Taming the black dog—new approaches to depression

Taming the black dog—new approaches to depression

What drives someone to seek a life without being overwhelmed by depression? This episode of *All In The Mind* takes a close look at "taming the black dog" through fresh, sometimes surprising approaches. You’ll hear Chrissie share her long, messy relationship with depression, starting in her teens and stretching across grief, parenting and major life stress. She talks frankly about medication helping her function yet leaving her "flatlined emotionally" and feeling like she moved through life "like a machine".

Her story sets the tone: depression isn’t a quick fix, it’s a long-term, often slippery condition. Clinical psychologist Michael Yapko then challenges the familiar idea of depression as a simple chemical imbalance. He points out that "depression is much more of a social phenomenon than a medical one", highlighting how culture, technology use and family patterns shape mood.

He explains how hypnosis can help people shift their focus away from what hurts towards what helps, building flexibility in how they interpret ambiguous situations instead of automatically assuming the worst. From there, the episode shifts to brain-based treatments. Professor Colleen Liu from the Black Dog Institute describes transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a very low-level electrical current applied to the head.

Chrissie walks through what the sessions feel like and reports that her mood swings have become more manageable and her "tide of negative emotion" less overwhelming. Liu discusses promising trial results, minimal side effects, and early signs that tDCS might also sharpen thinking speed, while warning against risky do-it-yourself use. The style throughout blends personal testimony with careful science, giving you a grounded look at both social and neurological angles on depression.

If you’re curious about how attitudes, skills and new technologies might all play a part in easing depression, this thoughtful mix of lived experience and expert commentary could spark your own questions about what "taming the black dog" might look like for you.