Finding Meaning in Suffering: Helpful or Unnecessary?

Susan J. Noonan, MD, MPH, discusses the essay, "Not Everything Has to be Meaningful" by Brad Stulberg, featured in The New York Times. Having a personal growth mindset can promote healing, but is it necessary?

Dr Noonan is a physician, mental health and wellness coach; author of 5 books on managing mental health and mood disorders with a print and video blog; consultant; group facilitator; and Certified Peer Specialist. She has a unique perspective having lived with a mood disorder and bridges that space between provider and recipient of mental health services, which resonates with many people. Dr Noonan is the inaugural recipient of the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Peer Support Specialist of the Year 2022. Her most recent books, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, include: Take Control of Your Depression: Strategies to help you feel better now (2018); Helping Others with Depression: Words to Say, Things to Do (2020); andReconnecting after Isolation: Coping with Anxiety, Depression, Grief, PTSD and More (2022).