Depressed coders

As mentioned in my previous blog post, coding has helped me to handle my depression. After some research and discussions with other people that like coding I came to realise that there might actually be some kind of connection between code and depression, at least it seems like other people share my belief.
According to a thread on reddit there are a split view on this topic. These were some of the different opinions on it:

• Some people believe that due to people with depression sometimes can feel intimidated and overwhelmed with a lot of people around them and also being uncomfortable interacting with people, coding gives them an ability to avoid these situations. As one member said "You can hide in your office/cubicle and nobody really cares." By doing this, people with depression can feel comfortable in their work environment and that way be able to channel their worries easier; at least at work. 
• Other people argue that being a programmer is one of the reasons for why people become depressed. This is believed due to programmers not interacting with other people during work hours and very often work out of hours too since it is a time consuming job. Due to the lack of human interaction they are likely to become depressed and feeling lonely. 
• Other members in this thread argued that people with depression are more likely to become programmers because it doesn't require a university degree. Going through 3 or 4 years of higher education can be extremely hard when you are suffering from mental illness which can lead to people dropping out. Just look at the most successful people within technology; Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates etc etc. 
• Some people even argue that people with depression have higher IQ which makes them better at programming. This has however been proven wrong and it only shows that there is a correlation between success in humanities and depression. Studies have also shown that there is a mix between people suffering from depression and their cognitive ability. 

So what do I think then? 

Well, after doing quite a lot of reading on this subject it seems as if there is actually no scientific proof of people with depression being better at programming than other people. However, I strongly believe that people that tend to analyse things a lot, which many people with depression do, will have an advantage when it comes to coding. This is due to being able to go over things repeatedly and analyse what is happening. I also believe that coding takes the edge of the depression since your mind is completely focused on something but this effect can be adapted by anything that requires a lot of concentration. Another reason for why I believe coding seems to be this popular by people suffering from depression is due to them being able to see the results straight away, especially in front-end. By being able to see each step being accomplished it is easier to believe in yourself and strengthen your confidence.

So even if there is no scientific proof I still believe there is a connection between depression and coding but as long as it makes someone happy we don't need scientific proof to encourage people to try it out.