Depression Doesn't Care How Successful You Are (feat. Moshe Hecht)

Growing up on Shlichus in Queens, NY, Moshe Hecht found himself straddling two worlds. At home, in Queens, he was "that Lubavitcher," while in the Chabad community, he never quite fit in. A high-energy student, he often found himself penalized for acting out in class. It wasn't until he hit his thirties that he first put names to feelings and behaviors that had been plaguing him all his life: ADHD, and depression. "I discovered I'd been suffering from depression my whole life," Moshe muses. "At times I'd be low on the scale of depression, and other times I'd be high." When he went through a particularly bad period of depression where he found himself unable to get out of bed in the morning, his wife did what he called "the best thing a spouse could do to someone in my situation" and kicked him out of the house. Having hit rock bottom, Moshe set out on a journey of healing and self-discovery. With the help of the right medication and qualified mental health professionals, Moshe began the laborious work of pulling himself out of depression. "Today, I can look at my depression from a distance," Moshe says. "It doesn't completely overtake me. I still get depressed at times, but I don't feel completely hopeless. I can visualize it from a distance and come up with a solution... My number one priority is dealing with my mental health."