental illness. I don't know if I'm correct about this, its just a hypothesis.

I know one INTJ who wanted to become a engineer. In his first year at a university, he got depression and he switched subjects to nursing. That is quite a change for an INTJ. But he loved it and never looked back.

I'm INFP and have suffered severe depression, constantly. But my freedom is being repressed by my loved ones and being me I ought not to let them know how much their hurting lest I hurt them. Funny that ay?

I'd say both our habits to hide our feelings put depression quite prevalent in both of us but the occurrence of drugs, alcohol and other probably tip the scales for INTPs to be possibly the highest risk.

I guess.

I know an INFP who is an immigrant. His family had trouble integrating, so he escaped into his own little world. He is now depressed and struggling with getting and keeping a job because of that.

I think that INPs generally are not well-tuned to the Te and Se demands that society are confronting us with. We are meant to observe, not to make decisions.

I believe that ISTPs have an advantage to INTPs. Because of Ne, INTPs have a greedy Ti that demands attention. We want to solve difficult problems, but we have difficulties to turn that desire into action. ISTPs are happy with more mundane tasks and less cognitively demanding jobs. I know one ISTP who seems to reflect that.

You should get a set of mentors. They're great intimate inspirations and sometimes good as substitute parental figures (although I'm okay with my real parents). They're probably one of the reasons why I kept myself sane throughout the years.

Exactly my feeling. I have always been looking for a mentor but never found one. I thought that I was alone in this world due to my bad hearing, but obviously 'normal' people are struggling the same way that I am. I am happy that I am not alone

 

[onesteptwostep]

What type were you before your depression/during your early teens? I used to be an entp but got progressively more introverted, I am pretty sure my introversion score jumped from around 10% to 50% because of my own depression.( I base this on my changed way of thinking, it is far more internal nowadays then it was 2 years ago.) I have always been a NTP however.

I'm not sure since I hadn't discovered MBTI then nor do I think it matters that much because typing a 12~14 year old is pretty hard (due to their lack the experience for their functions to be fully exercised). But I had thought about this before and I think my tertiary function was extroverted rather than introverted. So more Se rather than Si (I could be getting this completely wrong however). I remember being incredibly quirky, wild and compulsive when I was little, but at the same time I would get incredibly focused and obsessive and lost on video gaming. I was pretty much obsessed with playing Super Mario and playing Pokémon games before I was in middle school. I was into building Legos a lot too. I certainly know that my Fe was super kicking it. Not really sure whether to say I had strong Ti or Ne, since I don't think those are apparent when you are in your early teens. I think the introversion just comes as you mature by the use of your Ti. But I dunno. I do certainly understand when you say you always had NTP though. I just don't think it means you were ENTP, since the cognitive functions are a bit different for them...

OKAY I did just go over the cognitive functions for the ENTP and would have to say that they actually do resonate with me on a lot of levels. It's pretty much an INTP flipped out it seems. Now you've just made me super confused hahahaha. Maybe this has to do with your internet persona and the persona which you have in real life? I'm not sure whether or not you can follow with me on this.. ermm..

 

[Sockrates]

I once dealt with depression. It was an interesting time of my life, about a quarter of it, at minimum. I think it is more likely in just INxx, sensors are too busy being weird. Thinkers and Feelers, each can get depressed but for different reasons, or the same. P and J, makes no difference, although I think being P might make you more prone to it.

Simply subjective. But there's some good intuitions in regard to what I had to say.

 

[onesteptwostep]

@Seteleechete

Hmm I hope I'm not the only one going at this, but I did find some threads on this forum that might be of interest (Link)

http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=16725
http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=3596
http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=11480

I am going to get to the bottom of this.

 

[Oddity]

I know the feeling of so being used to negative thoughts that I forget how positive things feel like. Fortunately, thanks to the plasticity of our brains the effects can be reversed slowly. Of course, the how to reverse it is the hard part but I think it's partly solved by being more communicative and emphatic.

I'm the same way. Hopefully it is reversible (though I'm still not sure where to begin)

 

[XUD9]

Hi, I am always in and out of depression. I also have to deal with suicidal thoughts a lot of the time and I've always had low self esteem and anxiety issues. I guess one of the downsides of being an INTP is that we cannot express our emotions and I find it very difficult to reach out to people about this stuff

 

[onesteptwostep]

I've been thinking, and I think everything I do more points to a ENTP typology than an INTP one. The style in which I write always has a provocative style. I'm sort of seeing things in a different way right now because I haven't slept in like 24 hours (work related), but I think it just makes more sense for me to be ENTP. I feel like my Ne is my dom. I Ti later.

And to be quite honest, I think a lot of people on this forum are actually ENTP rather than Intp.

yawn

or maybe not

 

[8151147]

So I'm INTP and I've been depressed for a while. My uncle is INTJ and he's been depressed for a long time. Two or three of my friends are INTP (or so the inaccurate online test told them) and they have all had issues with depression. I know that INTPs have a tendency to bottle up their feelings, so that could quite possibly have something to do with it. I also have heard they're more likely to smoke/drink/do drugs. I know that other types can get depressed too, but is it more likely for INTs?

INTP and depression shared many symptoms, but they are not the one. INTP is a personality type, while depression is a state of mind that patients have a low mood, lost spirit and motivation to live. The important difference between them is INTPs don't fee like being inferior to others like depressed person.

 

[ToughRye]

I will give my take on depression and being an INTP.

I just realized that I have had a depressive pattern of thinking all my life. There have been good and bad moments until I was in my third year at university that my mood took a turn down. Initially, it never felt like being in a bad state of mind, only more numb than usual. It ended up controling me.

My mood started feeling better a couple of weeks ago because of changes to my thinking patterns. So far, so good. It feels as though I am in control of my mood at the moment. Hopefully this will last, but it is too early to tell.

As an INTP, I am an avid reader of science magazines and newspapers. Here are three things that I found.


Change of thinking patterns

In my whole life, I never felt unique, good or bad. I had no particular opinion about who I am or what I want. I guess that I was melancholic that way, developing low self-esteem and that people could influence my view of myself subconsciously.

I happened to find some articles about the "nocebo" effect on the Internet [https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-health/201312/belief-and-its-effect-our-health]. It is a theory that the mind affects the body and it is the opposite of the placebo effect. By having low self-esteem, you might inflict psychological damage to yourself. This is a subconscious process. By having some good thoughts about yourself, you can change your mood. The purpose of this is to establish some basic level of self-esteem where previously there was none. This does not imply being narcissistic.


Control your wandering mind (no meditation needed)

Sam Harris in the book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion discusses at length meditation and mindfulness. There was one thing that I found useful for bringing a wandering mind under control.

Let thoughts come and go in your mind. Do not try to suppress them or control them. Just notice that they are present right now and let them pass. Sam Harris describes it as follows: "Whatever their content, thoughts vanish almost the instant they appear. They are like sounds, or fleeting sensations in your body."

Let your thoughts be exactly that: fleeting moments. They will come and they will vanish. If you try to control your thoughts, they will end up controling your attention.

While letting your thoughts come and go, notice your breaths. Feel your chest rise and fall slowly. Do this for a minute or so. Notice the difference to how your wandering mind is controling you as a comparison. Try to keep your eyes on a picture on the wall or the trees outside your house for more relaxation. There is no need to keep your eyes closed or do some weird meditation stuff.

It is flexible. This is something that you can do anywhere and anytime you wan even if there is noise where you are.

I have been trying to do that a couple of times per day for a few weeks. Just relaxing my mind and stopping the flow of thoughts seems to work well for me to get a pause from the stresses of the day. I am not trying to say that you should join the meditation circus if you have a wandering mind.

I think that this implies, in MBTI terms, that I am controling my Ne. Often, it is running around without direction and without bounds all the time, even if I am not working. Even when trying to relax, I usually could not. My Ne should serve me for the thing that I am working on at the moment. It should not be exploring other things.


Let Fe develop on its own terms, do not try to force it

INTPs should develop their Ti, Ne and Si first. [http://personalityjunkie.com/07/intps-infps-convergence-certainty-healthy/]:

Like other types, INTPs and INFPs instinctively want to marry their dominant and inferior functions. For INTPs, this means reconciling their individual Ti methods with a broad Fe philosophy. Similarly, INFPs, seek to reconcile their unique Fi preferences with a broad, objective Te worldview. What these types often fail to realize, however, is that this reconciliation is unlikely to occur in the first half of life. This is because INPs must first thoroughly consult and develop their auxiliary and tertiary functions (Ne & Si) before they can reach a confident Fe or Te conclusion (see Elaine Schallock’s Maze Metaphor for more on this).

My point is that that Fe will develop naturally as you get older, so don't try to deal with it unless needed.

 

[Haim]

If there is a depression tendency to INT I think it's happening because society
or ourselves don't act/do things the way we are.
I can talk from INTP perspective, thinking why I can't do this,is something wrong with me? many social things,things related to school like actually studying.
A thinker in a non thinking society.
Can see what will happen but people won't listen or understand.
Discovering the MTBI just made me little but constant depression disappear.

 

[Inquisitor]

In certain psychological studies I've come across, depression is positively correlated with introversion. Beyond that I don't think INT's are more prone to it than other introverts. I certainly went through several bouts of depression over my life, but I later discovered it was actually suppressed anger. Now I'm never depressed. Worried? Yes. Irritable? Yup. Prone to feeling stressed out? definitely.

 

[Sinny91]

It feels like my life is mostly flight or fight.

Wow, the story of my life.
I love this forum. I must be home.

 

[Brontosaurie]

In certain psychological studies I've come across, depression is positively correlated with introversion. Beyond that I don't think INT's are more prone to it than other introverts. I certainly went through several bouts of depression over my life, but I later discovered it was actually suppressed anger. Now I'm never depressed. Worried? Yes. Irritable? Yup. Prone to feeling stressed out? definitely.

how did you get the anger to go fuck itself?

*anger boy*

 

[SNCSA]

As an INTP that felt depressive since childhood all that makes sense to me.
I'm being medicated for depression and psicosis for almost 2 years.
About feelings all I can say is I mostly use to feel fear. Since always fear was my inner opinion maker. Done this because of fear, haven't Done that because of fear... Mostly social fear and very low self esteem with a very sensitive side.
So, I smoke a lot and when I drink I go full power. Been addicted to games in the past but managed to get off. Drugs never caught me till now, I had bad reactions to cannabis and never tried others. My shrink told me the drugs will affect negatively the psicosis, like they are the fuel to it.
I'm also very liberal and open spirit and I end up being "abused" by people. Some harm just because they want make fun and some others harm me just because they think they are superior.
I use to think a lot but also listen to others in order to positively fit in society, but I just lose myself in that.

Onde thing I ser in this forum and I relate is this quest for answers that others seem to say are foolish and meaningless.

My Experience of life being an introvert is having all tje time people trying to spyke me and labeling me as someone lazy.

If we are here not to do
What you and I wanna do
And go forever crazy with it
Why the hell are we even here?