I had the pleasure and honor to sit down with Al Levin, the host of The Depression Files, a blog/podcast exploring depression, mental health, and specifically, men's mental health.   

From Al: "Al Levin is an assistant principal at a PreK-8 school in Saint Paul Public Schools. He has been in education for over twenty years, the past sixteen years as an administrator.   He is married, has four children...and two dogs.  Al has completed all of the coursework in working towards a Co-Active coaching certificate through the Coaches Training Institute and is certified in Cognitive Coaching and is currently in their Certification program. The coaching work has allowed him to support the staff he works with in the public schools, as well as others who are seeking to reach their goals or work past challenging times in their lives.  Al is also a person who has recovered from two major bouts of depressive disorder, one of which was quite debilitating for nearly six months of his life.  Through this experience, he has become very passionate about learning more about mental health and supporting others with a mental illness, particularly men with depression. In addition to a blog, Al has a podcast in which he interviews men who have struggled with depression and/or other mental illnesses and has expanded to include “deep dive” conversations with guest experts on various topics of mental health. Both his blog and podcast can be found at TheDepressionFiles.com. Al also speaks publicly for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and, more often, on his own. He has spoken at the Mental Health America (MHA) annual conference and recently had a Keynote at Miami University. He currently serves in a governor-appointed position on the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health and also the State Suicide Prevention Task Force.   Al has been published in The Mighty, The Huffington Post, Psych Central, The Recovery Letters, Made for More, and was featured in Esperanza Magazine and the MinnPost. You will find Al Tweeting @allevin18 and can contact him at [email protected]."  

Website: thedepressionfiles.com Twitter: twitter.com/allevin18  

Chapters 0:00 Intro 6:02 Communication between psychiatrists and patients 13:05 What depression feels like & Al's journey 25:50 Men's mental health 32:22 Treatment and recovery tools and skills, as well as challenges 41:53 Podcasting to spread the word 50:16 Tapering and stopping medication plans 62:58 Wrap-up 

__________________________________________Let's connect on all my socials (linktr.ee/sulmanazizmirzamd for everything everywhere all at once): TikTok (@TheKicksShrink): tiktok.com/@thekicksshrink Instagram (@TheKicksShrink): instagram.com/thekicksshrink YouTube (@TheKicksShrink): youtube.com/thekicksshrinkTwitter (@sulmoney): twitter.com/sulmoney  Audio only Podcasts Anchor.fm: anchor.fm/thekicksshrink Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2F1JSNMjIudzOTyypUSAkMApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kicks-shrink/id1627910252Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy85YzQ2MTRhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw DISCLAIMER: This video is purely informational and educational and does not constitute medical advice and/or recommendations. Use of information is at your own risk, and expresses my own personal views and opinions, not those of any of my employers. Sulman Aziz Mirza, MD will not assume any liability for any direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of the information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death.   In the event of any medical emergency or safety concerns, please go to your nearest emergency department and/or call 911.   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available 24/7: 800.273.8255 or 988 or suicidepreventionlifeline.org for online chat options

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.