Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) revealed Tuesday that the undisclosed medical condition that kept him away from Congress for nearly four months was depression, ending months of speculation about one of the House GOP&#8217;s most closely watched absences.
Returning to the House floor for the first time since early March, Kean disclosed that he was hospitalized after experiencing health concerns and was ultimately diagnosed with depression, a condition he described as far more debilitating than many people realize.
&#8220;Many people think it is feeling sad. It is so much more than that,&#8221; Kean told colleagues. &#8220;It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.&#8221;
The announcement comes after Kean missed more than 100 House votes and largely disappeared from public view, creating headaches for House Republican leadership as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) attempted to navigate the chamber&#8217;s razor-thin majority.
Kean last cast a vote on March 5 before abruptly stepping away from Congress. His office initially described the situation only as a &#8220;personal medical issue,&#8221; repeatedly declining to elaborate while assuring constituents the congressman expected to make a full recovery.
Earlier this month, Kean&#8217;s political adviser, Harrison Neely, announced the congressman would return to Washington on June 30 and promised he would be &#8220;fully transparent&#8221; about his condition.
On Tuesday, Kean explained that he initially entered the hospital for medical testing before receiving his diagnosis. &#8220;I was given the diagnosis of depression,&#8221; he said. Kean said doctors advised him to remain hospitalized because it offered the quickest path to recovery. &#8220;I was hesitant,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t think I had time for it.&#8221;
The second-term Republican acknowledged that when he previously told constituents he expected to return within weeks, he believed that timeline was accurate. &#8220;But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing,&#8221; Kean said. &#8220;Today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love.&#8221; Kean characterized himself as &#8220;a private person by nature,&#8221; explaining why he chose not to disclose his diagnosis sooner.
He also encouraged others struggling with mental illness to seek treatment. &#8220;Asking for help is not a weakness,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It is a strength.&#8221; Despite revealing the reason for his prolonged absence, Kean left Capitol Hill immediately after delivering his remarks without answering reporters&#8217; questions, leaving several unresolved what initially prompted his hospitalization.
Speaker Johnson said he had repeatedly encouraged Kean to be more forthcoming with the public during his absence. &#8220;I encouraged him all along to be as transparent as possible,&#8221; Johnson told reporters. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad he finally has.&#8221; Johnson declined to criticize Kean further, saying the decision ultimately rested with the New Jersey congressman. &#8220;It&#8217;s his personal issue,&#8221; the speaker said.
Kean represents New Jersey&#8217;s highly competitive 7th Congressional District, one of the Democrats&#8217; top pickup opportunities heading into November. His absence became an issue in the race as Democrats questioned whether constituents were receiving adequate representation while Kean remained out of public view. Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, is expected to challenge Kean in what is projected to be one of the country&#8217;s most competitive House contests.
Before Tuesday&#8217;s announcement, President Donald Trump and House Republican leaders had continued backing Kean&#8217;s reelection campaign despite his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-rep-set-to-return-to-congress-after-he-went-mia-for-months">absence</a>. Trump endorsed Kean earlier this month, while Johnson repeatedly defended the congressman&#8217;s right to medical privacy and urged reporters to be patient.
Kean, the son of former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., missed more than 100 House votes during his absence, though his office maintained that he continued to perform constituent services and campaign activities remotely.
The congressman&#8217;s remarks drew support from some lawmakers who have publicly discussed their own struggles with mental illness. At the same time, critics argued that while Kean&#8217;s diagnosis deserved empathy, his constituents also deserved greater transparency during an absence that stretched nearly four months.
New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has spoken openly about living with depression, wrote on <a href="https://x.com/RitchieTorres/status/2071993828534346043">X</a> that he had &#8220;deep sympathy for anyone struggling with mental illness,&#8221; but added that &#8220;public office carries a duty of transparency.&#8221;
&#8220;When a public official is absent for an extended period,&#8221; Torres wrote, &#8220;the public has a right to an honest explanation.&#8221;

NJ Rep. Kean Returns To Capitol Hill After Months-Long Absence

Congressman Gone MIA Reveals He Missed 3 Months Of Work Due To Depression

Congress

Depression

Mental Health

New Jersey

Politics

Tom Kean

Each year, as the holidays approach, countless Americans find themselves facing a very different kind of season, one marked not by joy, but by grief. This time of year brings up memories of someone they’ve lost, a relationship that has changed, or a chapter of life that will never look the same again. And while the world tells us to celebrate, the brain tells a different story. Grief changes your mood, your thinking, your energy, and your sense of peace. This is why navigating grief around the holidays requires intention, compassion, and care for your brain.
In our culture, we often feel pressure to “be okay,” especially in December. But grief doesn’t follow a calendar. It shows up in waves, some small, some overwhelming, and holidays tend to magnify everything we feel. The truth is, grief is not just emotional. It is biological. It activates the brain’s alarm system, disrupts sleep, increases stress hormones, and alters the circuits involved in focus and motivation. You’re not imagining the heaviness. Your brain is responding to loss.
When we understand this, we can respond in ways that help calm the chaos inside us instead of making it worse.
One of the most important places to begin is with routine. In seasons of grief, the basics fall apart, sleep becomes irregular, meals become inconsistent, and movement becomes optional. But the brain thrives on rhythm. Foundational habits like sleep, healthy eating, and exercise support healthy brain function and improved mental health. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6378489/">Research</a> shows that consistent routines calm the brain’s anxiety centers and strengthen the frontal cortex, which helps with decision-making and emotional balance. These small anchors don’t remove grief, but they give the brain a steadier foundation to handle it.
Light is another powerful tool. During fall and winter, sunlight drops and indoor time increases. Low vitamin D levels are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12991-022-00406-1">linked to depression</a>, and reduced sunlight disrupts melatonin and serotonin, two key regulators of mood. For someone already carrying sadness, this shift can intensify symptoms. Ten or fifteen minutes of morning sunlight on your skin can help stabilize your brain chemistry. When sunlight isn’t possible, bright light therapy offers an effective alternative.
When grief is present, cravings often increase, not just for food or alcohol, but the urge for escape. But numbing behaviors intensify the very feelings we’re trying to avoid. Sugar causes blood sugar spikes and crashes that worsen irritation, fatigue, and mood swings. Alcohol temporarily boosts dopamine, but leaves serotonin depleted, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10851576/">leading to a deeper</a> emotional crash. When your heart is hurting, your brain needs stability, not substances that destabilize it. Nourish yourself with balanced meals, water, and movement, and you’ll feel the difference.
Connection also plays a crucial role in healing. When people are grieving, they often isolate. It feels easier, safer, less demanding. But isolation heightens sadness. Social isolation is a risk factor for worsening anxiety and depression. You don’t need large gatherings or forced cheer. You need a safe person, someone who can sit with you and let you be exactly where you are.
Finally, there’s the mind itself. &#8220;Grief brain&#8221; is a term used to describe the neurological effects of loss on the brain. After an extreme loss, the body triggers the release of neurochemicals similar to those involved in the fight-flight-or-freeze response. In the following days, weeks, and months, reminders of the loss can re-ignite this chemical reaction. This grief response can rewire the brain in negative ways, changing it in several key regions.
The first of which is the prefrontal cortex. The part of the brain responsible for executive functions, like planning, judgment, impulse control, problem-solving, and decision-making. Grief effectively takes this region offline, suppressing your ability to think clearly and accomplish complex tasks.
Additionally, the limbic system, the emotional center of the brain, shifts into overdrive in times of grief, amplifying emotions like sadness, fear, and anxiety.
In the healthy brain, the limbic system provides the motivation you need to get things done, and the prefrontal cortex gives you the mental horsepower to complete important projects. Yet, in the grieving brain, this system is turned upside down, robbing you of mental clarity while heightening emotions. Grief brings thoughts that are often harsh, heavy, or untrue, and every negative thought releases chemicals that influence how you feel. It is crucial to learn how to reframe those thoughts to help reduce depressive symptoms and rewire the brain toward healthier patterns.
But perhaps the most important thing to remember is this: it’s okay to feel what you feel. The holidays are a mix of joy and pain for many people. You don’t have to pretend. Let your feelings come; they are part of healing. Suppressing emotions activates the brain’s stress circuits. Allowing them begins to release the pressure inside you.
Grief also touches the spiritual parts of us. Loss raises deep questions — about meaning, purpose, and what truly matters. Scripture reminds us in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (NIV). Choosing hope doesn’t mean ignoring pain; it means anchoring your mind in something steady when everything else feels unstable.
Grief may be part of your holiday, but it doesn’t have to define it. With a steady routine, connection, and compassion for yourself, your brain can find its way back to balance. And over time, you can discover moments of peace again.
Your grief is real. But so is your ability to heal.
* * *
Dr. Daniel Amen, MD, is a double board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, a mental health practice specializing in brain-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment, and author of &#8220;Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Sad woman in christmas in a rainy day

What Your Brain Needs Most When Grief Hits During The Holidays

Brain

Christmas

Holiday

Psychology

Americans are more depressed than ever. An online-obsessed world has trapped us in lonely, soul-draining bubbles — stripping away real relationships and community. And, in many cases, the more online we’ve become in our jobs and our personal lives, the harder it’s been for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 
Depression in the United States hit an all-time high, according to a Gallup <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/505745/depression-rates-reach-new-highs.aspx#:~:text=Clinical%20depression%20had%20been%20slowly,an%20estimated%2044%20million%20people.">survey</a> published in 2023. A big reason for the recent spike was the COVID-19 pandemic, which Gallup wrote brought mandated isolation and quarantine along with major changes to jobs, churches, and families. 
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“Subsequent analysis showed that the low protein intake groups had significantly higher risk for depression than the normal protein intake groups in both the United States and South Korea,” the study’s authors added. 
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ResponsibleMan shares common ownership with The Daily Wire.

From Isolation To Strength: Protein Could Be The Key To Fighting America’s Depression Crisis

Internet

Social Media

study

Imagine we&#8217;re back in the late 1980s or early 1990s. You&#8217;re feeling depressed and no one wants to talk to you, so you pay a psychiatrist to listen to your problems. But even after talking things out with your shrink, you&#8217;re still not feeling great. All hope seems lost. Then the shrink tells you not to despair, because you have the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial for a new class of drug that has the potential to cure all of your symptoms, called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs.
If you enter the trial, you have a chance of getting the new SSRI drug, or you could get a placebo that does nothing. You&#8217;re told it&#8217;s a win-win: If you participate in the clinical trial, Big Pharma will get some more data on whether this new class of drugs actually works. And you have a chance of being cured. If you&#8217;re not cured, then in all likelihood, the worst-case scenario isn&#8217;t a big deal. Either you get a placebo and nothing changes, or you get the real drug, which has relatively modest side effects — like dry mouth, nausea, dizziness, and so on. And in exchange for enduring those side effects, your depression might go away. So what do you have to lose?
This was the process drug companies used to convince the world that SSRIs worked. After running a bunch of &#8220;double-blind&#8221; clinical trials, they found that people who took the SSRIs ultimately reported that they felt better than people who received the placebo. Therefore, we were told that the whole &#8220;serotonin theory of depression&#8221; must be true. After all, when people took SSRIs and had more serotonin in their brains, their depression went away. The people who took the sugar pill didn&#8217;t do as well. So there you have it. Science wins again.
There&#8217;s a major problem with this whole methodology, however. It&#8217;s a problem that somehow didn&#8217;t occur to any of the media outlets or physicians who pushed SSRIs for decades. You might have to think about it for a few minutes, but eventually it becomes obvious. Here&#8217;s the issue: In practice, these clinical trials weren&#8217;t actually double-blind. The vast majority of patients were able to &#8220;break blind,&#8221; as they say in the industry. And that means they were able to figure out whether they got the real SSRI or the placebo. That&#8217;s because, in most cases, the patients who got the real drug very quickly noticed they were experiencing some of the side effects. After all, if you take a pill and you start experiencing dry mouth or nausea or something like that, then you&#8217;ll probably conclude that you&#8217;re taking an active medication. And that&#8217;s exactly what happened in many of these trials. In fact, in one study, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4172306/#c25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conducted</a> by researchers at Columbia, 89% of participants correctly guessed that they were on the SSRI. That&#8217;s an extremely high number for a clinical trial.
Now you can probably see the issue. If the studies aren&#8217;t really double-blind, then we have no way of knowing if the SSRIs actually improved people&#8217;s moods. It&#8217;s quite possible that these patients were actually feeling better because they thought they were taking a wonder drug. And then they convinced themselves that it was working, so they told the therapist they were improving. This is commonly referred to as the &#8220;placebo effect,&#8221; and the only way to defeat it — particularly when you&#8217;re trying to assess the effectiveness of psychoactive drugs — is with double-blind studies. And that didn&#8217;t happen with SSRIs.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1539-the-matt-walsh-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
This is not some crackpot theory, by the way. A few years ago, a researcher at Harvard named Irving Kirsch <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4172306/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found:</a>
<blockquote>Analysis of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by drug companies reveals that most (if not all) of the benefits are due to the placebo effect &#8230; The relatively small differences between drug and placebo in antidepressant trials are at least in part due to &#8216;breaking blind&#8217; and discerning that one is in the drug group, because of the side effects produced by the drug.</blockquote>
Kirsch goes on to suggest that, instead of SSRIs, maybe all patients should be given a placebo. After all, based on the FDA&#8217;s data, less than 45% of SSRI trials showed a statistically significant benefit of the SSRI over a placebo. And the placebo, of course, has no side effects.
But as we all know, there&#8217;s no money in prescribing sugar pills. So instead, doctors and the pharmaceutical industry pushed SSRIs. Based on these garbage clinical trials — which fall apart under the slimmest possible scrutiny — the use of SSRIs among teenagers and adults in this country increased by almost 400% from the early 1990&#8217;s to 2006. And it kept going up. By 2014, one in ten adults was filling an SSRI prescription. From 2015 to 2021, SSRI use increased by another 35%. We&#8217;re talking about tens of millions of prescriptions here.
Meanwhile, the number of Americans suffering from depression has kept increasing. According to Gallup, in 2023, &#8220;The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime reached 29.0%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015.&#8221; In other words, we&#8217;re more depressed than ever, and at the same time, we&#8217;re taking more antidepressants than ever.
These prescriptions have continued even after one of the most prominent medical journals on the planet admitted that actually, doctors no longer think low serotonin levels are linked to depression. In other words, if these drugs actually work, then no one can actually explain why. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quoting</a> from the journal Molecular Psychiatry: &#8220;Our comprehensive review of the major strands of research on serotonin shows there is no convincing evidence that depression is associated with, or caused by, lower serotonin concentrations or activity. Most studies found no evidence of reduced serotonin activity in people with depression compared to people without. &#8230; This review suggests that the huge research effort based on the serotonin hypothesis has not produced convincing evidence of a biochemical basis to depression.&#8221;
I&#8217;ll say that again. &#8220;This review suggests that the huge research effort based on the serotonin hypothesis has not produced convincing evidence of a biochemical basis to depression.&#8221; This was a paper published in the summer of 2022, by one of the top journals in the entire field of medicine. No serious person disputes it.
And yet, to this day, if you suggest that depression isn&#8217;t related to a chemical imbalance, as I did this week, you will be dogpiled for doing so. It’s been impossible to have anything approaching an honest conversation about depression and SSRIs because many of the people on these drugs will lash out with blind rage if you even suggest that depression might have causes that go deeper than “chemical imbalances.” If you try to talk about the problem of despair with any depth or nuance at all, you are screamed out of the room by drug addicts who don’t know they’re drug addicts. The truth is, though, that none of the support for SSRIs is based in reality. This whole class of drugs has been peddled to tens of millions of people based on complete fabrications. It&#8217;s not an overstatement to say that this is one of the great medical scandals of our time.
What&#8217;s changing now is that, finally, someone in a position of authority is finally willing to investigate these drugs — and many other drugs like them. A few days ago, via executive order, the Trump administration established something called the &#8220;Make America Healthy Again Commission,&#8221; or &#8220;MAHA,&#8221; and it&#8217;ll be headed by RFK Jr. The purpose of the commission, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the White House, is to determine why Americans have shorter life expectancies than people living in other nations — as well as higher rates of chronic diseases like cancer and asthma. Part of this effort means assessing the, &#8220;prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs.&#8221; Watch:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
HHS Secretary RFK Jr. pledges “NOTHING is gonna be off limits” in chronic disease investigation
“The childhood vaccine schedule, electromagnetic radiation, glyphosate, other pesticides, ultra processed foods, artificial food additives, SSRI and other psychiatric drugs, PFAs,… <a href="https://t.co/kWV2LHuqTG">pic.twitter.com/kWV2LHuqTG</a>
&mdash; Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) <a href="https://twitter.com/Holden_Culotta/status/1891888695185375248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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As of right now, as you heard, RFK&#8217;s commission is going to be focused on gathering data. They&#8217;re not banning anything outright. They&#8217;re not punishing doctors for prescribing anything. Instead, they&#8217;re doing what the government should&#8217;ve done several decades ago. They&#8217;re looking at the existing evidence and determining whether it&#8217;s valid or not. They&#8217;re not going to simply accept &#8220;clinical trials&#8221; without looking closely at them. They&#8217;re going to see whether it makes sense to keep prescribing these drugs to so many Americans, particularly young people.
You have to wonder what kind of person would object to a fact-finding effort like this. After all, if SSRIs (and the other drugs he mentioned) actually work as advertised, then the extra scrutiny wouldn&#8217;t be a problem at all. But RFK Jr. has received a lot of push back already. Newsweek, for example, recently took aim at RFK&#8217;s claim that antidepressants can be more addictive than heroin. They cited a Stanford professor as <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-antidepressants-ssris-drugs-maha-2032297" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &#8220;Antidepressants and heroin are in different universes when it comes to addiction risk. In my 35 years in the addiction field, I&#8217;ve met only two or three people who thought they were addicted to antidepressants versus thousands who were addicted to heroin and other opioids.&#8221;
So we&#8217;re meant to conclude that RFK is a conspiracy theorist for even suggesting that SSRIs can cause dependency. Just a few years ago, however, that was not a conspiracy theory at all. It was settled science. In 2018, the New York Times published an article entitled, &#8220;Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit.&#8221; Here&#8217;s some of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/health/antidepressants-withdrawal-prozac-cymbalta.html?rsrc=ss&amp;unlocked_article_code=1.s04.GyfR.MCfR9TrwZ4dZ&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare" target="_blank" rel="noopener">relevant findings</a>: &#8220;In New Zealand, where prescriptions are at historic highs, a survey of long-term users found that withdrawal was the most common complaint, cited by three-quarters of long-term users. &#8230; In a recent survey of 250 long-term users of psychiatric drugs — most commonly antidepressants — about half who wound down their prescriptions rated the withdrawal as severe. Nearly half who tried to quit could not do so because of these symptoms. In another study of 180 longtime antidepressant users, withdrawal symptoms were reported by more than 130. Almost half said they felt addicted to antidepressants.&#8221;
Now, if you compare those numbers to the percentage of heroin users who become addicted within a month of using the drug, you&#8217;ll find that RFK actually has a point. By one <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2681168" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimate</a>, up to 38% of new heroin users become dependent within a year. That&#8217;s a lot, obviously, but it&#8217;s less than the number of antidepressant users who reported feeling severe withdrawal symptoms.
This is why RFK&#8217;s commission is an important step. It&#8217;s clear we have a lot of evidence that antidepressants are causing far more harm than most people realize. But they&#8217;re not seeing the evidence because it&#8217;s being suppressed. A transparent commission can solve that problem. It can also address this objection, which was <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/kennedy-rfk-antidepressants-ssri-school-shootings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just published</a> by the Left-wing outlet Mother Jones.: &#8220;In a 2023 livestream on X with Elon Musk, [RFK] claimed that &#8216;tremendous circumstantial evidence&#8217; suggested people taking antidepressants were more likely to commit school shootings. (Actually, most school shooters were not taking those drugs, evidence shows.).&#8221;
This is another common refrain you hear from defenders of SSRIs. They say &#8220;most school shooters&#8221; were not taking SSRIs. As we&#8217;ve previously discussed, there are two major problems with this line. First of all, we don&#8217;t know what drugs a school shooter was taking unless the family discloses it. The police and hospitals won&#8217;t tell anyone, citing privacy laws. And in pretty much no case does the family definitely state that the shooter wasn&#8217;t taking any kind of medication. Secondly, a lot of &#8220;mass shootings&#8221; are really gang violence, and those incidents get lumped in with school shootings. So they flood the data set, and make it hard to determine whether SSRIs are influencing a certain kind of shooting.
Anecdotally, of course, you&#8217;ll find plenty of evidence that SSRIs might be linked to school shootings. From Columbine to Northern Illinois University to the Navy Yard to the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, to the black church in Charleston to the Old National Bank in Kentucky, the shooters were all confirmed to be on antidepressants. In response to these shootings, you might say that correlation doesn&#8217;t prove causation. After all, these shooters were taking SSRIs because they were unstable. That doesn&#8217;t necessarily prove SSRIs made their condition worse.
And that&#8217;s true. But there is additional, affirmative evidence to believe that SSRIs are in fact making these shooters&#8217; condition worse. For one thing, there&#8217;s the FDA black box label on these drugs, which indicates that they can &#8220;increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior.&#8221; And then there&#8217;s this. A few years ago, researchers writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5066537/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that antidepressants doubled the risk of suicidality and violence, when they&#8217;re given to healthy people with no mental health disorders. From the journal: &#8220;Antidepressants double the occurrence of events in adult healthy volunteers that can lead to suicide and violence.&#8221;
How is that possible? The truth is we have no idea. We have no clue why these drugs supposedly work in the first place. And we have no idea why they might turn normal people into violent maniacs. It&#8217;s obviously a very concerning finding, especially given how much doctors are over-prescribing these drugs to any patient who claims to be depressed.
Doctors would rather prescribe those drugs than tell patients the truth about their depression, and how to deal with it. I can say that, in my personal life, I have known many people who take antidepressants. And in almost every case, there are glaringly obvious things in their lives that would cause any normal person to be depressed. Depression is a totally rational response to their circumstance. Instead of making lifestyle changes or dealing with the underlying trauma, however, they are given drugs that effectively numb their brain. It’s like giving someone a painkiller to make it hurt less when they put their hand on a hot stove. The stove is still burning them. The pain from the stove is not the problem. Their hands and nervous system work just fine. It’s where they’re putting their hand, that’s the problem.
The reason the medical establishment and Democrats are panicking over RFK&#8217;s commission is simple. The moment people realize they have agency — when they realize they can take their hand off the stove — they become a lot harder to control. They also become a lot harder to monetize. For Big Pharma and corporate media outlets that sell advertising space to Big Pharma, the implications are obviously dire. Nevertheless, for Americans hoping to reverse this country&#8217;s long-standing public health decline, after a generation of junk science and fake clinical trials, it&#8217;s a change that&#8217;s long overdue.

Secretary Of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Visits “The Ingraham Angle”

Democrats Enter Panic Mode As RFK Sets Out To Make America Healthy Again

Big Pharma

Department of Health and Human Services

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Science

In the fifth and final episode of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>,” Dr. Jordan B. Peterson hones in on the topics of identity and the future. The seriousness and gravity of the subjects he discusses in “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/reconstructing-the-future-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reconstructing The Future You</a>” match the black-and-white cast of the production, but Peterson’s demeanor brings light to the episode. Posed with information to divulge, he begins, “One of the things that’s come up recently on the political front is this idea that psychotherapeutic care, and medical care for that matter, should be identity affirming. And this is absolutely 100% preposterous.”
Yet this is not a claim he avoids extrapolating. Peterson goes on to explain there are questions that should be asked with regard to identity affirmation: What do you mean by identity? How should identity be properly measured? What is the proper role of a therapist in relation to identity? As a licensed clinical psychologist, Peterson knows the ethical requirements by which therapists are bound. They are not to rely on the reports of sporadic emotion, as doing so violates ethical clinical care. Rather, therapists are to explore identity with their clients.
Such an initiative becomes one of elaboration of identity. Exploring identity is an undertaking a therapist engages in with their client by asking: Who are you? Peterson explains that might involve walking through your whole life: “Where did you come from? Who are you now? Where are you going?” Past, present, and future are all the parts of the whole.
Peterson explains the point of therapy in the context of this episode and the discussion of identity, but he makes a statement that applies to therapy at large: “We’re here so that things can be better for you, and we’re going to explore what ‘better’ means because that’s, in some ways, something you have to determine — conceivably in consultation with me because we’re trying to solve the problem. But you have to define what ‘better’ is.” Again, Peterson provides an element of hope, a running theme throughout this series.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON’S SERIES, “DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,” ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
While Peterson addresses that what you feel moment-to-moment is not incontrovertibly correct, he also explains the importance of developing the skills to discern what is true with regard to identity — and getting the story straight. A therapist can help people confront the traumas of their past, and writing about such trauma, though difficult, proves helpful and predicts improvement. People are able to figure out why and how they might avoid it again in the future.
But it is your future self that Peterson leads to in the conclusion of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>.” For years, Peterson has taught on the subject and necessity of aiming up, advocating that we should each do what we can in the confines of our own life in the unlimited expanse of the opportunity of our own lives to aim up. He reiterates this in his concluding episode, saying, “We’re aiming to make things better. I’m on the side of you that wants things to be better, so I&#8217;m an advocate for that — whatever that is. I’m an advocate for that, that part of your identity.” It is the betterment of lives that Peterson continually strives to impress upon his viewers, though it is not an undertaking to pursue without effort.
He explains this to be part of the true essence of effective psychotherapy. Genuine growth does not come from simple affirmation, as growth is by no means “simple.” It requires exploration, reconstruction, and meticulous attention to details of your own life, but it is a task that will lead to a future self worth pursuing.

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The Destruction Of Identity-Affirming Psychotherapy And Advocating For Your Future Self

Anxiety

Jordan B. Peterson

Therapy

Seated, poised, and intent, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson begins “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/a-roadmap-to-treatment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Roadmap to Treatment</a>,” the fourth episode of his new series with DailyWire+, asking a pointed question: “What are you afraid of?”
Recalling the seven different domains of life he addressed earlier in “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>,” Peterson encourages viewers to challenge themselves by identifying their self-induced blockade. “What are you doing wrong that’s stopping you?” he follows. Then, with a slight softening in tone, he says again, “Ask yourself: Why are you so afraid?” He reassures viewers not to be too judgemental or harsh; objective identification is the first step.
Peterson posits examples of fears the viewer might pinpoint. At first glance, these fears might seem offhandedly offered; however, with even a modicum more of examination, his examples come to light through the knowing mind of an experienced clinical psychologist. “I’m afraid that I’m a fool. I’m afraid I can’t learn. I’m afraid no one will want me. I’m afraid of getting rejected. I’m afraid I’ll make a fool of myself in the interview.”
These are common fears, yet they often go unspoken and remain unrecognized. By stating them, calling attention to them, Peterson takes fears that may seem isolating to the viewer and shows them to be universal. There is comfort in knowing these are not exclusive. By naming them, Peterson calls the viewer out of isolation.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON’S SERIES, “DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,” ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
But it is his practical approach through what has perhaps been paralyzing fears that leads viewers to make progress. One massive fear becomes 30 micro problems — and confronting one is achievable. He acknowledges it must be one you could face and are willing to face. “Pick any one you want,” he says. “Make some progress.” This begins the process of progress.
Transitioning from the topic of “what you want,” Peterson moves on to “where you come from.” The purpose of psychotherapy is to define both areas, a process he emulates in this series. Confronting the “terrible things [that] happened to you in the past that you haven’t dealt with that you’re still afraid of” is part of that process. Peterson contends that memories often come back to people as though the memory is making the decision of when it will appear. They are powerful. But shifting the relationship between a person and a memory is possible, a shift he teaches how to induce.
“Rather than the memory grabbing you, you grab the memory. If you do it voluntarily, you’re a different person when you do it.” For those who experience the hold that memories take, such a shift is empowering. The idea of reconstructing a narrative is empowering and purposeful. By walking through your past and developing a vision of the future, reconstruction of narrative becomes possible — and it is possible.
Calling back to the beginning of “Depression &amp; Anxiety” once again, Peterson names the third reason for therapy: assertiveness training. Having first covered <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/back-to-his-roots-peterson-translates-clinical-research-into-practical-steps-for-healing-in-series" target="_blank" rel="noopener">depression and anxiety</a> (the preceding two reasons), he explains assertiveness training as a need for people who are often too nice. Again, with straightforwardness, Peterson levels with his viewers, asserting that avoiding conflict and doing everything for everyone else can lead to bitterness and resentfulness.
But such a scenario is not without hope, the hope being cognitive reconstructions. In the example he provides — a wife who is afraid to talk to her husband — Peterson explains how to put forward a concern and negotiate a need. Knowingly, he recognizes nuanced problems — not easily perceived, even by the negotiator — that will stand in the way of a resolution. He counters with an effective strategy, one which requires clarity, vulnerability, and articulation. Though potentially daunting, Peterson presents this as possible and obtainable. With each hurdle, he provides imminent hope.
In the latter portion of this episode, Peterson establishes and describes the rewards that come from self-reflective, proactive progress made in one’s life. Alongside those rewards, he pinpoints even small initiatives that have lasting effects. “When someone around you makes things better, acknowledge that — but do not do it to manipulate. There is nothing about this that is not positive. Do this to yourself too. Pat yourself on the back,” he encourages.
But are the long-term rewards associated with therapy worth the arduous effort required? Peterson leaves viewers with no doubt: Most assuredly, they are. With the most insightful of practical approaches, he heartens viewers&#8217; perspectives and carves a pathway to treatment.

The Self-styled “Professor Against Political Correctness” Jordan Peterson Speaks To The Cambridge Union

Overcoming Fear That Cripples: Peterson Offers A Way Out For Those Suffering From Anxiety

DailyWire+

Jordan Peterson

With subdued alacrity, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson closes “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/the-trap-of-catastrophizing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Trap of Catastrophizing</a>,” the second of five episodes of his new series alongside DailyWire+ “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>,” with thoughts on freedom at the individual level.
True to form, Peterson speaks as an existentialist, reasoning that a bounded environment of choice protects against the danger of drowning in chaos while, at the same time, creating a reasonable structure with an appropriate level of decision-making capabilities. In other words, the best scenario for any human is one in which you are free to make choices at the level of which you are capable.
The third episode, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/exposure-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exposure Therapy</a>,” transitions from the topic of negative emotion to that of positive emotion. “We talked about the amelioration of negative emotion. We can also talk about the facilitation of positive emotion,” Peterson begins. Once someone moves toward even the smallest of goals — micro goals which contribute to a person’s life goals at large — any advancement toward accomplishment activates the positive emotion system. The idea is, according to Peterson, that your brain takes note of your productivity and rewards you with a “kick” of positive emotion.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON&#8217;S SERIES, &#8220;DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,&#8221; ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
But as Peterson makes clear, this is more than an idea; it is a fact of neuroscience. Yet it is a fact he does not jargonize to the point of effectively losing his audience. (After all, not many men could tour the world giving philosophical lectures that draw audiences of thousands.) Peterson captivates his viewers, yes, but the reason for such captivation is his defining feature in this series: explaining scientifically accurate information in an understandable manner, a practice he seems to have honed when writing his 2018 book “12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos.”
Published in 1999, Peterson’s first work, “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief,” totals 564 pages and ranks in genres of behavioral psychology, medical general psychology, and cognitive psychology. It is a book to be tackled in academic spheres. Almost 20 years later, he authored “12 Rules for Life,” where he outlines precisely 12 practical rules by which to live. Rule six, “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world,” is a reminder as to why we may need a reframing of perspective, a strategy Peterson incorporates in “Depression &amp; Anxiety,” by reframing both internalizing disorders with a goal of helping people.
This particular rule comes to mind as Peterson gives an example of a micro goal (emphasis on “micro”) that is capable of reinstating the positive emotion system. “Imagine you make a micro goal and the goal might be: This month I am going to clean up my room. So, the first thing you do is organize your sock drawer,” he offers. After pilfering through 30 pairs of socks, deciding which to trash, and fighting off the compulsion to keep them, progress is made.
Peterson explains the brain’s neurochemical influence, and then — true to his own eighth rule, “Tell the truth—or, at least, don’t lie” — Peterson does not mince words, stating that growth is the best option because “it is either that or stasis or death.” But as straightforward as Peterson’s words are, he meets the viewer where they are, empathically acknowledging that even organizing a sock drawer “is harder than it sounds.”
It is Peterson’s explanation of exposure therapy that cinches this episode’s absolute merit. What does exposure have to do with anxiety? Fear. Exposure therapy is the use of voluntary confrontation with challenges. In an example Peterson shares, a woman who is experiencing an anxiety disorder and barely able to leave her house is additionally petrified of elevators. Through exposure therapy, as described by Peterson, she overcomes her fear — but it is fear at the core of her paralysis.
Though exposure therapy must be engaged carefully, Peterson knows it works “because it’s thinking, and thinking works.” Usually people come to the understanding they are less afraid than they thought, and Peterson further claims, “There’s no difference between exposure therapy and learning.”
Peterson does not simply convey information in this series; he makes it accessible. He does not sit posed as a cavalier therapist; he empathizes with viewers, metaphorically reaching across the table with sincerity.
“You think it’s trivial,” Peterson concludes, adding, “No it’s not. It’s death and humiliation and insufficiency in the face of those things — and you’re practicing overcoming it.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH DR. JORDAN B. PETERSON&#8217;S SERIES, &#8220;DEPRESSION &amp; ANXIETY,&#8221; ON DAILYWIRE+</a>

JODRAN_PETERSON11

Back To His Roots: Peterson Translates Clinical Research Into Practical Steps For Healing In Series

The following is a transcript excerpt from Dr. Jordan Peterson’s “Depression &amp; Anxiety.” In this segment, he addresses the facilitation of positive emotion, the brain’s neurochemical influence with an example of a micro goal, and the acquisition of skills versus counterproductive micro conceptions in relation to depression. Dr. Peterson’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive catalog</a> is available on DailyWire+.
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We <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/on-depression-and-anxiety-specifying-the-nature-of-the-problem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talked about</a> the amelioration of negative emotion. We can also talk about the facilitation of positive emotion. If you break down a person&#8217;s goals into different domains, you can establish micro goals. Then, as people observe themselves moving positively toward the accomplishment of micro goals, their positive emotion systems start to turn back on.
Imagine you make a micro goal and the goal might be: This month I am going to clean up my room. So, the first thing you do is organize your sock drawer, which is harder than it sounds because maybe you have 30 pairs of socks in there that you have had for 10 years. Some of them are ratty, a lot are not stylish, some are uncomfortable, and you have to take them out of the drawer. Then, you have to try them all on, and you have to make the difficult decision about when a pair of socks is a little too ratty to keep. And you have to contend with your obsessive compulsive disorder while you are doing that, a disorder that might make you want to hoard. It is not that easy. 
But if you see yourself doing it and you make a little progress, then your brain marks that progress by producing dopamine. Dopamine is the fundamental chemical that mediates the kind of positive emotion that makes people feel alive and hopeful. It is that drug, by the way, that is made manifest in excess by drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine — all the drugs of abuse that people take to get stimulated. They are all dopaminergic. 
So the dopamine system gives you a little kick and signals, “Yes, that was good.” Then you might think, “What is that kick?” Well, it is a sign that you should do more of that. But that is not all that dopamine does neurochemically. 
Imagine there is a sequence of neurons that were activated as you were progressing toward the successful implementation of that goal. The dopamine makes those neurons grow — either proliferate more, develop more connections, or the connections get thicker. That means those things you did successfully are more likely to become part of you and to manifest themselves in the future, and that is growth. You feel that positively, and it is literal growth. It is biological growth. You think, “We&#8217;re moving toward growth.” It is either that or stasis or death. 
By setting up these micro goals in relationship to broader goals, then you can activate the positive emotion system, and that’s anti-depressant. My online <a href="https://www.selfauthoring.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwr9m3BhDHARIsANut04bdBE8TQtfWcVzRZ-QsNpm8-BKN3B-oGj_0VhHLVm_U8Y66tWcU148aAnyjEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-authoring program</a> helps people get their story straight. Getting a story straight occurs by laying out the past, laying out the present, laying out the future, figuring out what skills to develop, coming up with a strategy for the development of the skills, and laying out a vision of goals. All of that is anti-depressant in the most fundamental sense.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/dr-jordan-b-peterson-on-depression-anxiety">WATCH: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Depression and Anxiety on DailyWire+</a></h4>
Then it is possible, too, that if you are in dire straits and you have a health problem that is associated with depression, that an antidepressant can help with this to get the ball rolling. As I said, if you have a life, sometimes the antidepressant can be quite effective, although that does not necessarily mean it is addressing the underlying cause of the depression, which is often very difficult to specify. But it is better than being paralyzed into inability and suffering terribly despite the fact that you actually have your life together. 
If you do not have your life together, then you can do the process of decomposition (that I just described) and start making incremental movement toward putting each of those domains in order and putting yourself in order in that manner. That will constrain your anxiety and your suffering, and facilitate positive emotion. That is a big part of psychotherapy, all of that — on the biochemical front and also on the behavioral and practical front.
The cognitive behaviorists would concentrate more on re-structuring your conceptual schema. For example, maybe you are talking to someone who is intellectually arrogant but unemployed because they feel that an entry level job is beneath them. You might investigate that by asking: 
<blockquote>Beneath what, exactly? Beneath your intellectual pride? Do you have a better option? Maybe you are conceptualizing the workplace inappropriately, in a manner that is counterproductive with regards to your own stated goals. So you want to be alone and isolated, miserable, unproductive, and non-generous? Or do you want to get the ball rolling?
I guess I want to get the ball rolling.
Are you willing to start at the beginning?
Well, no, I think I should start at the top.</blockquote>
There is a problem in your conceptual scheme because no one is going to put you at the top, and you should not even be there. You do not want to set yourself up for failure. You might as well start somewhere you can start. And that is cognitive modification in some sense. It is the retooling of the categories that the person is using to interact with the world.
Behavioral therapies concentrate on the acquisition of the actual skills. Cognitive therapists deal with the micro conceptions that might be counterproductive. You can see some of those in depression.
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<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Depression and Anxiety on DailyWire+</a></h4>
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maps-Meaning-Architecture-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0415922216/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Order.</a>” You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.
Be sure to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PRE-ORDER</a> Dr. Peterson’s newest book: “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle with God</a>” (Portfolio/Penguin. November 19, 2024.)
The views expressed in the series “Depression and Anxiety” are presented for educational and informational purposes and are not intended a medical or psychological advice.
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On Depression And Anxiety: How Micro Goals Facilitate Positive Emotion

The following is a transcript excerpt from Dr. Jordan Peterson’s “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depression &amp; Anxiety</a>.” In this segment, he defines depression, addresses the difference between being depressed and having a terrible life, acknowledges the proper treatment for depression, and outlines how meaningful life pursuits can stave off negative emotion and create a good life. Dr. Peterson’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive catalog</a> is available on DailyWire+.
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Generally, when people come to see a psychotherapist, they do it for one of three reasons. They&#8217;re either depressed or they&#8217;re anxious or some combination of the two, or they don&#8217;t do a particularly good job of standing up for themselves, in which case they need what&#8217;s often called assertiveness training. We&#8217;ll walk through all of those, but we&#8217;ll start with depression.
So what is depression exactly? Well, it&#8217;s a preponderance of negative emotion, which seems self-evident. Depressed people are sad and frustrated and disappointed and grief-stricken. They have low self-esteem. They tend to feel all negative emotions simultaneously in a manner that&#8217;s paralyzing. If you have the proclivity to feel one negative emotion more intensely, you have the proclivity to feel them all because they covary, which means they tend to occur together.
That&#8217;s because all negative emotions are the manifestation of the abstraction of a behavioral system that stops you from moving forward or moves you backwards or, in another variant, prepares you to fight. (Anger is a mix of positive and negative emotion, so it&#8217;s a bit more complicated.) If you feel a preponderance of negative emotions, you tend to be paralyzed and to withdraw, to be frozen in place and to withdraw.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Depression and Anxiety on DailyWire+</a></h4>
Now, if you&#8217;re depressed, you also experience an absence of positive emotion. Positive emotion is linked to movement forward, and it manifests itself in curiosity and the desire to play, and more particularly, in hope. It makes itself known as a marker that you&#8217;re moving toward valuable goals. Depression takes you out in a sense such that you don&#8217;t feel any positive emotion in relationship to goals; nothing seems worthwhile, which is the absence of goals, and it also floods you with negative emotion.
Treatment for depression — pharmacologically or behaviorally, psychologically — can address either the deficit of positive emotion, the excessive negative emotion, or both. Antidepressants, known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tend to modulate the degree to which negative emotion propagates neurologically. Antidepressants, like Bupropion or Wellbutrin, tend to increase the probability that positive emotion will make itself manifest. Sometimes people who are treated biochemically for depression are treated with SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and with drugs like Wellbutrin. (There are mixed antidepressants.)
Because antidepressants work upon occasion, people also tend to think or make the claim that depression is fundamentally a biochemical disorder. That begs the question, what do you mean by fundamentally and what do you mean by biochemical? The situation is much more complex than the mere reduction of the condition to a biochemical abnormality might indicate.
When I was doing differential diagnosis for depression — differential diagnosis means specifying the nature of the problem, distinguishing it from other similar problems, and then formulating something approximating a treatment plan — one of the things I tried to determine as a good behaviorist was whether the person who was suffering a dearth of positive emotion and an excess of negative emotion was suffering because they were ill in this strictly physiological sense, which might also mean that something had gone wrong biochemically with, for example, the serotonin production system, or whether they were suffering from the cumulative micro and macro catastrophes of life.
One question might be, are you depressed or do you just have a terrible life? Although this hasn&#8217;t been well delineated in the research literature because the diagnoses aren&#8217;t done carefully enough, my belief and strong intuition, which makes sense theoretically and biochemically as well, is that antidepressants often work quite well for people who don&#8217;t have terrible lives but are depressed.
Whereas for people who have terrible lives, anti-depressants might help them stave off the worst manifestation of suicidal self-destruction but can&#8217;t put in place the behavioral and psychological structures that are necessarily put in place in order for them to thrive, in order for them to be buttressed against negative emotion, which is generally manifest in response to genuine crisis and to help them gather this sense of positive movement toward a goal that might be necessary to live in the absence of depression.
So you could say to have a good life and therefore not to be depressed, you need a goal, and maybe you need an overarching goal, and maybe you need an overarching goal that unites all the impulsive goals that might otherwise preoccupy you. You need to have enough stability in your immediate environment and your near conception so that you&#8217;re not flooded with anxiety and negative emotion.
How might you understand that in a more differentiated manner if you were trying to address your own proclivity for depression? You need to be engaged in some meaningful life pursuits. You need to know what to do with your life. You need to have some day-to-day routines. You need to be engaged in something that is productive and can sustain you and that simultaneously makes you grow.
Then you might ask more concretely, what might you engage in if you wanted to set your life up so that you were not depressed and nihilistic? One answer to that is, you could look for meaning and significance where other people have found it.
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<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Depression and Anxiety on DailyWire+</a></h4>
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maps-Meaning-Architecture-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0415922216/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Order.</a>” You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.
Be sure to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PRE-ORDER</a> Dr. Peterson’s newest book: “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Who Wrestle with God</a>” (Portfolio/Penguin. November 19, 2024.)
The views expressed in the series “Depression and Anxiety” are presented for educational and informational purposes and are not intended a medical or psychological advice. 
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On Depression And Anxiety: Specifying The Nature Of The Problem

Depression. Anxiety. Two commonly cited words in today’s society. Yet these are not undistinguished terms to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson.
As a clinician, professor, and researcher, Peterson has studied depression and anxiety for more than 30 years over the course of his career. Now, he is sharing his knowledge of both methodology and practice in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new series</a> on DailyWire+.
Pointedly titled “Depression &amp; Anxiety,” the series aims to educate viewers on these internalizing disorders, specifically as to how they can help themselves and empathize with others. As an author, psychologist, and professor who has dedicated his life to teaching how to plot a course to meaning and identify one’s purpose, few people share Peterson’s combined background of research and clinical practice. But it is his intention of helping others holistically improve their lives that is most evident in these episodes.
“Defining Depression,” the first of five episodes, shows Peterson entering an estate-like room as the soles of his shoes echo. Complete with high ceilings, elaborately draped curtains, marble-accented architecture, refined hardwood floors, and elegant chandeliers, light pours into the room from the imposing window, but Peterson is cast in black and white, a cinematic element uniquely connected to the topics at hand. Peterson settles into a wooden-spindle chair, the only piece of furniture in the room, and begins.
“So, we could start by talking about depression,” he offers, leaning forward. Peterson defines depression, which creates the foundation for the series. He moves onto address the difference between being depressed and having a terrible life, explaining, “One of the things I tried to determine as a good behaviorist was whether the person who was suffering a dearth of positive emotion and an excess of negative emotion was suffering because they were ill in this strictly physiological sense … or whether they were suffering from the cumulative micro and macro catastrophes of life.”
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/defining-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Episode 1 of Dr. Jordan B. Peterson&#8217;s new series &#8220;Depression and Anxiety&#8221; on DailyWire+</a></h4>
As to be expected, the first episode is somewhat fixated on feelings, as their influence on depression must be understood in order to, in turn, properly understand depression itself. Though some points Peterson makes may seem self-evident, there is a certain sense of comfort hearing such declarations from him; viewers experience relief, ease, and perhaps even gratitude in hearing their plight recognized as real. Those who are depressed “tend to feel all negative emotion simultaneously in a manner that’s paralyzing,” confirms Peterson. He furthers this information about emotion, naming the absence of positive emotion to be a factor in depression as well; nothing seems worthwhile.
Of course, Peterson does not leave his message without establishing concrete hope to be realized, sought after, and gained. His intent to motivate and empower viewers is evident as he shares the reasons why people become depressed and anxious, then he offers steps to conquer the afflictions based on their root causes. Depending on the individual’s circumstances, the proper treatment for depression varies — but is, indeed, possible. To understand the nature of the problem and to choose the antidote of suffering is to overcome depression.
From his first words in this series to his last, Peterson conveys a great sense of care with the words of wisdom he imparts. Watching the series, there is an overwhelming sense that he is a clinician positioned to guide his patient. Uniquely, the result is entertainment that does good for the world.
As individuals twist under the weight of modern-day life, Peterson comes alongside DailyWire+ to reframe depression and anxiety as approachable matters with the tangible hope of a path to healing.
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Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Establishes A Path Out Of Depression In New Series

The following is a transcript excerpt from Dr. Jordan Peterson’s “We Who Wrestle With God” tour. In this segment, he explains the problem with the historical definition of sanity — being a well-constituted individual — is its sole reliance on the individual. He establishes a difference between being depressed and not being situated in the hierarchy of social order (having an intimate partner, family, job, and so forth). Social interaction is critical to finding meaning. Dr. Peterson’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive catalog</a> is available on DailyWire+. 
Our Protestant, liberal definition of sanity is wrong. We tend to think of sanity in terms of internal psychological organizations. We think you are sane if your psyche is well-constituted or if you are biologically healthy in relationship to neurological function, as an individual thing: A well-constituted psyche means you are sane. The idea of self-actualization goes along with that. If you are a sane person, you are a sane individual: Sanity is the description of the well-constituted individual. 
One of the corollaries might be that you could regard any social constraint on the flowering of your individuality as antithetical to your sanity. I would say corrosive criticisms of social institutions tend to presume that axiomatically: “Nothing should interfere with my self-actualization. All social constraint is antithetical to that spontaneous organization and to sanity itself.” I do not think that is the correct notion of sanity. It is too atomistic; it is too individual. For example, how sane are you going to be in a terrible marriage? I do not care how well-constituted you are individually. This is a different question. 
When people would come to me and they were depressed, I would try to find out if they were depressed or if they just had a horrible life. Those are not the same questions because if you are depressed, you have a life that, in principle, should work but is not. So if they said, “Look, I have a lot of things going for me. I have a good job, I have a good family, my wife loves me. But man, I am miserable all the time,” we would delve into that a bit more deeply. That sounds like depression. But they might come and say, “I am miserable. I am suffering. I don&#8217;t even want to be alive.” Then I might ask:
“Well, do you have an intimate partner?”
“No, not really. And I have a history of catastrophic relationships.”
“Do you have any friends?”
“Well, I have this one person I phone once every month or so, but other than that, no I don’t really see anyone.”
“Do you have any close family?”
“No, my family is pretty fractured. I don’t get along with my mom and dad. I don’t see my sisters or my siblings much.”
“How about a career or, failing that, a job?”
“Well, I’ve always kind of been under-employed, and I just lost my job and that is not going very well.”
And so on.
You can walk through someone’s life and find out if they are reasonably embedded in a hierarchy of social institutions. If they are not — no intimate partner, no family, no children, no friends, no job, no career, no educational pathway, no engagement in civic responsibility, no church attendance, no spiritual life, no routine — then they are not depressed; they just have a horrible life, multidimensionally. It is no wonder they think they are depressed; there is nothing in their life that is working. But that is not exactly a diagnosis at the level of the individual; it is a diagnosis of the relationship between the individual and the structure containing social institutions. If you do not have an intimate partner, a family, any friends, a career or a job, any civic involvement or any involvement with religious institutions, and no creative striving, all you have left is pain. That is what you have.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast on DailyWire+</a></h4>
There is a different way of thinking about sanity. Sanity is not being well-constituted as an atomized individual. Sanity is what makes itself manifest if you are properly situated in the hierarchy of social order. Now, some of that is internal because of your mess of fragmented subpersonalities. For example, anger can pull you in one direction, anxiety can pull you in another direction, impulsive enthusiasm can pull you in another direction, and lust can pull you in a different direction — those are all subpersonalities in some real sense. They are ways of perceiving and acting in the world. You need to integrate them within yourself so that as an individual, you are integrated. But the nature of that integration is dependent on your integration within the broader social context.
You can think of sanity as a distributed phenomena. That is another reason you do not want to casually denigrate social institutions because we are social creatures — deeply social creatures. You can tell that because you can take the most anti-social people, the most violent predatory and parasitic criminals, and punish them by putting them in solitary confinement. Think about that: The people who like other people the least, who are most likely to pathologize their social relationships, and who would be long-term, habitually sadistic, violent criminals find it virtually unbearable to be forced into isolation. We are unbelievably social. One of the corollaries of being miraculously social is that to be well-constituted, you have to be a harmonious player in a multidimensional symphony of social interaction. 
It is very hard to stay on the straight and narrow without a partner who does not share your blindspots and correct you constantly. Now, that is annoying because there is tussling about it; there is a fractious, adversarial element to that because you are married, and you do not see eye to eye — and thank God for that because sometimes in your foolish instance of being right, you are wrong and wrong in a way that will take you out. So you better have a partner who does not think the same way you do. Fortunately, if you have a partner who does not think the same way you do, if you can get the dialogue flowing, that is a mutually corrective mechanism. Then, the truthful dialogue between partners in a marriage is actually the process by which sanity itself is generated, which I mean technically. You are too complex to regulate yourself — period — so you need other people to help you do that. If you have a wife or a husband, someone who knows you who is there for the long-run, you can help each other find the meaningful path and stay on it. You cannot do that alone.
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To continue, listen or watch more content with Dr. Jordan Peterson on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch">DailyWire+</a>.
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Maps-Meaning-Architecture-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0415922216/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=">Maps of Meaning</a>,” “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=">12 Rules For Life,</a>” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Order-More-Rules-Life/dp/0593084640/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nbV0WtVit9busCddbjMST-Oe7hjueQrxfqnQ4L3HXXUFdIaqlEBr0sp9HQWIq9ut9NlHDAFA0YQoDWVZfDtKNJI7VvlzWv2rMhs2KcAAIIppPRMWq4GIiFerkrssvBABAjeKlg3OFs3H8IHs5D8ktJ5uBg3K-SZ4hpKltaKkrhY6j-RKn-tTkBz29JZXP3Rhm9SB14rHUX1nol5d4z4Fi6f8fwhxXWCVGgkvOHSqG6E.iVF1NljuBEwrpumO9rQBh9FotnzaIo4K7K8HvNnC46k&amp;qid=&amp;sr=">Beyond Order.</a>” You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.
Be sure to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk">PRE-ORDER</a> Dr. Peterson’s newest book: “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Wrestle-God-Jordan-Peterson/dp/0593542533/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=38kcw&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_p=f911c8db-3a2b-4b3e-952f-b80fdcee83f4&amp;pf_rd_r=133-1833056-3520340&amp;pd_rd_wg=3zvBk&amp;pd_rd_r=93a1419a-853b-4c49-a764-cbaa90d3073a&amp;ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk">We Who Wrestle with God</a>.” (Portfolio/Penguin. November 19, 2024.)

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A Different Way Of Thinking About Sanity

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The following is a transcribed excerpt from one of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s 2020 lectures. In this segment, he discusses how we perceive the world, what causes our emotions to be destabilized, why we experience negative emotion when our plans change, and how our nervous system assess situations. You can <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast">listen to</a> or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast">watch</a> more from Dr. Peterson on DailyWire+.
We do not see objects, think about them, evaluate them, and then decide how to act on them — or, if we do, we do it rarely, slowly, and with a lot of thought. What we see, instead, are obstacles or pathways with tools that will move us forward. When there are no obstacles in front of you — when there is a nice flat road — you experience positive emotion. You think, “This is a task I can undertake. The sailing is clear. It is a good day.” When there is an obstacle in front of you, you experience a little pang of disappointment and anxiety. You think, “Can I make it around that obstacle?” If you have done so before, you will think, fairly confidently, “I can walk forward, and then circumvent the obstacle.” It is a minor disruption to the perceptual set of skills you use to organize the world. It is a minor bit of chaos. If, however, you do not know how to engage in circumvention, then you would be unable to get from point A to point B; that would be a problem for your plan. When your perceptual set — the structure you are using to organize the world; the plan through which you are viewing the complexity of the world — reveals an inadequacy, then that destabilizes your emotions.
Regardless, you need to be going somewhere, and there needs to be a pathway in order for you to feel good. If that plan is untenable or becomes destabilized, then you become flooded with negative emotion: frustration, disappointment, anger, and primarily anxiety. But all of those emotions sort of intermingle. You may feel anger because you have to fight your way through the obstacle; frustration because maybe you have to make a new plan; disappointment because you devoted work to the plan and it did not work out; and anxiety because now there are too many choices in front of you. So people do not like to have their plans disrupted. The reason for that is that their plans are directly associated with their emotional perception of the world.
That is a good thing to know: Your plans are directly associated with your emotional perception of the world. For example, if you decide you are going to go to a Korean restaurant for dinner, and it turns out that you cannot — maybe you have to go to a Greek restaurant — who cares? (Unless you hate Greek restaurants.) A Korean restaurant is pretty good and a Greek restaurant is pretty good. But you are still going to be annoyed that your plans changed. Why? Because when your plans change, the structure that you use to stabilize your perceptions of the world is disrupted. It momentarily throws you into a state of chaos.
How much chaos? This is interesting. We do not know. If you wake up one morning and you have an ache in your side, what does it mean that you have an ache in your side? You do not know. Maybe it means you pulled a muscle. Maybe it means you have cancer and you only have months to live. The whole range of possibility is there. Some people will assume one thing, and some people will assume the other — and all of them will be right sometimes. So the question is, how do you calibrate something like that? The answer is, we tend to guess at it temperamentally. We have our set points for negative emotion (neuroticism trait), and some people would be a lot more nervous about a small-level anomaly than others. Maybe they will go to the hospital first and they will not die, or maybe they will be freaking out all the time and they will be a hypochondriac. There are pros and cons about being nervous like that. Perhaps the other person is emotionally stable and they ask nothing, but by the time they get to the hospital, it is too late. That is one way that you guess. It is determined in large part genetically — not completely, but in large part.
Another part is your position in the hierarchy. How safe are you in life? Who knows? But one of the ways you guess is by asking if you are good at things. If you are good at things, a problem comes up and you can probably solve it. So how do you know if you are good at things? One answer might be: Other people think you are good at things because you are really kind of comparing yourself to other people when you are thinking about whether or not you are good at things. So if it turns out that you are in a hierarchy — and you are fairly high in the hierarchy, indicating a certain degree of competence — then your nervous system, under the control of the serotonin system, dampens down your negative emotion. It says, “All things considered, you are probably pretty safe.”
However, that also means you do not like having your position in the dominance hierarchy challenged at all. Because if you get tossed down the hierarchy — for example, if you get fired — it wreaks havoc on your serotonin function. It makes you defeated like the defeated lobsters I wrote about in “<a href="https://store.dailywire.com/collections/books/products/12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos?_pos=1&amp;_fid=6a4910042&amp;_ss=c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">12 Rules for Life</a>.” Then, you are way more susceptible to negative emotion. And who wants that? That is why you do not even like to lose arguments. You lose a little argument, you slide down the dominance hierarchy a bit, and emotions are a bit destabilized. So instead, you think, “I’m right.” Why? Because you want to keep your neurochemistry in check — and no wonder.
Sometimes, however, it is better to learn than to insist on being right because learning works better for the future. But you get the point.
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To continue, listen or watch more content with Dr. Jordan Peterson on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch">DailyWire+</a>. 
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of &#8220;Maps of Meaning,&#8221; &#8220;12 Rules for Life,&#8221; and &#8220;Beyond Order.&#8221; You can now<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast"> listen to</a> or<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson"> watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.

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Why A Change Of Plans Causes Emotional Destabilization 

Carl Jung

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