Investigating Your Family, Uncovering Shame and Secrecy

Investigative reporter and Columbia University journalism professor Meg Kissinger has, for many years, specialized in uncovering the catastrophic state of mental health care in America, particularly in Milwaukee, where she has lived for many years. Recently, she used that reporter’s tenacity in learning and telling the story of her own family of origin in her book While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence.

Meg grew up in a suburban Chicago Catholic family with two parents, seven siblings, and a number of mental health issues that were never acknowledged or discussed. Through her investigation, Meg learned new information about family suicides, psychiatric hospitalizations, and more of the things that never got talked about when they were happening. She offers some tips if you want to do some investigating of your own.

Get your copy of While You Were Out wherever books are sold. Learn more about Meg Kissinger and her work by visiting her website, www.MegKissinger.com.

Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun.

Check out our I'm Glad You're Here and Depresh Mode merchandise at the brand new merch website MaxFunStore.com!

Hey, remember, you’re part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at depreshmode@maximumfun.org.

Help is available right away.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

The Depresh Mode newsletter is available twice a week. Subscribe for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/

John’s acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250209566/thehilariousworldofdepression

Find the show on Twitter @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.

John is on Twitter @johnmoe.