In this episode, the girls explore normative male alexithymia, which refers to how the traditional male role can make it difficult for men to be diagnosed with depression. We have two very special guests this week, Lofi's friend DarkSpark and JJ's husband Ryan, to help illustrate how depression manifests differently between genders.

If you are concerned you may be suffering from depression please seek help from a medical professional. We would also like to provide this⁠⁠⁠ self-assessment tool⁠⁠⁠ the World Health Organization (WHO) offers. "It asks about the history of depression diagnosed by a health-care worker, subsequent treatment by pharmacological or nonpharmacological means, and selected depressive symptoms, such as sadness, loss of interest, low energy, loss of appetite, and sleep problems. A score is then calculated and evaluated."

0:00 Guest Introductions and Overview of Depression Journeys

4:23 Recap on Depression and Differences Between Men and Women

8:18 Apathy as a Common Manifestation of Depression

11:36 Barriers to seeking treatment and asking for help

21:54 The impact of role models and personal experiences on opening up

25:12 The most challenging aspect of talking about mental health struggles

27:13 Struggles in communication and expressing emotions

30:33 Creating a safe and supportive environment for sharing experiences

45:00 The impact of negative words and actions on sharing experiences

56:20 Strength and Resilience in Mental Health

1:09:30 Acknowledging Strength and Loss

1:12:48 Defining Mental Health and Wellness

1:24:50 How perspectives on mental health have changed over time

1:30:19 The impact of societal conditioning on mental health

1:44:01 Reflecting on and redefining wellness journeys

1:51:28 Final Thoughts

2:05:12 Creating a Dopamine List for Natural Joy

For questions or concerns, you can email us at apartment3bg@gmail.com

Follow the girls on socials:

The Podcast's ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠

LofiVulpine on ⁠⁠⁠Twitch⁠⁠⁠

SeerPsychologie's ⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠

Shay on ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠

XDark_SparkX on ⁠⁠⁠Twitch⁠⁠⁠

Intro/Outro Music: Marcus Way/Let You Go/Tribe of Noise