Depression affects approximately 6 million men in the U.S.; however, many more suffer silently. The symptoms of male depression are often difficult to diagnose because they vary considerably from women’s symptoms, or what we think of as “classic” depressive symptoms. The confusion compounded by the misconception of depression as a women’s illness impedes many men...
One of the best pieces of marriage advice I heard before walking down the aisle was a nugget of wisdom that’s been circulating rooms of 12-step support meetings for years: before you open you’re mouth, consider whether you’re HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, or tired). In our house, the sleeplessness has been the biggest culprit toward needless bickering...
Awhile back Christina Gombar of Exhale interviewed me about pregnancy, medication, and motherhood. You can find the original interview by clicking here. Here’s what I had to say: Christina: In your memoir, “Beyond Blue,” you attribute some of your relapse after a post-college, medicated recovery to a perfect storm of factors — moving, switching from...
Up until recently, “No” was dirty word to me. As a stage-four people-pleaser, my vocabulary was rich with affirmatives: “yeah,” “sure,” “okay,” “absolutely,” “no problem.” But my mouth just couldn’t seem to form the consonant-vowel combination required to say “No,” even when “Yes” was simply impossible due to time conficts or just an overdose of...
On the blog, “Storied Mind,” one of my favorite posts is “The Longing to Leave.” It’s one of the most insightful pieces I’ve ever read about how depression can really mess up a marriage. Because when a person plummets into a depression, his first reaction is to look around himself–at those things that are standing...
