The Student Room Group

Noise related depression?

A random query from me, I have posted before about things like asking is light related to depression and other stuff.

Little backstory again, I am 27 and suffer from huge depression, but its only been in the last 2-3 years it got to a huge level.

I recently had the theory that noise is related since my depression started when I was 21 when I bought a pc (there was a family death and though that was the main thing) but going through various periods its directly related to times when I got a louder pc that my depresion has got worse in relation to the pc.

This might now make sense but what I mean is my first pc was quite quiet, and I had mild depression(and hugely due to family death) this was 6 years ago, 5 years ago bought a new pc which was bigger than last and louder, I got a tiny bit more depressed.

Then 4 years ago I got an even louder pc and got more depressed.

This still may not show much link but 3 years ago I bought a high range pc then, with a massive graphics card with loud fans, pc was quad core so had loud noisy fans to the point where it is like having 2 or 3 Xbox 360s on at once(if not louder) and that is when my depression hit rock low.

Then for a few months I had a basic pc which was almost silent and started feeling better, then got my other pc back and started being really depressed.

Over the last 2 years I have upgraded pc with better(louder) fans and gotten more depressed.

What I notice is that the periods without my loud pc I feel almost not depressed at all and time feels slower/normal wheras when I have my loud pc it doesnt matter if its 3am or 8am(apart from less and less energy) I feel out of it.

Turn my pc off or put a silent one in and 3am feels like 3am and I want to go to bed! Likewise when I am away from home like in bed and breakfast or even at parents I sleep normally, feel really refreshed the next day(and thats using pc at parents)

Tonight I turned off pc for a hour as it was a nice day so pc was warm, and really enjoyed watching tv, when normally I cant concentrate on anything as feel awful.

Sorry if this makes no sense just wanted peoples views on this.
what the hell are you on about ?
OP I understand completely. I was on the brink of suicide because of Noise related depression:

















Reply 3
If noise from your pc makes you depressed just switch to a silent or near sielnt one and don't use it much or even don't have one. Seems a bit obvious.

You say that simply turning it off for a fews made you feel normal so clearly nothing else is trigering it.
Just do as said above and avoid overly noisy places
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by gm15
If noise from your pc makes you depressed just switch to a silent or near sielnt one and don't use it much or even don't have one. Seems a bit obvious.

You say that simply turning it off for a fews made you feel normal so clearly nothing else is trigering it.
Just do as said above and avoid overly noisy places


I was thinking something like that, problem is I have a high end pc 2 years ago which is mid end these days so has large loud components and if I got equivalent newer parts which are quiter would be a few hundred quid which I dont have.

I like having a good pc as comfort, I cant stand using a laptop and must have the best which I can have, if I use my other pc which is silent and similar spec but has a weak graphics card so cant play games(and the case looks basic) it doesnt feel right so I am a bit of a no win situation.

I also suppose having a pc attracts my attention a little too.
Reply 5
Yes noise can be related to depression, usually if you feel you cannot control the noise, however from your description it seems like you can?

Noise which you cannot control means that you undergo a process called "learned helplessness" which is related to depression.
Reply 6
Original post by n1r4v
Yes noise can be related to depression, usually if you feel you cannot control the noise, however from your description it seems like you can?

Noise which you cannot control means that you undergo a process called "learned helplessness" which is related to depression.


Interesting point, I can "control" the noise but as I need a pc to go online I cannot control it in that sense, not without having a slow pc etc.

Its more my pc gets insanely hot in comparison to other pcs due to the big parts that generate a lot of heat in a tiny case,

So back to noise, its a case of my brain feels any noise is too much noise, I cant go clubbing as it just feels bad, I like living in student accomodation but cant as people want party level music or running about etc.

But I want noise in the sense that I need some to feel like life is happening in the world and I am not a hermit i.e if I hear 2 people talk as they come in building thats good.

So yeah I do feel helpless.
Reply 7
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-noise-anxiety.htm

Interesting read that is related to what you're describing.
Reply 8
Original post by doubledot
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-noise-anxiety.htm

Interesting read that is related to what you're describing.


Interesting also, what I notice is I cannot listen to a mp3 player as it makes me feel really sleepy and almost faint as it cuts out every noise and puts me in a sleep state as its like sensory deprevation.(i.e when I am in bed I like pure quiet and darkness and thats what it feels like with headphones) Plus I get nervous when I cant hear small sounds, like someone knocking on the door, or my phone ring etc
Reply 9
Damn, I think I have that. But in my case it's noisy flatmates. :p:
Couldn't you put earplugs in to block out noise, or earphones to listen to some music or other pleasant sound?

Edit: Ah just saw your other post. Yeah I actually have that problem too, but thought you might not. :|
Get up, and get down, and get outside!



Maybe you should spend less time on your PC, if it's effecting you so much to make you depressed then you must be spending way too much time on it.
What if it isn't noise from your PC, but the PC itself?
Reply 12
Original post by Shadowplay
What if it isn't noise from your PC, but the PC itself?


Its the fans, I built pc myself and put in fans that cost a bit but as the tower is to tiny it has really bad airflow so the pc gets hot so the fans need to run full speed to cool it off.

I just need a smaller case so the parts are cooler, once the parts of cooler it will be quieter, still not as quiet as other pc though.
Original post by Anonymous
Its the fans, I built pc myself and put in fans that cost a bit but as the tower is to tiny it has really bad airflow so the pc gets hot so the fans need to run full speed to cool it off.

I just need a smaller case so the parts are cooler, once the parts of cooler it will be quieter, still not as quiet as other pc though.


No, I didn't mean it in the technical sense. What if your depression is caused by your (over)use of PC?
Reply 14
Original post by Shadowplay
No, I didn't mean it in the technical sense. What if your depression is caused by your (over)use of PC?


I have been using computers for 25 years now(well I was 3 when I started) and owned a desktop pc for 6 years now and was fine at first and had a laptop a few years before that so I dont think its the usage of the pc, at least not in the general sense.

At most its I feel lethargic so find it hard to move from a pc, but part of the lethargy is the noise since in order to put my brain in go to bed mode, I need silence.

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