The Psychology of Depression and Anxiety - Dr. Scott Eilers

Build a stronger, more connected relationship with Paired for 25% off a yearly plan plus a 7-day free trial here . #pairedapp @pairedapp Most people think the goal is to stop caring what people think. It isn’t. Some need for approval is normal—and even healthy. The problem is when approval becomes the fuel that keeps you functioning… and the moment it’s missing, you crash. If my podcast has helped...

Head to Grow Therapy to find your dream therapist today! Sometimes suicidal thoughts aren’t about not enjoying life. Sometimes they come from something darker:“I don’t deserve to be here.”“Maybe dying would be the right thing.”In this video, I challenge that logic with one question that tends to collapse it:"Would the rule you’re using against yourself still make sense if you applied it to al...

Head to http://cozyearth.com/ and use my code DRSCOTT for up to 20% off to make your home the best part of life. And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here! You will never have zero anxiety — and trying to get there will actually make you more anxious. But a surprising amount of the anxiety you feel every day is optional. In this video, I break...

Build a stronger, more connected relationship with Paired⁠ for 25% off a yearly plan plus a 7-day free trial. ⁠ @pairedapp ⁠ . "The common denominator in all my failed relationships is me… so I must be the problem.” It sounds logical. It’s also massively biased. In this episod, I break down why that conclusion doesn’t hold up, the two other common denominators you’re ignoring (hint: people an...

Start the New Year off right and give your home the luxury it deserves, and make home the best part of life. Head to http://cozyearth.com/ and use my code DRSCOTT for up to 20% off. (or DRSCOTTBOGO for the pajama deal). If your sleep is bad, your mental health has a ceiling—no matter how good your therapist is, how much insight you have, or what meds you’re on. In this episode, I walk through my 1...

Build a stronger, more connected relationship with Paired for 25% off a yearly plan plus a 7-day free trial.  @pairedapp  Chronic depression can wreck relationships—friends, family, coworkers, and especially romantic partners. But I don’t believe it’s inevitable that you end up alone. In this video, I share the highest-conviction strategies I’ve learned (through a lot of trial and error) for build...

Head to https://huel.yt.link/lEnX8Jo and & use SCOTT20 to get 20% off your first order of the High Protein Starter Kit! If you struggle with suicidal thoughts, you’ve probably asked the scariest question: “Which version of me is real?” In this video, I explain why suicidal ideation is not a character reveal—and how to tell the difference between intrusive thoughts, impulsive thoughts, and the...

If my podcast has helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves , goes even deeper 2025 was one of the hardest years of my life—but it taught me lessons I wouldn’t have learned any other way. In this video, I break down the 14 most important insights that came from pain, mistakes, and hard-earned clarity—and how I’m applying them in 2026.This isn’t motivational fluff or “new year, new you” adv...

Head to https://huel.yt.link/tUoz2cs and & use SCOTT20 to get 20% off your first order of $75+ !Most people don’t get stuck in therapy because they’re not trying. They get stuck because they misunderstand the timeline. Mental health change isn’t like turning a steering wheel and instantly seeing results—it’s more like steering a massive ship. The lag between effort and improvement is longer th...

Head to https://huel.yt.link/O6TCyKx and & use SCOTT10 to get 20% off your first order of $75+!Minimum spend required. New customers only. #adIf you have intense mood swings but bipolar disorder or major depression never quite felt like the right fit, this video may explain why. I break down Cyclothymic Disorder—a commonly overlooked mood disorder that causes chronic emotional highs and lows w...

Thanks to Grow Therapy for sponsoring this episode! Head to to the site to find your estimate and get started today !If you’ve never felt like a “people person,” this video is for you. I break down the practical strategies I’ve used to function in society without pretending to love it—or becoming someone I’m not. This isn’t about becoming social, charismatic, or likable. It’s about surviving—and o...

Get $50 off at shortform.com/drscott and start learning more from NonfictionSome people are born resilient. Others have to build it from scratch. In this video, I break down what resilience actually is (and what it isn’t), why you can’t will it into existence, and the 10 practical strategies that helped me go from painfully sensitive to functionally resilient in a harsh world. This is for the peop...

Most people don’t realize what mattered most to them until it’s already gone—and by then, all that’s left is grief, regret, and the feeling that you wasted time you didn’t know was precious. The human mind is terrible at appreciating the present while we’re still living it. In this episode, I share a set of practical ways to recognize what truly matters before you lose it—from doing things like it...

Thanks to Huel for sponsoring this video! Get 15% off Huel’s newest and existing products by heading to nhttps://huel.yt.link/1cTKz1e and using code SCOTT10 (new customers only, min $75 purchase).Depression isn’t just sadness—and having “a good life” doesn’t make you immune to it. In this conversation, I break down the two very different ways depression shows up, why success and stability don’t pr...

The holidays can be one of the hardest times of year for mental health — and if you dread this season instead of enjoying it, you’re not broken. You’re human. In this video, I break down a practical holiday survival guide for navigating winter depression, family stress, loneliness, grief, financial pressure, and emotional overload. Whether you’re overwhelmed by too many people, struggling with too...

If my videos have helped, my new book, The Light Between the Leaves, goes even deeperhttps://bit.ly/DrScottLightBetweentheLeavesYT PTSD is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions on earth. In this episode, I explain what PTSD really is, how it differs from Complex PTSD, what happens in your brain and body during trauma, and why some people develop it while others don’t. You’ll learn...

Do you ever feel like you weren’t meant to be here—like you’re the unwanted guest at a party? I’ve felt that most of my life. I'm sharing the shift that pulled me back from the edge: making a violent commitment to living—taking suicide off the table (Plan B) so I could finally go all-in on Plan A. I cover the “burn the ships” mindset, the difference between having a thought and entertaining a...

A lake. A glass-calm afternoon. And a monster just beyond where we could see. This is a backstory reading from my new book, The Light Between the Leaves (April 2026) — Truth #2: “Envy is Ignorance.” The story (called “The Lake”) sets up why comparing your life to others ignores what’s under the surface — the unseen predators, pressures, and private costs we never witness. No quick tips here; just...

Thanks to Grow Therapy for sponsoring this video! Find your estimate and get started today! Those “random” waves of sadness? They might be ambiguous grief—grieving the life you won’t have, the alternate selves that never got to exist. In this video I name it, normalize it, and share two frameworks that help:1. Engage the life you have (even if it’s not the one you wanted)2. Grief = Pain + Time (wh...

Depression often feels like numbness—not joy vs. sadness, but a total loss of excitement. In this video, I share the surprising pattern that has ended several of my depressive episodes: finding a spark worth chasing. I walk through 8 real examples (from gaming and football to fragrances, barbecue, tools, watches, and gardening) and extract the active ingredient you can apply to your own life—even...

Thanks to Grow Therapy (  @growtherapy__  ) for sponsoring this video! Head to https://growtherapy.yt.link/708THHv to find your estimate and get started today! AI therapy might seem like the future—but what happens when algorithms try to replace empathy? I'm talking with tech journalist Jacob Ward (  @byjacobward  ) to unpack the growing overlap between artificial intelligence and mental healt...

This is an excerpt from my new book, The Light Between the Leaveshttps://bit.ly/DrScottLightBetweentheLeavesYTThis is my most vulnerable story yet—about losing myself, chasing belonging in all the wrong places, and choosing to protect what’s still alive inside. If you’ve ever felt numb, polluted by others’ values, or tempted to give up on the “old you,” this is for you. If it resonates, drop a com...

You can live in a beautiful world and still feel trapped in a nightmare—because what’s inside you shapes everything you see. In this video, I share my most personal philosophy on depression: why your relationship with yourself is the road that connects you to everything good, and what happens when you stop maintaining it. This isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about understanding why neglect, shame, an...

Depression kills energy, motivation, and hope—and the things that help most (therapy, meds, exercise) all require the very energy you don’t have. In this video, I share 10 micro habits that are simple, realistic, and proven to make a dent when you’re running on empty. These aren’t miracle cures—they’re small switches that make it possible to start healing again. Learn how to rebuild self-trust, ch...

If my podcasts have helped, my new book goes even deeperhttps://bit.ly/DrScottLightBetweentheLeavesYTWhen someone you love says they don’t want to be here anymore, it’s terrifying. In this video I walk you through a clear, compassionate game plan: the tone to keep (serious but calm), what to do (assess plan/means/intent, increase proximity, explore treatment levels, means-restriction, crisis optio...