n this candid and searching conversation, Kevin sits down with two close friends, Matt McCoy and Dr Carl, for an unfiltered look at antidepressants, mental health, and what it actually means to suffer well in a world that feels increasingly overwhelmed and overstimulated. What begins as a simple question about prescribing medication unfolds into a thoughtful exploration of diagnosis culture, attention disorders, institutional mistrust, and the values that shape how we define wellness.

Together, they ask why so many adults suddenly see themselves in labels like ADHD and trauma, and whether we are pathologising the basic human experience of distraction, pain, and growing up. Dr Carl brings a grounded medical perspective to the ethical tension between respecting real suffering and resisting the cultural pull toward over diagnosis. Matt challenges the idea that productivity is our highest value, raising the question of who benefits when society teaches us to optimise rather than understand ourselves.

The conversation turns deeply personal as the three wrestle with the realities of grief, crisis, and the moments when a person is simply unable to climb out of darkness on their own. They explore the difference between temporary sadness and soul-crushing despair, the role of community, and the complicated truth that some people need medication to stay alive for the people who depend on them.

They close by asking a bigger question beneath all the others. What helps us build the kind of inner resilience that keeps us from reaching the brink in the first place. And what does it mean to live with gratitude, humility, and a clear-eyed understanding that none of us are entitled to a painless life.

In this episode

• The rise of self diagnosis and why so many people identify with ADHD and trauma

• How institutional mistrust shapes decisions around medication

• When antidepressants help and when they may not

• The tension between productivity culture and true wellbeing

• How expectations, values, and worldview influence mental resilience

• What it means to suffer honestly without collapsing into despair

• The role of purpose, agency, and community in staying emotionally healthy

• Why discomfort is not always pathology and why acceptance matters

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• Kevin Hohe | LinkedIn

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