Episode notes
Mary H.K. Choi compares living with her brain to just not understanding the operating system on a computer. She didn’t know if this was a result of trauma and neglect in her childhood, the experience of being parentified as a child, grief after the death of her father, or what. So she spent decades of effort and piles of dollars to figure it out. She did cognitive behavioral therapy, internal family systems therapy, “heroic doses of psilocybin under the watchful gaze of a shaman”, and anything else she could try. Finally, under the burnout and fear from covid, her functionality began to fall apart and she looked into the possibility of autism spectrum disorder as a possible culprit. And ding ding ding goes the slot machine, first a self-diagnosis from online resources and then a confirmed clinical diagnosis. Looking back now, she sees some of the clues, including a lack of empathy for others and the act of “performing competency”, that make more sense now. Mary offers insight on the long path to figuring out one’s mind and what she’s doing now that she has some answers.
Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun.
Check out our I’m Glad You’re Here and Depresh Mode merchandise at the brand new merch website MaxFunStore.com!
Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at depreshmode@maximumfun.org.
Depresh Mode is on BlueSky, Instagram, Substack, and you can join our Preshies Facebook group.
Help is available right away.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.
International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines
Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindepresh
In this episode...
Guests
- Mary H.K. Choi
About the show
Join host John Moe (The Hilarious World of Depression) for honest, relatable, and, yes, sometimes funny conversations about mental health. Hear from comedians, musicians, authors, actors, and other top names in entertainment and the arts about living with depression, anxiety, and many other common disorders. Find out what they’ve done to address it, what worked, and what didn’t. Depresh Mode with John Moe also features useful insights on mental health issues with experts in the field. It’s honest talk from people who have been there and know their stuff. No shame, no stigma, and maybe a few laughs.
Like this podcast? Then you’ll love John’s book, The Hilarious World of Depression.
Logo by Clarissa Hernandez.
Get in touch with the show
@depreshpod
@depreshpod
@depreshmode.bsky.social
Get the show's newsletterPeople
How to listen
Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!
New? Start here...
Liked Oh, It’s Autism, Mary H.K. Choi Learned at 43. Okay, She Thought, That Explains a Lot.? Listen to these next...
