---
title: "If you or someone you know suffers from anxiety or depression, you…"
date: 2021-05-24
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
---

# If you or someone you know suffers from anxiety or depression, you…

*May 24, 2021 · Facebook*

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[https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/depression-anxiety-imposter-syndrome/](https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/depression-anxiety-imposter-syndrome/){target="_blank"}
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If you or someone you know suffers from anxiety or depression, you might point them to this excellent 80000 hours podcast:\
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\"The producer of this show, Keiran Harris, interviewed our mutual colleague Howie about the major ways that mental illness has affected his life and career. While depression, anxiety, ADHD and other problems are extremely common, it's rare for people to offer detailed insight into their thoughts and struggles --- and even rarer for someone as perceptive as Howie to do so.\
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The first half of this conversation is a searingly honest account of Howie's story, including losing a job he loved due to a depressed episode, what it was like to be basically out of commission for over a year, how he got back on his feet, and the things he still finds difficult today.\
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The second half covers Howie's advice. Conventional wisdom on mental health can be really focused on cultivating willpower --- telling depressed people that the virtuous thing to do is to start exercising, improve their diet, get their sleep in check, and generally fix all their problems before turning to therapy and medication as some sort of last resort.\
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Howie tries his best to be a corrective to this misguided attitude and pragmatically focus on what actually matters --- doing whatever will help you get better.\
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Mental illness is one of the things that most often trips up people who could otherwise enjoy flourishing careers and have a large social impact, so we think this could plausibly be one of our more valuable episodes.\"\
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[https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/depression-anxiety-imposter-syndrome/](https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/depression-anxiety-imposter-syndrome/){target="_blank"}
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