Mental Health Hacks: Fighting Burnout, Depression and Suicide in the Hacker Community

The presentation discusses mental health issues in the hacker community and aims to shatter the stigma and silence surrounding this monumental crisis affecting the community and society at large.

• Mental illness affects one in five Americans, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for people in their early twenties.
• The hacker community is not immune to the pressures of high stress jobs, abnormal sleep schedules, social depersonalization, and many of the other risk factors predisposing to substance use disorders or suicide.
• The talk combines the latest in evidence-based medicine and pharmacology with powerful anecdotes of personal experience combatting depression.
• The presentation encourages seeking treatment for mental health issues and emphasizes the importance of treating others with dignity and respect.
• The speaker shares a personal story of being inspired by a nursing student who wanted to help people that were suicidal.
• The presentation provides resources for meditation and other helpful projects and encourages continuing the conversation about mental health issues in the hacker community.

The speaker shares a personal story of being inspired by a nursing student who wanted to go and help people that were suicidal. This story highlights the importance of having a support system and resources for those struggling with mental health issues.

It's not easy to miss the gunshot wound in the trauma bay, or the cough of a rip-roaring pneumonia. But as anyone who has struggled with mental illness can attest- psychic wounds run just as deep, yet are often shunned or ignored by family, friends, coworkers, and even healthcare professionals. This needs to change. Mental illness affects one in five Americans, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for people in their early twenties. Chances are if you haven't struggled with depression yourself you know someone who has, and the hacker community is not immune to the pressures of high stress jobs, abnormal sleep schedules, social depersonalization, and many of the other risk factors predisposing to substance use disorders or suicide. Join Christian Dameff, a hacker moonlighting on the front lines of healthcare as an emergency medicine physician, and Jay Radcliffe, world-renowned security researcher who has struggled with and depression, ADHD and a variety of other mental health conditions, as they work to shatter the stigma and silence surrounding this monumental crisis affecting the hacker community - and society- at large. Combining the latest in evidence based medicine and pharmacology with powerful anecdotes of personal experience combatting depression, this talk will educate, challenge, and invigorate you with a hope-filled and simple message- you are not alone, and you are surrounded by friends who want to help.