I was recently hanging out one evening with some friends, at six feet of distance, outside, at a bonfire. I started to engage in a conversation with an acquaintance who is a firefighter. He knew of the advocacy work that I do around mental health. We hadn’t spoken in quite some time and I could tell he was a bit “on guard” for what he could see was going to be a mental health check-in that I often get into when I see him. This was the first time having this conversation with him since the COVID pandemic began. When I mentioned that it must be tough being a firefighter and seeing so much death ..read more

Is there such a thing as a “Depression Nap”? I’ve certainly heard the term through my advocacy. I never really knew what it was. I do know that when I was going through my second major bout of depression in 2013, my psychologist had shared with me that I needed to rest…I needed to take naps. He explained it as a brain injury and shared with me that the brain needed its down time. Oh boy did I run with that one with my wife. I’d slowly, emotionlessly drag myself off of the couch, where I had been sitting, not knowing what to do or what to say and share with my wife, “I’m just going to go upstai ..read more

If you’ve never heard of The Depression Files podcast (TheDepressionFiles.com/podcast), it’s a show in which I interview men who have struggled with depression and/or other mental illnesses. The goals of the show have always been to educate those who know little about depression and/or other mental illnesses, to support those living with a mental illness, and to chip away at the stigma. I believe that sharing stories is powerful. When men (and women) hear men sharing their stories, it helps others realize that they are not alone. It also, hopefully, gives others the courage to share their stru ..read more

For nearly three years, I’ve been publishing episodes of The Depression Files podcast every other Sunday. These are interviews of men who have dealt with depression and/or other mental illnesses. I believe very strongly in the power of sharing stories as a way of chipping away at the stigma. The more we share our own stories, the more others are willing to share their stories and, more importantly, willing to reach out for the help they may need. While I was originally planning to interview only men with depression, I soon realized that many of the men I was interviewing were dealing with othe ..read more

It’s the damndest thing, isn’t it? How a mental health condition can take you on a wild ride of feeling worthless to feeling super productive. Feeling like a one on the wellness meter is by no means where I aspire to be. No, I love the moments in time when I feel well. It’s where we all strive to be but, I have to be honest, it’s hard to know where to draw the line. Take last week for example, what a wonderful period of time. I took the opportunity to spend time with some good friends and even attended a community outing. A gathering that was full of strangers no less. Sadly, I still fell vict ..read more

This past October I turned 50 years old.  That’s half a century friends!  One great advantage of getting older, is actually getting smarter.  The longer we live, the more chances we have to learn.  What I love most, is how much I have learned about myself and how to make myself the best self I can be. This takes work, persistence and the ability to look at our challenges and triumphs and what has helped along the way.  Many of my top life lessons are lessons that are really helpful to everyone, but these habits have truly helped me with my mental health, so I wanted to ..read more

If you haven’t yet checked out my podcast TheDepressionFiles.com/podcast, please do! I interview men who have struggled with depression and/or other mental illnesses. This is my 56th episode! I publish a new episode every other Sunday. You’ll hear interviews with an incredibly diverse group of men, from an NFL offensive linesman, to a black male advocate, to an ER surgeon, to military vets, first responders, a Hollywood producer and many more. You’ll learn about illnesses such as major depression, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, dissociative identity disorder, bipolar 1 & 2, borde ..read more

“Of course everyone has challenges in life, but not everyone has a mental illness. That shit is hard.” I wish I could remember the name (or at least user name) of the wise soul who fired that rebuttal into the Twitterverse in response to one of the many attempts that I’ve witnessed to downplay, oversimplify, or even reframe another person’s lived experience with mental illness. Mental illness is different for everybody, but what I like to call “the language problem” makes is very difficult to move past, what I thought, was this fairly self-evident and uncontroversial statement. Let me explain ..read more

Men out there: when was the last time you checked in with yourself? No, I don’t mean the last time you had a guy’s night out or spent time in your man cave; I mean really looked inward and assessed your emotional health. In my professional practice, I have found that men tend to skip this incredibly valuable practice and, in doing so, threaten not only their emotional health but also the health of their relationships. Repressed emotions can lead to self-dissatisfaction, relationship turmoil, and even the destruction of relationships with infidelity. To avoid these pitfalls, men can make use of ..read more

May is Mental Health Month. Here are nine reasons why you should be paying attention to the Mental Health Movement. Mental Health Month Created by the organization Mental Health America, Mental Health Month was first observed in the United States back in 1949. The idea was and still is today to raise awareness and educate the public on issues on mental illness and the challenges faced by the millions of Americans who battle mental illness. For 70 years Mental Health Month has been observed, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Because there’s more work to be done other non-profits l ..read more