#79 From the Brink of Despair: Eric Kussin's Rise to Resilience and His Story of "Same Here"

In this episode with Eric Kussin, he shared his personal story of going through severe mental health challenges and how he ultimately found healing and purpose. Eric worked in the sports industry and was a former athlete himself. He talked about experiencing a mental health crisis that led him to being diagnosed with treatment-resistant mental health issues. He discussed his journey through various treatments, including medications and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which didn't bring the desired relief. The turning point in his story was when he met a psychologist who practiced integrative psychology. This psychologist encouraged Eric to share his life story, which revealed that he had faced significant traumatic experiences and accumulated stress over time. Eric realized that there was a disconnect between the way people experience life events and how these experiences affect their mental health. He then went on to explain how this disconnect between lived experiences and mental health contributes to the binary perception of mental health – you're either sick or not, and if you're sick, you need medication to "fix" you. Eric emphasized that people should proactively work on their mental health because the impact of life events accumulates over time, affecting the brain and body's connection. Eric also discussed the prevalence of psychotropic medications in the United States and how we need to address mental health issues from a broader perspective. He talked about Same Here, a nonprofit organization he co-founded, which aims to change the conversation around mental health. Same Here encourages people to share their stories and focuses on mental health as a continuum, not a binary condition. The nonprofit seeks to normalize conversations about mental health and promote proactive measures to address the mental health needs of all individuals. Overall, the episode highlighted Eric's journey from crisis to healing and how he is now working to change the way we approach mental health, advocating for a more comprehensive, proactive, and inclusive perspective.