A note to listeners, this episode contains discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.

You are not alone. I mean, okay, maybe you are in your house right now. I don't want to scare you by saying you're not alone.

But in terms of mental health, mental well-being, emotional experience, whatever you're going through, whatever it is,

someone else, somewhere, is going through something very similar. You're not the first person

to deal with this either. Others have done the same. Maybe they still are. And when you know that,

when you really take the opportunity to let that drill in, that we're all just out here dealing with stuff and a lot of it is the same stuff, you realize you're not alone.

You're part of a vast network. You're on a team. You're part of an army. Pick your metaphor. It doesn't make whatever issue you're dealing with

go away, mind you, but it might have an effect on the way you go about your day, the way you

view the challenges ahead of you and around you. It might help. I want to help. That's why I make

this show every week. It's Depresh Mode. I'm John Moe. I'm glad you're here.

This week, someone who is pretty similar to me in a few ways, actually.

He's dealt with depression, yes, and he's also the host of a mental

health podcast. Don't worry, the episode isn't just me talking to myself. It's a totally

different guy. Paul Gilmartin has been hosting the Mental Illness Happy Hour since 2011,

683 episodes. Paul and his guests talk about all manner of mental disorders and issues that can affect one's overall mental well-being. Sometimes the guests are famous entertainers, other times he has experts on, sometimes just friends of Paul's. He also has sections of the show where he reads responses to surveys about mental health and well-being,

and people get pretty revealing in that section of the show.

Before he started hosting the podcast, Paul had a pretty different job as co-host of the TV

show Dinner and a Movie on TBS.

Paul and his various co-hosts would show a movie interspersed with breaks guiding you through

how to cook a meal that thematically fit the movie being shown. Dinner and a movie ran from

1995 to 2011, and during that run, in 2003, Paul found help for his drug and alcohol addiction

in the form of support groups.

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