61 Interviews With People Struggling With Depression

We have interviewed 61 people who have struggled with depression. These stories are full of tips on how to overcome depression.

Most recent stories of people struggling with depression

My Bipolar Disorder Journey and How Therapy and Medication Help Me Navigate

My Bipolar Disorder Journey and How Therapy and Medication Help Me Navigate

January 16, 2024
Helped by: Medication, Reinventing yourself, Self-acceptance, Social support, Therapy
Overcoming Trauma and Depression With Therapy, Journaling and Self-Care

Overcoming Trauma and Depression With Therapy, Journaling and Self-Care

January 9, 2024
Helped by: Journaling, Medication, Self-Care, Self-improvement, Social support, Therapy
How an ADHD Diagnosis Helped Me Understand My Life and Turn It Around With Therapy

How an ADHD Diagnosis Helped Me Understand My Life and Turn It Around With Therapy

January 4, 2024
Helped by: Journaling, Medication, Self-improvement, Social support, Therapy

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Are you struggling with depression?

I’ve interviewed 61 people struggling with depression, and here are the top 5 most mentioned tips that helped these people overcome it:

  1. Therapy (36 people helped)
  2. Self-improvement (25 people helped)
  3. Self-Care (24 people helped)
  4. Social support (23 people helped)
  5. Medication (20 people helped)

In our many years of publishing helpful mental health content, we always received questions from our readers about specific situations. While we have a lot of helpful tips to share on how to be happier, we simply can’t offer advice for every situation.

That’s why I’ve set out to interview folks with every type of mental health struggle. My job as an interviewer is to categorize these interviews and present them in a way that is most helpful to our readers.

Read all the case studies

Cyn Kubiak Featured Image 2

Case studies

Navigating the Tragic Death of My Husband and Finding Purpose Again

“One thing I did was to force myself to get back into the water, something I loved instead of staying in the house crying. Getting back to surfing began my journey to a new “me”. The ocean has a way of washing away whatever feels wrong. This was my best therapy. I strongly advise others to find something they love to do and rekindle their spirit to make good things happen.”

Struggled with:
Depression
Grief
Stress

Helped by:
Reinventing yourself

Richard Becker Featured Image

Case studies

Navigating a Lifelong Identity Crisis and Finally Finding Happiness in Myself

“I did not have an internal sense of self. It didn’t matter how much I accomplished or how many people I helped. I only measured positive outcomes by how others perceived and recognized me or my actions. The sooner we let go of labels, expectations, or the pain of past experiences, the sooner we will feel joy in our hearts.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Cancer
Childhood
Depression
Identity crisis

Helped by:
Reinventing yourself
Religion
Self-improvement

Elijah Meason Featured Image

Case studies

How Accepting Help and Mindfulness Became the Turning Point in My Life

“Drugs and alcohol were common place and I was constantly moving around. That’s not to say that my parents were using in front of me, just that it was fairly obvious as to what was going on. Because of this, I actually grew up attending AA meetings and was introduced to “recovery” pretty early on. Even so, I would go on to spend 16 years in an alcohol and drug-induced nightmare that almost consumed my life. Irony at its finest.”

Struggled with:
Addiction
Childhood
Depression
PTSD

Helped by:
Meditation
Mindfulness
Reinventing yourself
Therapy

Case studies

Navigating Depressive Episodes With Social Support, Therapy, and Perseverance

“When I got home, I was burnt out and severely depressed. I couldn’t get out of bed for a long time. My fiance took me for walks, helped me bathe, and brought me bland foods. With the help of my psychiatrist and therapist, I was able to get on a course of therapy and medication that finally helped to bring me out of my major depressive episode. I wasn’t truly fully functional again until some time in 2011.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Childhood
Depression
PTSD

Helped by:
Medication

Therapy

Sam Russell Featured Image

Case studies

How Inner Dialogue and Spirituality Helped Me Overcome Depression & Suicidal Thoughts

“What therapists would label as “mental health” issues—as I’ve aged and grown perspective in my life, I would have to disagree wholeheartedly. Unstable environments and adults that failed to protect me from predators were the sole contributors to my unstable years.”

Struggled with:
Childhood
Depression
Suicidal

Helped by:
Reinventing yourself
Self-improvement
Spirituality

MaryAddison Yates Featured Image

Case studies

How the 12-Step Program and Therapy Helped Me Deal With Addiction, Depression & ADHD

“I met my future husband when I was 26 but I never felt truly connected to him. I felt just as invisible to him as I did to everyone else. When we decided we wanted to have children, by some miracle, I was able to abstain from drinking just before and during my pregnancy. I coped by being very controlling, a shopaholic, and a workaholic. The twins were born when I was 31 and postpartum depression led me back to the only solution I thought I had: drinking”

Struggled with:
Addiction
ADHD
Anxiety
Depression
Panic attacks
Suicidal

Helped by:
Rehab
Reinventing yourself
Self-Care

Therapy
Treatment

Andrea Blindt Featured Image

Case studies

Successfully Battling Depression and Tragedy Upon Tragedy to Find Happiness

“The pregnancy ended up being even more high risk than my prior ones and I was placed in the hospital for six weeks. Depression and anxiety returned as my young daughter bounced between family and friends during my absence. I missed her terribly and my body ached without her presence, but I pushed forward knowing that each day I stayed pregnant brought us one day closer to our baby.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Childhood
Depression
Grief
Panic attacks
Suicidal

Helped by:
Reinventing yourself
Self-improvement
Therapy
Treatment