A Candid Account of Anxiety, Depression, and Coding

By Jesse R Weigel

Elevator Pitch

I am a developer who also has depression and anxiety, and I am not the only one. Talking about mental health issues is the first step to managing them. I will offer a candid look into my struggles, failures, and triumphs, and offer advice based on my experience. Questions are most welcome!

Description

I am a developer who also has depression and anxiety. Sometimes I feel ok, and sometimes it is a struggle to move. Based on my interactions with other developers through livestreams, talks, and conferences, I believe that there are many others who deal with these issues. Depression and anxiety are common, but not commonly talked about. I would like to share my struggles, triumphs, and failures with depression and anxiety in the context of coding, and offer advice on managing and talking about these issues.

The talk will roughly follow this order: - Brief intro - Some statistics about depression and anxiety - My own struggle with depression and anxiety - Impact of depression and anxiety on coding - What helps and what makes things worse - How to talk about anxiety and depression - Question and Answer

Notes

This talk will only require a projector for slides. I will bring my own laptop.

It is appropriate for developers of all skill levels