10 of the Best Podcasts About Mental Health
If you're struggling with anxiety or depression, these may help.
A good mental health podcast is no substitute for talking to a qualified professional, such as a therapist—even when, as is the case with Therapy for Black Girls, the host actually is one. But listening can provide benefits of its own, including helpful tips for coping with anxiety and depression from those who've either experienced it firsthand, spent their lives treating those who have, or both. Sometimes, just listening to other people reflect on their own stories is enough to make you feel validated, and far less alone, during a dark moment.
And if one thing's for sure, it's that you're definitely not alone right now. Teens and adults were experiencing mental illness at rising rates even before the COVID-19 pandemic presented its own set of challenges, per data from nonprofit Mental Health America (MHA). "The number of people looking for help with anxiety and depression has skyrocketed," the MHA wrote in a report. Between April to September of 2020, 70 percent of the people found to have "moderate to severe" symptoms via the MHA's screening survey shared that loneliness or isolation were one of their biggest concerns. That's all the more reason to make these pods a part of your coping toolkit. From funny shows like The Hilarious World of Depression to poignant programs like Mental Illness Happy Hour, here are 10 of the best mental health podcasts about anxiety, depression, and more.
The Mental Illness Happy Hour
Comedian Paul Gilmartin's popular podcast shares weekly stories of people's experiences living with mental health issues like depression, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Gilmartin, who is a recovering alcoholic diagnosed with clinical depression, brings a sardonic humor to his candid weekly conversations, in hopes that they'll inspire others to seek help.
Therapy for Black Girls
Bias exists in the therapy sphere, too. Psychologist Dr. Joy Harden Bradford's Therapy for Black Girls site connects people with professionals qualified to best treat Black Americans, and her educational podcast offers thoughtful conversations about every mental health topic imaginable. Many of 2020's episodes touch on pandemic-related stressors, like being single, homeschooling, and gaining weight in quarantine.
Terrible, Thanks for Asking
In this weekly podcast, host Nora McInerny welcomes a guest to get deep on how they're really doing, and to look back at a particularly low time in their life. Past guests include celebrities, authors, mental health professionals, and viral "Friday" music video star Rebecca Black on what it was like being a national punchline at age 13.
Bryony Gordon's Mad World
Author Bryony Gordon's latest book is titled No Such Thing As Normal: What My Mental Illness Has Taught Me About Mental Wellness, and that doubles as an apt description for her podcast produced by UK newspaper The Telegraph. Fun fact: Gordon's very first guest back in 2017 was royal, fellow mental health advocate, and newly-minted podcaster Prince Harry, who opened up about his own depression experience and unaddressed grief over his mother Princess Diana's death.
The Hilarious World of Depression
The guests on John Moe's show often tell stories for a living as entertainers, and here, they recount their clinical depression experiences with the same shot of humor and searing honesty that's helped get them through the pain. Though producer APM crushed fans by ending the pod mid-2020, there are 96 episodes to binge—and a companion book by the same name.
Checking In
Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams detailed her experience with an in-patient depression treatment in a book due in May 2021. The companion podcast, from Charlamagne tha God's Black Effect Podcast Network with iHeart, finds the bubbly Williams chatting with guests like Dr. Oz and stylist and designer June Ambrose about mental health. Given that the pod kicked off in December of 2020, it's not surprising that much of the conversation and tips are focused on the pandemic.
The Happiness Lab
Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos's online The Science of Well-Being class is so wildly popular, the O, the Oprah Magazine staff even took the course. Her The Happiness Lab pod offers more research-based tips on cultivating good happiness habits. It also features stories of people who are finding a path to their own joy; episodes include "The Power of a Made-Up Ritual," "Dial D for Distracted," and "How to Kick Bad Habits (and Start Good Ones)."
Imani State of Mind
Dr. Imani Walker, a psychiatrist who some will recognize from Bravo's Married to Medicine LA), covers a wide array of mental health topics in her weekly Stitcher podcast alongside her cohost Kam. In addition to explaining the truth behind stigmatized conditions such as schizophrenia and sociopathy, episodes feature a fun segment called Pop Culture Diagnosis, in which she reviews the portrayal of a fictional character with mental illness, such as Homeland's Carrie Mathison.
Mental
Bobby Temps is a British podcaster, mental health advocate, and model who aims to destigmatize anxiety and depression by holding space for guests' honest accounts of their own mental health journeys. Temps also welcomes a roster of experts to share advice, and as a host, his soothing cadence could itself be considered therapeutic.
The Anxiety Coaches Podcast
If you're seeking in-the-moment tools to help with anxiety, panic attacks, and/or PTSD, The Anxiety Coaches Podcast is the one for you. In each 20 minute-ish episode, anxiety coach Gina Ryan shares—in a slow, calming voice—valuable exercises to help recenter you.
Samantha Vincenty is the former senior staff writer at Oprah Daily.
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