Depresh Mode with John Moe8 Dec 2025

Unemployment Hurts Mental Health, Horror Movies Might Help It. Really!

It’s very easy to associate your job with your own sense of self. So it makes that it can be traumatic to be one of the scores of people being laid off in today’s turbulent economy. We are joined by the New York Times’ mental health reporter, Christina Caron, who has been looking at the effect of unemployment - especially long-term unemployment - on mental health. It can lead to more severe depression, anxiety, marital problems, and substance use. She also has some great tips on what you can do for your mental health if you’re in that situation.

Then we go to Burbank to talk with Terri Riviera who runs the Horror Community Foundation there. She organizes mental health support groups, led by a licensed therapist, that use horror movies to help people deal with depression, anxiety, and other mental problems. It sounds wild but the groups are very popular, well-attended, and backed up by science. Could it help you to watch The Shining in the company of friendly people and a therapist? Turns out, yes!

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

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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.

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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

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