Break the Silence on Suicide With Psychiatrist Mark Goulston

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Meet Mark Goulston

Dr. Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist, bestselling author, and executive coach who spent many years of his career working with patients who were experiencing thoughts of suicide.

While he has written many books, some of my personal favorites are "Just Listen," "Get Out of Your Own Way," and "Talking to Crazy."

Why Mark Goulston Is Mentally Strong

Dr. Goulston shares that one of the reasons he is so passionate about mental health is from his own experience in medical school. When he was struggling with depression, he also had thoughts of suicide.

What You’ll Hear on the Show

• The truth about why some people experience suicidal thoughts
• How common it is for people to experience suicidal thoughts
• Why suicidal thoughts aren’t always linked to depression or mental illness
• How parents can talk to teenagers about suicidal thoughts
• How to talk to a friend or loved one if you’re concerned about their well-being
• The steps you can take if you encounter someone who expresses thoughts of suicide
• Why you shouldn’t blame yourself if you’ve lost a loved one to suicide
• The things you can do if you experience thoughts of suicide
• Why the way you start a serious conversation matters so much
• The percentage of people who experience suicidal thoughts at one time or another
• The difference between healthy stress and unhealthy stress
• How to find people who understand your pain

What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength

Although most psychiatrists talk mostly about the medications they prescribe, I’ve never heard Dr. Goulston discuss medication. Even when he talks about the individuals he encountered in an inpatient treatment center, he shares about the human interactions he had with people, not the medication he prescribed them.

It takes mental strength to sit with someone who is in pain. And often, it’s tempting to try and solve people’s problems for them or to try and reassure them that everything is OK, which may cause them to feel like you’re minimizing their suffering.

Dr. Goulston shares how important it is to help people feel heard and understood and how much that can improve their psychological well-being.

Quotes From Dr. Goulston

• "I make a distinction between stress and distress. So, when you are stressed out, you can still focus on your goals (with difficulty), but you can still push through. But, when the stress becomes more [frequent], it crosses over into distress. You then switch your goal from whatever your goal was to relieve the distress. And, that's when you start reaching for things that actually make you feel better in the moment, like getting drunk, or binge eating, but they actually make the situation worse."
• "Sometimes you get addicted to those things because they gave you momentary relief, but then they caused you to feel embarrassed [or] ashamed. You did things that you can't share with other people. And, it's a slippery slope."
• "Whatever pain you're feeling, there are other people who are feeling it, and it's not that difficult to find them. So, just reach out and find them."

More About the Podcast

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Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too.

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