Giving Voice to Depression

In one of the most unvarnished, unstigmatized discussions we've had to date, rapper/comedian Zane Thomas tackles everything from helping a suicidal friend to how substance use has impacted his mental health, and how talking back to depression and finding ways to laugh at his diagnosis help him cope. We talk about depression and suicidal thoughts like they're common. Because for many of us, they ar...

f you have depression, you know this symptom. Our guest calls it The Impossible Task. Maybe it's making your bed, doing the dishes or laundry, taking a shower or even answering the phone. It's something you've done a million times. It's pretty simple. Until it's not. Until it feels just impossible, because of depression. And then we feel guilty because we can't do some basic task. And that feeds o...

If you have depression, you know this symptom. Our guest calls it The Impossible Task. Maybe it's making your bed, doing the dishes or laundry, taking a shower or even answering the phone. It's something you've done a million times. It's pretty simple. Until it's not. Until it feels just impossible, because of depression. And then we feel guilty because we can't do some basic task. And that feeds...

Shannon, a working mother of three who had always prided herself on "being strong" and independent, realized during the pandemic that there is actually strength is asking for help. From that vulnerable place, she has forged strong and supportive friendships, and a more interdependent and cooperative relationship with her husband, too. To better manage both her mental health and life in general, Sh...

When is a breakdown a breakthrough? When it convinces someone who has "soldiered through" deeply-challenging life events and depression that it's ok to take off the mask and ask for help and support. In today's episode, a social-media influencer known for her jokes and sarcasm "gets real" about life's challenges, including her depression, her post touches a nerve and goes viral. Now, in addition t...

When Alex realized that she couldn't say goodbye to her depression, she made the choice to say goodbye to hiding it. She says admitting that she wasn't OK was the best decision she has made for her mental health. Alex now "embraces" the new person she is-- one who is both fully accepting of the fact depression is a piece of her, AND is determined to not let depression win. One of Alex's articles:...

REPOSTING: We've just been made aware that there were audio problems this episode on some players. Our apologies. Here is episode 201 again. Savannah has a lot we can learn from. We miss what we were before depression moved in; hopeful, vital, positive, connected. In a wide-ranging conversation, GVTD speaks with Savannah Wall about her experience of depression and the things she missed the most--...

We miss what we were before depression moved in; hopeful, vital, positive, connected. In a wide-ranging conversation, GVTD speaks with Savannah Wall about her experience of depression and the things she missed the most-- including herself. The full article that prompted the episode: https://savannahwallsblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/when-youre-homesick-for-all-that-you-were-before-depression/comme...

Are you ok? How many times have you heard that? How many times have you asked that question? Aside from the reflexive reply (I'm fine,) what is ok? And what does it look like for you on a good day? And a bad one? That's the reality we discuss with this week's guest, Tara. She reminds us that "okay" looks different for everyone.

Today's guest, Michael Landsberg, founder of SickNotWeak, a statement, a community, and a movement, discusses the role antidepressants have had in his mental-health journey. Does he like being on meds? No. Does he like their side effects? No. Does he hate his depression more? Absolutely! Listen in as two mental-health advocates discuss the role meds have had in their depression-management and how...

One of depression's most insidious characteristics, is its intent to convince us we don't have it; that our dark thoughts, loss of energy, and inability to experience joy are personal characteristics and failings vs. symptoms-- that we are just too weak to handle life the way others are able to. Believing that dissuades us from treating it like a medical condition for which there are treatments. B...

Depression can come seemingly out of nowhere, and change (seemingly) every aspect of our days. Daily routines, designed with mental-health maintenance in mind, give us some control over how we begin and end our days. And while healthy daily habits are no guarantee our depression won't strike, at least we are better rested and nourished to fight the good fight against it. Paul's website/resources:...

Lost and found. That phrase comes to mind listening to Paul Marlow talk about his mental-health journey. He lost so much in the years preceding and during his descent into depression's pit. And he found a new, more-honest and healthy version of himself, too. With vulnerability, candor and insight, Paul talks about both his experience of having All That Was HIm crash down in rubble, and the deliber...

"About a third of all people experiencing mental illnesses and about half of people living with severe mental illnesses also experience substance abuse. These statistics are mirrored in the substance abuse community, where about a third of all alcohol abusers and more than half of all drug abusers report experiencing a mental illness," according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That sta...

We're trying something new for the new year! Will you join us? We're trying a new schedule where we post new podcast episodes every other week (vs. every week for the past 5 years) and on alternating weeks we have a live zoom/Facebook lunchtime conversation. The first is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12th from 11:30-12:15 CST(lunch time.) The link below is to register (you will not be seen or s...

There is no health without mental health. So as we begin this New Year and think of the changes and resolutions we want to make, our brain health really needs to make the list. This weeks guest is psychologist, author and podcaster Dr. Margaret Rutherford. In our discussion we talk about the need for a holistic approach to life that prioritizes our mental, physical, spiritual and emotional selves....

If the idea of a podcast on depression makes you a little nervous (will it make me depressed?) this is the perfect way to comfortably explore the power of peer support via shared stories of lived experience. In just 18 minutes, you'll hear snippets of our last eleven episodes and get a feel for why Giving Voice to Depression is a tool you're gonna want to add to your mental-health toolkit. You are...

You are not required to be "joyful" or "merry" because of the date on the calendar. This is a special Christmas edition of our podcast, written and produced especially for YOU, who are struggling right now. It's only 7-minutes long, and we believe it will resonate with and comfort you like it does us. You are not alone. You do matter. People DO care. It WILL pass. Drop by the GIving Voice to Depre...

There’s an aspect of having depression that doesn’t get mentioned or addressed much. And that’s the need of some to completely redefine themselves after being taken down by the illness. Such was the case for Davey. He went from "the go-to guy" to being "just done." On disability, he dug into learning about his depression and anxiety. He found good doctors and therapists. He learned a lot. And now...

Phew! There is so much to think about this time of year. From traditions, family and faith, to gifts and decorations and cooking and cleaning and traveling, and, and, and. But as we make plans for all of that, how often do we stop, check in with ourselves and factor in our mental health and whether The Expectations we've set will nourish or deplete us? This episode, a remix from a few Decembers ba...

Looking for a new mental-health management tool? How about a creative one that "gets the ugly out" while maintaining your privacy? Our guest, Gina Barry, tells us how she modified the practice of writing "morning pages" into a more-private, freeing and effective way to get the darkness, depression and grief out of her head. Gina says giving your feelings a voice helps them not just sit there, on a...

My sister and I, who co-host the Givng Voice to Depression podcast, take mental health and our advocacy of it very seriously. We do not, however, take ourselves real seriously. This morning we tried to record our next episode and I simply could not say the phrase "mental-health management techniques" and my sisters HUGE laugh lets you know how much she enjoyed that. We may have a heavy, serious il...

The pandemic has taken a toll. On our traditions and education and families and mental health. Licensed psychologist Dr. Maggie Mulqueen acknowledges this year's challenges and offers advice on both how to re-frame the holidays to make them better, as well as what to avoid to keep from making them worse. It's 18-minute remix could help you in the coming weeks. Link to referenced article: www.drmag...

Trauma changes us and the way we see and experience the world. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Maria Inosencia Amarante, a bilingual trauma therapist who has and is recovering from traumas in her own life. It's a candid, casual conversation that asks the critical question: Is trauma recovery real and possible?

Trauma changes us and the way we see and experience the world. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Maria Inosencia Amarante, a bilingual trauma therapist who has and is recovering from traumas in her own life. It's a candid, casual conversation that asks if recovery is real and possible.