Giving Voice to Depression

A candid conversation with a father and grandfather about his journey to understanding and accepting depression as a real and serious illness. Though he grew up believing we could all "chose to be positive," when his own daughter was diagnosed and hospitalized, he quickly realized he'd been wrong.

If you have a pet, you understand the value of the connection you have. In today's episode, we speak with a woman about the integral role her dogs play in her mental health. Whether or not you're an animal lover, it's a good reminder of the needs for companionship, exercise, acceptance, a schedule, etc. Lori's matchmaking website: www.smartfunnysingle.com Two articles on pets and mental health: https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/February-2018/How-Dogs-Can-Help-with-Depression https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/pets-depression#1

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://savannahwall.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/when-youre-homesick-for-all-that-you-were-before-depression/

A young woman stops during a magical holiday moment to tweet her 14-year-old suicidal self that the fight IS worth it, that recovery is possible and that you will not always feel the way you do now. It's a New Year's message of hope and recovery that we are re-broadcasting in the hopes you'll listen, internalize and share Charlotte's message. May 2020 bring you peace and mental health.

If you are struggling this Christmas, with depression, loneliness, grief or anything else that really hurts, please know that many others feel the same way, and that you will not always feel the way you do today. If you live in the U.S., please call 800-273-8255 or text 741-741 and talk to a trained listener, if you do not have another option. If you live elsewhere, please Google "crisis line." Giving Voice to Depression has a Facebook page with thousands of people with depression who support each other. Please hold on and know that you DO matter. This holiday, and this terrible feeling will pass. You Matter!!

The Best Gifts Ever Rebroadcast by Giving Voice to Depression

Season 11 of the Giving Voice to Depression podcast was packed with peer support and powerful stories of people just like us who were in the very darkest of places, and found their ways out. You'll hear from a childhood-trauma survivor, a man who survived a jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, a social worker who is using his lived-experience to connect with others, and five others in this 19-minute summary of our nine most-recent episodes.

The time to plan for a crisis, is never during the crisis. Those of us with depression know the dark, ruminative thoughts can turn from oppressive to dangerous. We need to be ready. A crisis safety plan that lists needed information to keep you safe, written with a calm, clear mind, is a gift you can give yourself. https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/WRAP.pdf https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/ https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ellen-Copeland/e/B000APF2WG/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 Virtual Hope Box: http://t2health.dcoe.mil/apps/virtual-hope-box My3: http://www.my3app.org/

If your depression and dark thoughts cross over to suicidal intent, do you know what to do? Sara does a lot of work in suicide prevention. Her PhD dissertation research is on suicide, stress and depression. But when her own depression and anxiety peaked one morning bringing her to the very edge of suicidal intent, she had no idea what to do. Her story is a reminder that we need to plan before we are in crisis. https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/

A college student writes GVTD asking us to address how teens can tell their parents their lives have been changed by what they think or know is depression, when they expect to be ridiculed by their family instead of supported. A psychologist shares some do's and don'ts.

A young man who was literally hiding in his apartment closet because his depression, anxiety and alcoholism had made that seem logical, is now a social worker in the very same mental-health facility in which he was treated. When we say recovery is possible and things can change, it's because people like Jordan are living proof. Please take 18 minutes to honor his honesty and sharing.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please have them (you) take 15 minutes to listen to Ken's story. It is a rare opportunity to speak with someone who survives an attempt, especially one from the Golden Gate Bridge, who can tell you they had instant regret when they started to fall, that all the things that seemed unsolvable in life suddenly didn't anymore, and that in the water below they begged for rescue and life. It is powerful and it is real.

An intimate and candid conversation with a survivor of a suicide attempt from the Golden Gate Bridge about intervention, suicide prevention, hope, treatment and recovery. If you think the phrases "suicide is preventable" or "reach out to someone who is struggling" are just slogans in mental health campaigns, Ken will have you rethinking that.

Depression can make us want to give up. Trauma can add anger, shame, guilt and other strong emotions to the mix. Renee's inspiring story is about never giving up on yourself or your recovery. When meds didn't work for her, she tried something else. Then something else. And something else. Until she eventually found therapies that allow her to feel "like a new person." You deserve the help you need, even when it's hard to find.

There are times we are In It and the simplest of tasks feel impossible. For the times before and after that (yes, there IS an after!) here are some tips for staying focused and motivated when trying to get work done. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/motivation-work-tasks