The Hilarious World of Depression

by John Moe

Overview

A Wall Street Journal bestseller

By the creator and host of the acclaimed mental health podcast Depresh Mode with John Moe

"[A] path to deeper understanding and openness, by way of laughter in the dark" —The New York Times Book Review

"Filled with heart, humor and hope." —People

"A funny, honest book." —Neil Gaiman

"Candid and funny and intimate." —Susan Orlean

The Hilarious World of Depression illuminates depression in an entirely fresh and inspiring way.

For years John Moe, critically-acclaimed public radio personality and host of the Depresh Mode with John Moe podcast, struggled with depression; it plagued his family and claimed the life of his brother in 2007. As Moe came to terms with his own illness, he began to see similar patterns of behavior and coping mechanisms surfacing in conversations with others, including high-profile comedians who’d struggled with the disease. Moe saw that there was tremendous comfort and community in open dialogue about these shared experiences and that humor had a unique power. Thus was born the podcast The Hilarious World of Depression and then Depresh Mode with John Moe.

Inspired by the immediate success of the podcast, Moe has written a remarkable investigation of the disease, part memoir of his own journey, part treasure trove of laugh-out-loud stories and insights drawn from years of interviews with some of the most brilliant minds facing similar challenges. Throughout the course of this powerful narrative, depression’s universal themes come to light, among them, struggles with identity, lack of understanding of the symptoms, the challenges of work-life, self-medicating, the fallout of the disease in the lives of our loved ones, the tragedy of suicide, and the hereditary aspects of the disease.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250209566
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	231,744
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

John Moe is the creator and host of the acclaimed mental health podcast Depresh Mode with John Moe; he has served as host of national public radio broadcasts such as Weekend America, The Hilarious World of Depression and Wits. His writing and reporting has been heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, Day to Day, and more. He's the author of four books and his writing appears in humor anthologies, The New York Times Magazine, McSweeney’s, and The Seattle Times. He’s a much in-demand public speaker.

Table of Contents

The Big Sexy Celebrity Laser Fight: A Preface xi

1 In Which I Finally Get Better 1

2 Junior High School and Depression Being Somehow Connected 9

According to THWoD: Junior High Is a Time People Get Ka-whompoed 25

3 Carol Burnett as Coping Mechanism 29

According to THWoD: Comedy Is a Helpful Tool 41

4 Imagined Snapshots of Key Moments 47

5 My Dot-Com Bubble Bursts 59

According to THWoD: You Can't Solve Mental Illness by Not Dealing with It 85

6 Bridges, Troubles, Waters 90

According to THWoD: The Worst Idea Is Always Nearby 95

7 In Which I Am Told That Yeah, There's Something Wrong 101

According to THWoD: Other People Already Know You Are Depressed 119

8 Seeing the World with Clear Eyes 124

According to THWoD: Pills May or May Not Help, but Let's Not Get All Spooky About Them 136

9 In Which Everything Changes 140

10 Trying to Move On Without a Clear Idea How 155

According to THWoD: Some Pain Doesn't Go Away, It Evolves 163

11 I Choose Noise over Silence 167

According to THWoD: Good Things Happen When You Talk 183

12 The Hell with This, I'm Moving to Minnesota 187

According to THWoD: Therapy Is Neither Good nor Bad, It's an Adventure 199

13 Things That Make Me Stronger 203

14 A Treatment I Still Don't Fully Understand but Do Appreciate 220

15 In Which I Posit That Depression Is, Perhaps, Hilarious 231

16 A Potentially Hilarious World of Potential Depression 242

17 Scouring the Nordic Countryside for Trauma Fossils 254

18 Getting Better Before I Die 260

According to THWoD (the Podcast), THWoD (the Book), and THWoD (the World)-Nine Things I've Learned 268

Acknowledgments 283

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/24/2020

Moe (Conservatize Me), host of The Hilarious World of Depression podcast, wryly reflects on life as a “saddie” in this stirring memoir. Moe discusses depressive thoughts and experiences, including addiction in his family, his brother’s suicide in 2007, and moments of acute professional stress. He explains that as he grew up, married, and raised his children, he felt a need (increasingly prompted by his wife) to treat his low-key desire “not so much to die as simply not be alive anymore.” Despite his suicidal ideation and his struggle to move past his guilt after his brother’s suicide, Moe’s story is not bleak. While he does not come out on the mythical other side, he learns—with the help of medication, dogs, listening to music, and therapy—to break the “habit of converting stress into bleak, goth-eyeliner-wearing despair.” Such side-eye commentary separates Moe’s story from the “trite ’70s self-help” he loathes, as does the inclusion of quotes from podcast guests Maria Bamford, Patton Oswalt, and others. Moe’s edifying, enjoyable take on the realities of living with depression will uplift any reader. (May)

Publishers Weekly

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS PUBLISHED IN SUMMER 2020 BY THE Chicago Tribune | One of Huff Post's 10 Most Anticipated Book Releases Of May 2020

"If David Sedaris wrote a book about depression, this would be his take." —Lee Woodruff author of In an Instant

"Laugh-out-loud funny." —Today

"Moe’s edifying, enjoyable take on the realities of living with depression will uplift any reader." —Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"Moe is exactly the right person to give an attentive, irreverent voice to those suffering with depression." —Susan Maguire, Booklist


"Is it appropriate to say that I loved a book about depression? Well, if it's as candid and funny and intimate as this one, 'love' seems right. Moe's book is also deeply moving and, against all odds, life-affirming. It's an ode to the blues that makes you feel better about being human." —Susan Orlean


"Depression is no laughing matter, but radio personality John Moe makes it accessible... While you'll be laughing throughout, you'll also have a few 'a-ha' moments in the mix." —Chicago Tribune


"John Moe's book is the feel-bad hit of the summer!" —Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad

"Moe takes the stigma out of discussing mental illness and offers camaraderie to those who suffer from depression... [His] words should supply help, hope, and humor to many readers. " —Library Journal

"More than once I woke my husband up shouting, "Oh my God, THIS. IT IS EXACTLY* THIS" while reading this book. He was concerned but no more than usual." —Jenny Lawson

"[This book] takes a deep dive into his painful past and blends it with wisdom...The result is part memoir, part self-help..." —MinnPost

"A laughably relatable (and at times bittersweet) read for those who have experienced depression and an enlightening one for those who haven’t but want to understand it better... Uplifting." —Mandatory.com

"[This] thoughtful and, yes, sometimes hilarious new memoir of the same name details his decades-long roller-coaster ride with the illness and realization that when he discusses it, funnily enough, people laugh and are encouraged to talk about their own struggles... wonderful memoir." —AARP

From the Publisher

Inspired by his podcast of the same name, this combination memoir and informational text is narrated by its author with sincere emotional investment and subtle humor. As the title suggests, Moe examines the serious subject of depression with wry observations and self-effacing irony. Moe's voice is casual and endearing, largely delivering the funny moments with solid comic timing. Sometimes, of course, the subject matter becomes oppressive despite Moe's lighthearted approach, and the audio format seems to add to that weight. Still, there is a likability to Moe's voice and words that will keep listeners rooting for him. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

2020-02-05
The creator and host of the titular podcast recounts his lifelong struggles with depression.

With the increasing success of his podcast, Moe, a longtime radio personality and author whose books include The Deleted E-Mails of Hillary Clinton: A Parody (2015), was encouraged to open up further about his own battles with depression and delve deeper into characteristics of the disease itself. Moe writes about how he has struggled with depression throughout his life, and he recounts similar experiences from the various people he has interviewed in the past, many of whom are high-profile entertainers and writers—e.g. Dick Cavett and Andy Richter, novelist John Green. The narrative unfolds in a fairly linear fashion, and the author relates his family’s long history with depression and substance abuse. His father was an alcoholic, and one of his brothers was a drug addict. Moe tracks how he came to recognize his own signs of depression while in middle school, as he experienced the travails of OCD and social anxiety. These early chapters alternate with brief thematic “According to THWoD” sections that expand on his experiences, providing relevant anecdotal stories from some of his podcast guests. In this early section of the book, the author sometimes rambles. Though his experiences as an adolescent are accessible, he provides too many long examples, overstating his message, and some of the humor feels forced. What may sound naturally breezy in his podcast interviews doesn’t always strike the same note on the written page. The narrative gains considerable momentum when Moe shifts into his adult years and the challenges of balancing family and career while also confronting the devastating loss of his brother from suicide. As he grieved, he writes, his depression caused him to experience “a salad of regret, anger, confusion, and horror.” Here, the author focuses more attention on the origins and evolution of his series, stories that prove compelling as well.

The book would have benefited from a tighter structure, but it’s inspiring and relatable for readers with depression.

Kirkus Reviews