Genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events—all contributing factors to the more than 40 million adults in the U.S. who suffer from anxiety or depression. Yet, with nearly 12% of the overall population battling these illnesses, mental health is still stigmatized and misunderstood.

Join J.R. Jamison as he shares the story of a missionary who battled depression 4,000 miles from home, and another from a college student with a “broken brain” who says the best way to help is to listen. Later in the show, J.R. is joined by that former college student who is now a high school English teacher at a virtual public school in Washington state.

Photo – Via Flickr Creative Commons by Seth Jackson: https://flic.kr/p/TrtEhh.

Stories included in this episode –

• It’s Not the Common Cold
  Bailie Sage’s story as told to Jon Toronto from Facing Depression in Cache Valley, Utah. Performed by Amy Leffingwell.  
• It’s Not My Fault My Brain is Broken
  Kiah Penfield’s story as told to Chris Bavender from Facing Depression in Muncie, Indiana. Performed by Melinda.

Music used in this episode –

• “spring_thaw” by The Green Kingdom
  Released under an Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0 US) license.
  From the Free Music Archive.
• There Is Always A Reason” by Borrtex
  Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.
  From the Free Music Archive.