9 Replies to “On Depression”

  3. Hi Ryan, great show. I have a lot of firsthand experience with clinical depression, unfortunately. If you ever wish to talk about it, feel free to give me a shout 🙂

  4. This is what people need to do. More than ever, we need to talk about depression and what it is, because the more we speak up about depression, the more we take away the fear and the ignorance about what it is. This is most important in the community of people who don’t suffer from depression.

    There is one addendum I’d like to proffer, if I may, and it comes after listening to this podcast with a friend who knows more on the subject of depression than I. They said that the hardest thing for sufferers is not necessarily the talking part, but their problem with the listeners. Too often, because of the stigma still associated with depression, the ones listening do so with an automatic bias. It doesn’t matter what that bias is, it’s just that it’s there. When we listen, our knee-jerk reaction is to want to offer up advice, sympathy, or empathy, but those words will come with our own bias. When we listen, we need to do so without judgement, without bias, without preconception. And we need to shut up. Until the one talking asks for your opinion, advice, or anything, we just listen. For people dealing with depression, the fear of being judged for what they’re thinking is what keeps them from talking.

    So those of us that are not dealing with depression, let’s listen. Let’s be someone trustworthy to someone who needs that.

  5. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ryan. The passion that you speak about on film makes me appreciate film more. The passion with which you speak on this topic doesn’t have to be from an expert perspective. Your perspective is quite unique and awesome. I wish you’d do some more personal podcasting.

    Also, not being knowledgeable in the least on depression, I have to think the creative expression that podcasting affords could be a great tool in combating some of the scary notions people have that they’re alone in their problems. Shouting into the void is sometimes the best part of my day.

    1. Thanks for the kind-thoughts, good sir.

      Once upon a time my internet presence was of a more personal nature, but focusing it on one particular passion has allowed me a broader reach. That said, I do enjoy pulling the car over every once in a while and focusing on the personal side of things.

      If I could make a request – I think you could do great things if you talked about this one time when you plug in your mic, so keep it in mind for a possible future recording. And like Sean mentioned above, try to make up for my slight mistake and emphasize the listening as well as the talking.

  7. A belated thanks.

    Between the wedding, an increased workload coming on top of months of non-stop work with no vacation, organizing TIFF, Williams turned out to be a tipping point of not being able to deal for a number of weeks. Everything felt futile and hopeless. There was real grief for this man who in many ways is like my own dorky dad, but there is a selfish grief that comes along that makes one feel like their own daily battles will only get harder.

    It got to the point that I realized I’m quite a hypochondriac. I suffered a muscle tear in my chest recently that in the healing process made me feel like I was having heart attacks. Many doctors visits, and a misdiagnosis for costochondritis that I believed anyways and suddenly took on symptoms for, a product of my own anxiety and powerful brain. I literally worried myself sick.

    In addition over the past months I like a few people we know, and like a few famous comedians who have gone AWOL, have become disillusioned with social media. It is what we make it, but at the same time we grow a friends list, and the list of people you follow usually grows. And if you have the opinion that I do that social media (especially twitter) leans towards people expressing negative opinions, spreading bad news, or venting… ultimately you invite more stress into your life. More arguments.

    Like the Ice Bucket Challenge. I was pretty moved by what was happening, and the backlash against it, or people being cynical about it, at the time I took it very much to heart and started thinking very negatively about some people I know. Unfollowed a few. Muted others. That’s what happens now. Sometimes we are well equipped to handle a feed of diverse opinions, and other times it’s too much to bear and we retreat to a bubble.

    And I don’t know the way out of that. Quitting Facebook or Twitter is not really an option for me. But like all the other stuff you take into your body, I’m learning that curating your feed is (hard but) necessary, and I’m trying to prevent myself from putting too much unnecessary negativity out there if possible. Trying to read my own feed once in a while and keep tabs on what I present to others.

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