Playing poker seriously with clinical depression?

[the_last_chance]

This is quite a serious (or anyway it is meant to be) thread so I didn't want to post it in the "anything goes" forum. It is about the big picture and how to "make it work" for you, so I posted it in this bankroll management forum.

I've been playing poker for a few years now. I'm not losing but I've always (especially in the past) been somewhat of a "problem gambler" and my winnings and in particular my learning of the game have suffered from it. I've always set the goals high and while I wouidn't say I'm disappointed in myself, I am definately not all pleased.

Like every other good poker player I am trying to put in the hours and avoid playing when I'm having a bad day.The problem though, is that unlike everybody else, I'm having a bad day well.... maybe 5 days a week. And the typical pattern is that I sleep about 2 hours less than optimal due to insomnia every single night. So, on one side I want sooo bad to "make it", while on the other I am sooo limited due to the condition I am in. Usually I'm a zombie...

I was diagnosed with clin. depression a year ago. Basically it f*cks around with your mind. You can't sleep, you can only focus to some degree and it is hard to take it "nice and easy" when you time and time again gets interrupted by brief moments of extreme negativity, i.e. "playing this game is just is useless as myself" and soforth.

Basically I am just wondering if anybody here has got the same problem or similiar and have achieved success in poker and if so - how? Or is it just impossible? Playing poker seriously/semi-/professionally and suffering from mental illness is certainly a potentially dangerous mix but there are usually some exceptions to every rule...?!

I use a "stop loss" method in my poker software that I cannot control (and in that way the "bad" days won't have so much of an effect on my overall score).
I make detailed plans of when I am going to play and if I think I'll miss out on a night's sleep (happeens all the time) I try to decide in advance not to play the following day. Basically I'm cutting out piece after piece from my spare time and saying that "I won't play poker during this hours because of this or that". The only problem - at least that is what it feels like - is that not many hours remain. I can't expect to beat the game for a fair amount while only playing like 4 hours per week...

My future plan is to focus more on games where that extra little edge you gain from being totally alert (that is - the edge I never have) doesn't matter as much. Playing bonuses should be a good idea. Maybe learning FL Fullring instead of NL SH or PLO as is my game nowadays...

Well... this was just me ramblin' I hope to hear some advice from all you out there. It's hard climbing upwards with high ambitions. But maybe you have experience I can gain from or at least some kind words.

[Kuso]

[M_rags]

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i have a similar prmblenm with sleeping and have been using hypnosis to help with great affect dont be skeptical give it a try

my results have really improved as i am more alert focused and actually enjoying poker again let me know how u get on

[Marm]

[pokerzen]

Depression looks like a bitch. I have friends who suffer from bi-polar, and I've suffered from temporary depressions. No way I would want that as a chronic problem. It can be treated in most people, and even cured from my understanding ... if you can get to the root causes of the illness. I'm a strong promoter of nutrition as therapy ... it certainly couldn't hurt.

Anyway ... imo with the poker thing ... I've come to a point where I walk away from the game whenever I feel any type of emotional imbalance. I don't feel it's safe to make decisions without a level head. However, it seems like you have sensible systems in place already to manage the problem. I would suggest that you probably CAN keep going with the poker as long as it's managed correctly. I would be very concerned that a bad run of poker would trigger a depression episode .. so it's good that you keep that under control.

Also, I'd highly recommend adding Matcha tea into your life. It won't cure the problem ... but it will definitely provide relief and make things easier for you.

Take care!

[Tatarana]

I´m dealing with clinical depression for the first time now. Docs diagnosed it as Dysthymia. I started to fell really depressed 5 ago when my son was born. They say that I might be moderated depressed befored. Before this diag, it was just the ¨way I am¨

I´m not enjoying that much playing online. I also noticed that these negative toughts are interfering when I play. I now that my ´A´ game is good enought to beat limits up $500, maybe higher, but the thing is : I can´t play it for long time.

I cashed out everything but $1000, which I split equally into tournaments and cash games bankroll. I´m wondering if I can find some fun trying to rebuild a bankroll.

Recently I found that I´m more sensitive to other peoples mood than I used to be. I ve been playing live much more than online and the results are fine but not great. Watching a player acting againt his known best interests is interesting, makes me think how i´m dealing with my other activities.

Doc prescribed a med but I asked for some time before starting it. After reading some stuff I´m more confortable about it but havent started yet.

Im quite sure that at least 10% of well known poker players are currently using a antidepressant but I dont know how does it affects their skils. Maybe some of well known posters may stand up and talk.