(FIXED AUDIO) Kevin Breel: Confessions of a Depressed Comic at TEDxKids@Ambleside
Summary
TLDRThe speaker candidly shares their struggle with depression, a condition often misunderstood as mere sadness. They describe the dual life they lead, outwardly successful yet inwardly suffering. The talk addresses the stigma surrounding mental health, urging society to break the silence and accept depression as a part of life. It calls for self-acceptance, understanding, and collective action to combat ignorance and intolerance, emphasizing that acknowledging our struggles is a step towards healing and hope.
Takeaways
- 😔 The speaker has experienced living a double life, outwardly appearing successful and happy while privately struggling with depression.
- 🤔 There's a common misconception that depression is only sadness due to negative life events, but true depression can occur even when life is going well.
- 📉 The severity of depression is often underestimated because it's not openly discussed on social media or in the news, despite its prevalence and impact.
- ⏰ The script highlights the alarming statistic that someone takes their own life due to depression every 30 seconds.
- 🏆 The speaker's outward achievements, such as being a captain of the basketball team and an academically successful student, masked their internal struggle with suicidal thoughts.
- 💔 The fear of revealing one's true self and the associated stigma often prevents individuals from seeking help for depression.
- 🤐 The societal stigma around mental health conditions, including depression, leads to silence and isolation, exacerbating the problem.
- 🌟 The speaker advocates for breaking the silence and speaking up about depression to challenge the stigma and promote understanding.
- 🌱 The script emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and the need to teach ourselves to be okay with our struggles and suffering.
- 💪 The speaker believes in the power of community and solidarity in overcoming depression, suggesting that strength lies in acknowledging and addressing our vulnerabilities.
- 🌈 The speaker expresses gratitude for the perspective and hope that their pain has given them, and calls for a world where struggles are acknowledged and shared.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the speaker's life story in the script?
-The main theme of the speaker's life story is the struggle with depression and the duality of living a life that appears perfect to others while internally suffering intensely.
How does the speaker describe the misconception about depression to the audience?
-The speaker describes the misconception about depression as being equated with sadness, which is a natural human emotion, whereas true depression is a persistent sadness that occurs even when everything in one's life is going well.
According to the speaker, what is the reality of depression that is often overlooked?
-The reality of depression that is often overlooked is its severity and prevalence, with someone taking their own life due to depression every 30 seconds, a fact that is not commonly discussed or acknowledged in society.
Why does the speaker say it's difficult to talk about depression openly?
-The speaker says it's difficult to talk about depression openly due to the stigma associated with it, which includes fear of judgment, ridicule, and the societal tendency to avoid discussing mental health issues.
What personal experience does the speaker share about their struggle with depression?
-The speaker shares a personal experience of being suicidal, sitting on the edge of their bed with a bottle of pills and contemplating ending their life, highlighting the severity of their depression.
What does the speaker suggest is the first step in addressing the issue of depression?
-The speaker suggests that the first step in addressing the issue of depression is recognizing that there is a problem, which society has not yet done, and that overcoming the fear and stigma around discussing it is crucial.
How does the speaker define the term 'stigma' in the context of depression?
-In the context of depression, the speaker defines 'stigma' as the societal disapproval, shame, and misunderstanding that prevent individuals from seeking help and openly discussing their mental health struggles.
What message does the speaker convey about the importance of self-acceptance in relation to depression?
-The speaker conveys the message that self-acceptance is vital, emphasizing that it's okay to have depression and that one's struggles do not define their worth or identity, but rather are a part of life that can be overcome.
What role does the speaker believe individuals who suffer from depression should play in combating stigma and raising awareness?
-The speaker believes that individuals suffering from depression should play an active role in combating stigma and raising awareness by speaking up, shattering the silence, and being brave enough to share their experiences and struggles.
How does the speaker view the relationship between the challenges of depression and personal growth?
-The speaker views the challenges of depression as a catalyst for personal growth, stating that their pain has given them perspective, hope, and faith, and that overcoming these challenges can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and others.
What does the speaker envision as an ideal society in terms of mental health acceptance?
-The speaker envisions an ideal society as one where mental health issues are openly discussed, where people are not judged for their struggles, and where individuals are supported and accepted for who they are, embracing both their light and dark moments.
Outlines
😔 Hidden Struggle with Depression
The speaker opens up about living a double life, one perceived by others as successful and happy, and another where they silently battle with depression. They clarify that depression is not just sadness but a persistent state of unhappiness even when life appears to be going well. The speaker admits to having suicidal thoughts and emphasizes the severity of depression as a global issue, often overlooked due to its lack of visibility on social media and in the news. They share a personal story of a near-suicidal experience, highlighting the need for open discussion about mental health.
😥 The Stigma and Reality of Depression
In this paragraph, the speaker delves into the daily struggle of living with depression, likening it to a constant companion that cannot be easily dismissed. They discuss the normalization of physical ailments versus the stigma attached to mental health issues, particularly depression. The fear of judgment and societal stigma prevents many from seeking help, leading to a culture of silence. The speaker calls for a change in societal attitudes, urging for self-acceptance and the recognition of mental health as a legitimate concern that should not be ignored or brushed aside.
💪 Overcoming Stigma Through Open Dialogue
The final paragraph is a call to action, urging individuals to challenge the stigma surrounding depression and mental health. The speaker believes that strength lies in acknowledging and addressing our vulnerabilities rather than hiding them. They advocate for a collective effort to confront ignorance and intolerance, promoting a culture of understanding and acceptance. The speaker concludes with a message of hope, emphasizing the importance of empathy and shared struggle, and the belief that by standing together, we can overcome the challenges posed by depression.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Depression
💡Stigma
💡Suicidal
💡Mental Health
💡Silence
💡Vulnerability
💡Ignorance
💡Acceptance
💡Strength
💡Honor Roll
💡Social Media
Highlights
The speaker describes living a dual life, one seen by others and one experienced privately.
The public persona includes being a friend, son, brother, stand-up comedian, and a teenager.
The private struggle is with intense depression, experienced for six years and ongoing.
Depression is often misunderstood as sadness, but it is a deeper, persistent state beyond external circumstances.
The speaker emphasizes the severity of depression, with someone taking their life every 30 seconds.
Despite outward appearances of success, the speaker once contemplated suicide.
The fear of revealing one's true self due to societal stigma is a barrier to seeking help.
The speaker calls for an end to the silence around depression and the need for open conversation.
Depression is likened to a roommate that cannot be evicted, a constant presence in one's life.
The stigma around mental health is compared to the acceptance of physical ailments.
The speaker challenges the societal ignorance towards mental health and the need for acceptance.
The importance of recognizing depression as a problem before seeking solutions is highlighted.
The speaker's personal story is used to demonstrate the internal conflict of living with depression.
Depression is framed as an issue, not an identity, and the speaker encourages self-acceptance.
The speaker expresses gratitude for the perspective and hope that depression has given them.
A vision for a world where people can openly share their struggles without judgment is presented.
The speech concludes with a call to action to fight against ignorance, intolerance, and stigma.
The speaker believes in the power of unity and open dialogue to overcome the challenges of depression.
Transcripts
for the for a long time in my life I
felt like I've been living two different
lives there's the life that everyone
sees and then there's life that only I
see and in the life that everyone sees
Who I am is a friend a son a brother a
stand-up comedian and a teenager that's
the life everyone sees if you're asked
my friends and family to describe me
that's what they would tell you and
that's a huge part of me that is Who I
am and if you're asked me to describe
myself I'd probably say some of those
same things and I wouldn't be lying but
I wouldn't totally be telling you the
truth either
because the truth is that's just the
life everyone else sees in life that
only I see Who I am who I really am as
someone who struggles intensely with
depression I have for the last six years
of my life and I continue to every day
now for someone who has never
experienced depression or doesn't really
know what that means that might surprise
them to hear because there's a pretty
popular misconception that depression is
just being sad when something in your
life goes wrong when you break up with
your girlfriend when you lose a loved
one when you don't get the job you
wanted but that's sadness that's a
natural thing that's a natural human
emotion real depression isn't being sad
when something in your life goes wrong
real depression is being sad when
everything in your life is going right
that's real depression and that's what I
suffer from and to be totally honest
that's hard for me to stand up here and
say it's hard for me to talk about and
it seems to be hard for everyone to talk
about it so much so that no one's
talking about it and no one's talking
about depression but we need to be
because right now it's a massive
problem it's a massive problem but we
don't see it on social media right we
don't see it on Facebook we don't see it
on Twitter we don't see it on the news
because it's not happy it's not fun it's
not light and so because we don't see it
we don't see the severity of it but the
severity over the seriousness of it is
this every 30 seconds every 30 seconds
somewhere someone in the world takes
their own life because the depression
and it might be two blocks away it might
be two countries away it might be two
continents way but it's happening it's
happening every single day and we have a
tendency as a society to look at that
and go so what so what we look at that
and we go that's your problem that's
their problem we say we're sad and we
say we're sorry but we also say so what
well two years ago two years ago is my
problem because I sat on the edge of my
bed right sad a million times before not
a suicidal I was suicidal and if you
were to look at my life on the surface
you wouldn't see a kid who was suicidal
you'd see a kid was the captain of his
basketball team the Dromund feeder
student of the year the English student
of the Year someone who was consistently
on the honor roll and consistently at
every party so you would say I wasn't
depressed you'd say it wasn't suicidal
but you'd be wrong it would be wrong so
I sat there that night beside a bottle
of pills with a pen and paper in my hand
and I thought about taking my own life
and I came this close to doing it I came
this close to doing it and I didn't so
that makes me one of the lucky ones one
of the people who gets to step out on
the ledge and look down but not jump one
of the lucky ones who survives
well I survived and that just leaves
with my story and my story is this in
four simple words I suffer from
depression
I suffer from depression and for a long
time I think I was living two totally
different lives where one person was
always afraid of the other I was afraid
that people would see me for who I
really was that I wasn't the perfect
popular kid in high school everyone
thought I was that beneath my smile
there was struggle and beneath my light
there was dark and beneath my big
personality just hid even bigger pain
see some people might fear girls not
liking them back some people might fear
sharks some people might fear death but
for me for a large part of my life
I feared myself I figured my truth I
feared my honesty I feared my
vulnerability and that fear and me feel
like I was forced into a corner I was
forced into a corner and there was only
one way out and so I thought about that
way every single day I thought about it
every single day and if I'm being
totally honest standing here I've
thought about it again sense because
that's the sickness that's the struggle
that's depression and depression isn't
chicken pox you don't beat it once and
it's gone forever it's something you
live with it's something you live in
it's the roommate you can't kick out
it's the voice you can't ignore it's the
feelings you can't seem to escape and
the scariest part is scariest part is
that after a while you become numb to it
it becomes normal for you and what you
really fear the most
isn't the suffering inside of you is the
stigma inside of others it's the the
shame as the embarrassment it's the
disapproving look on a friend's face
it's the so whispers in the hallway that
you're weak it's the comments that
you're crazy that's what that's what
keeps you from getting help that's what
makes you hold it in and hide it it's
the stigma so you hold it in and you
hide it and you hold it in and you hide
it and even though it's keeping you in
bed every day and it's making your life
feel empty no matter how much you try
and fill it you hide it because the
stigma in our society around depression
is very real it's very real if you think
that it is and asking yourself this
would you rather make your next facebook
status say you're having a tough time
getting out of bed because you hurt your
back
we're having a tough time getting out of
bed every morning because you're
depressed
that's the stigma because unfortunately
we live in a world where if you break
your arm everyone runs over to sign your
cast but if you tell people you're
depressed everyone runs the other way
that's the stigma we are so so so
accepting of any body part breaking down
other than our brains and that's
ignorant
that's pure ignorance and that ignorance
has created a world that doesn't
understand depression that doesn't
understand mental health and that's
ironic to me because depression is one
of the best documented problems we have
in the world yet was one of the least
discussed we just push it aside and put
it in a corner pretend it's not there
and hope it'll fix itself well it won't
it hasn't and it's not going to because
that's wishful thinking and wishful
thinking isn't a game plan it's
procrastination we can't procrastinate
on something this important the first
step in solving any problem is
recognizing there is one we haven't done
that so we can't really expect to find
an answer when we're still afraid of the
question and I I don't know if the
solution is I wish I did but I don't but
I think I think it has to start here has
to start with me it has to start with
you it has to start with the people who
are suffering the ones who are hidden in
the shadows we need to speak up and
shatter the silence we need to be the
ones who are brave for what we believe
in because if there's one thing that
I've come to realize if there's one
thing that I see is the biggest problem
it's not in building a world where we
eliminate the ignorance of others it's
in building a world where we teach the
acceptance of ourselves we're okay with
who we are because when we get honest we
see that we all struggle and we all
suffer whether it's with this whether
it's with something else we all know
what it is to hurt we all know what it
is to have pain in our heart we all know
how important it is to heal but right
now depression is society's deep cut the
work content to put a band-aid over and
pretend it's not there well it is there
it is there and you know what it's okay
depression is okay if you're going
through it know that you're okay I know
that you're sick
you're not weak and it's an issue not an
identity because when you get past the
fear and the ridicule and the judgment
and the stigma of others you can see
depression for what it really is that's
just a part of life just a part of life
and as much as I hate as much as I hate
some of the places some of the parts of
my life depression has dragged me down
too in a lot of ways I'm grateful for it
because yeah it's put me in the valleys
but only to show me there's Peaks and
yeah it's dragged me through the dark
but only to remind me there is light my
pain more than anything in 19 years on
this planet has given me perspective my
hurt my hurts forced me to have hope
have hope and to have faith faith in
myself faith in others faith that they
can get better that we can change this
that we can speak up and speak out and
fight back against ignorance fight back
against intolerance more than anything
learn to love ourselves learn to accept
ourselves for who we are the people we
are not the people the world wants us to
be because the world I believe in is one
we're embracing your light doesn't mean
ignoring your dark the world I believe
in is one we're measured by our ability
to overcome adversities not avoid them
the world I believe in is one where I
can look someone in the eye and say I'm
going through hell and they can look
back at me and go me too and that's okay
and it's okay because depression is okay
we're people we're people and we
struggle and we suffer and we bleed and
we cry and if you think that true
strength means never showing any
weakness then I'm here to tell you
you're wrong you're wrong because it's
the opposite we're people and we have
problems we're not perfect and that's
okay so we need to stop the ignorance
stop the intolerance stop the stigma and
stop the silence we need to take away
the taboos take a look at the truth and
start talking
because the only way we're going to beat
a problem that people are battling alone
is by standing strong together by
standing strong together and I believe
that we can I believe that we can thank
you guys so much
you
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