What up, team? It's episode 479 of The Genius Live. Let's go.

What's going on, everybody? I'm your host, Max Lugar, Max. Max. Max. What is going on, everybody?

I'm your host, Max Lugavir, and welcome back to The Genius Life, a show where we try to make sense of this messy, beautiful human experience, one conversation at a time.

Here's a stat that'll stop you in your tracks.

Depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide.

And yet, what if we've been missing a huge part of the picture?

What if millions of people, maybe even you, are suffering from a hidden variant of depression

that doesn't show up the way we've been taught to recognize it?

Well, my guest today is Dr. Judith Joseph, a board-certified psychiatrist, clinical researcher,

and one of the leading voices making mental health more human and more relatable. Her viral video

on high-functioning depression has been viewed over 20 million times, and for good reason,

it put a name to what so many people are quietly going through, the folks who are showing up,

getting it done, overperforming even, all while silently struggling.

In today's episode, we explore what high functioning depression really is, how it hides,

why so many people miss it, and what you can do about it. We talk about the difference between

clinical depression and subclinical symptoms like anhydonia, the loss of joy, and how

numbing out with productivity can actually be a sign of

deeper emotional avoidance. We also dive into the science of your happiness, burnout versus

depression, gender differences, and hormonal factors, the role of trauma and environment,

and whether we're actually over prescribing SSRIs or just under delivering on support and access.

Now before we get started, just a quick heads up.

This weekend, I'll be in Austin to keynote the Health Optimization Summit.

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