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Robert Wesley Branch

Cosmos-conceived. Earth-incarnated. District of Columbia-born. Maryland-raised. Storyteller. Taurus. Writer. Podcaster. Television producer. Foodie. Filmmaker.

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • American History
    • The 1930s
      • American Beach: “A Place for Rest and Relaxation Without Humiliation.”
        • Southern Shrimp Potato Salad
        • Smothered Shrimp
        • Coconut Fried Shrimp
        • Seafood Creole
    • The 1960s
      • No Knock: The Fred Hampton Story and the Infiltration of the Black Panther Party
      • “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” – The Story of the Grapevine Telegraph
      • The African American-Jewish Relationship: Where Have We Been…and Where Are We Now?
    • The 1970s
      • American Sniper: Mark Essex (1973) and Micah X. Johnson (2016).
    • “The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest” – Rev. Andrew C. Marshall and Rev. C.L. Franklin.
    • Henry David Thoreau: One Honest Man (1849)
    • Re-Member-ing “Thanksgiving”
    • Wamsutta (Frank B.) James 1970 Suppressed Speech
  • Bible Stories
  • Book Shorts
    • The Maxims of Ptahhotep (c. 2375-2350 B.C.)
    • Maxwell Maltz (1899-1975)
      • 12 Negative Forces to Combat in Order to Reach the Land of Tranquility
      • Tear Down Those Prison Walls: 3 Ideas to Liberate Yourself from Your Self-Imposed Jail
  • Brother to Brother: The Interviews
    • Father Absence
      • Father Absence: How a Spiritually and Emotionally Unavailable Father Affects His Son’s Life.
      • Broken Legacy I: The Fathers in Our Families
        • Broken Legacy II: “What kind of man am I?”
    • Behind the Dance: When a Boy Becomes a Ballerino.
    • Brother Kwesi: The Spiritual Power of a Male Educator.
    • Brother Clea: The Spiritual Power of a Male Educator.
    • Brother Dwayne: Graduation.
    • Brother Andre: Depression.
    • Brother Ray: On Celibacy and Abstinence.
    • Thunder Kellie: The Inner Desire for Fame and the Authentic Self.
    • Brothers Needing Brothers: We All Need Somebody to Lean On.
  • Courageous Conversations
    • Men and Masturbation: Are You Addicted?
    • Brothers on the Down-Low
    • Sex is a Spiritual Contract I
      • Sex is a Spiritual Contract II
    • Sacred Sexual Abstinence
  • Esoteric-Spiritual History
    • The Essenes
      • The Discovery of the Essene Gospel of Peace
      • The Essenes: The Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother.
    • The Third Eye (Pineal Gland)
      • Developing Your First (Spiritual) Eye
      • The Number 33 and Third-Eye Consciousness: The Pineal Gland and Your Higher Self
    • Cult and Culture: What Is It?
    • Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990)
      • The Origins of Prince Hall Freemasonry
    • Syncretism
    • Saint Nicholas and the Evolution of Santa Claus: How Myth and Fantasy Became Tradition.
    • The Science and Spirit of the Winter Solstice
    • The Story of St. Augustine: “Lord, make me pure – but not today!”
    • Sacred Marriage of the Self
  • For the Brothers Who Ain’t Here
  • Meditations
    • 7:00 A.M. Meditation: Communing with the Ancestors.
    • 7:04 A.M. Meditation: Listening to the Ancestors.
    • 3:49 A.M. Meditation: Talking to the Ancestors.
  • Re-Membering Our Ancestors
    • Born in the 1800s
      • Nathan Jean Toomer (1894-1967)
      • Howard Thurman (1899-1981)
    • Langston Hughes (1901-1967)
      • Langston Hughes (1901-1967): “Let America Be America Again!”
      • The Revolutionary Declaration of Langston Hughes: “Let America Be America Again!”
    • James Baldwin (1924-1987)
      • 1950s: James Baldwin
        • 1956: James Baldwin: Giovanni’s Room.
      • 1960s: James Baldwin
        • 1961: James Baldwin: Nobody Knows My Name (Studs Terkel Interview).
        • 1961: James Baldwin: Nobody Knows My Name: “A Letter From the South.”
        • 1967: James Baldwin: “Anti-Semitism and Black Power.”
        • 1967: James Baldwin: “Negroes Are Anti-Semitic Because They’re Anti-White.”
        • 1968: James Baldwin: Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone: “We Got Stopped By the Cops.”
      • 1979: James Baldwin: Just Above My Head: “Set Thine House in Order.”
      • 1985: “Here Be Dragons” – (Playboy: Originally “Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood”)
    • Malcolm X (1925-1965)
    • Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
    • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
      • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “A Knock at Midnight.”
      • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Rediscovering Lost Values.”
    • Born in the 1950s
      • Howard E. Rollins, Jr. (1950-1996)
      • Malidoma Patrice Somé (1956-2021)
    • Shirley Horn (1934-2005)
    • Marvin Gaye (1939-1984)
      • Lessons from the Ancestors I: Marvin Gaye, Phyllis Hyman and Nancy Wilson.
        • Lessons from the Ancestors 2: Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross and Grace Jones.
    • B. Smith (1949-2020)
    • Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011)
  • RWB Book List
    • 1982: Og Mandino’s “University of Success.”
      • First Semester: Lessons #1-5.
        • Lesson #1: How to Look Back on Where You Have Been.
        • Lesson #2: How to Fashion Your Own Brand of Success.
        • Lesson #3: How to Count Your Blessings.
        • Lesson #4: How to Recognize Your Failure Symptoms.
        • Lesson #5: How to Conquer the Ten Most Common Causes of Failure.
      • Second Semester: Lessons #6-10.
        • Lesson #6: How to Accept the Challenge of Success.
        • Lesson #7: How to Give Your Dreams a Chance to Come True.
        • Lesson #8: How to Develop Your Strength to Seize Opportunities.
        • Lesson #9: How to Make the Most of Your Abilities
        • Lesson #10: How to Grow and Prosper in Your Own Acre of Diamonds
      • Lesson #11: How to Transform Your Thoughts Into Reality
    • 2011: Shadows Behind the Rainbow by Otis Randolf (originally titled The Frog Pond: Searching the Murky Waters for a Happy Ever After…).
  • RWB Food
    • Monk Food
    • Raw Foods
      • (2011) Journey to Raw Foods
    • Salads
      • Balela Salad
      • Lebanese Tabbouleh
    • Cakes
      • Sunken Chocolate Amaretto Cake
      • Chocolate Chevron Cake
      • Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream
      • Chocolate Rum Tres Leches Cake
      • Bourbon Chocolate Cake
    • Szechuan Beef
    • Roasted Stuffed Peppers
    • Fresh Shrimp Rolls
    • Slow-Braised Pork Belly with Soy, Ginger and Garlic
    • Tuna Noodle Casserole
    • Nathalie Dupree
    • Saturn’s Day Chicken Dinner Playlist: Part 1: Time and Jean Toomer (1894-1967)
      • Saturn’s Day Chicken Dinner Playlist: Part 2: Ritual and Malidoma Patrice Somé (1956-2021)
        • Saturn’s Day Chicken Dinner Playlist: Part 3: Discipline and Howard Thurman (1899-1981)
  • Stories
    • (2012) The Awakening
    • (1998) Living on Purpose
    • (1998) Paternal Instincts
    • (1995) Million Man March (October 16)
    • (1992) Boardwalk Bigotry
      • Boardwalk Bigotry: The Day the Klan Came Marching Through My Ocean City Weekend
  • Television
    • Iyanla, Fix My Life
      • Season 8
      • Season 7
      • Season 6
      • Season 3
      • Season 2
      • Season 1
    • TV One
    • Discovery
  • TRWBS Podcast
    • Telling Souldier Stories.
      • They Call Her Ms. Judy!
    • 15 Seasons
      • Season 1: TRWBS
        • Earthquake: All Eyes on Haiti.
        • How Does the Christian Church Contribute to HIV Stigma?
        • Living with Multiple Sclerosis: Part 1: “I’m 47 and Living in a Nursing Home!”
          • Living with Multiple Sclerosis: Part 2: a Woman, an Artist, a Purpose.
      • Season 2: TRWBS
      • Season 3: TRWBS
      • Season 4: TRWBS
        • Look at Your Own Life
        • Liberation and Loneliness
      • Season 5: TRWBS
        • Broken Legacy I: The Fathers in Our Families.
          • Broken Legacy II: “What kind of man am I?”
      • Season 7: TRWBS
        • When Boys Cry: What is the Relationship Between Tears and Toxic Masculinity?
        • Upleveling Your Mind
        • Involution. Evolution. Ascension.
      • Season 8: TRWBS
        • The Childless Ones
        • Blood and Blessings
        • Your Blood Re-Members
      • Season 9
        • Educating Boys, Raising Men: What is the Role of a “Conscious” Father?
      • Season 10: TRWBS
        • Souls: Catch and Release.
        • Brothers Helping Brothers: When a Brother Goes Through.
        • Ray Rosario: Practicing Love.
      • Season 11
      • Season 13
        • Evolving Your Consciousness Beyond Traditional Religious Thinking.
        • Making Marriage Work
      • Season 14
      • Season 15
    • Keep Moving in the Direction of Your Talent
    • Have I Ever Loved?
    • Coming to Sobriety
  • Videos
    • Most Watched Videos
    • Ancient Kemet
      • The Complete 42 Precepts of Ma’at (aka “The 42 Negative Confessions”)
      • The Complete Maxims of Ptahhotep #1-45 (aka Instruction of Ptahhotep) 2375-2350 B.C.
      • Djehuti (Kemet): The Origin and Mastery of Thought. Thoth (Greek). Mercury (Roman). The Kybalion.
    • World History
      • The Roots of Race
        • Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)
        • Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840)
        • Samuel George Morton (1799-1851)
        • Louis Agassiz (1807-1873)
      • Malcolm X Essay: “Zionist Logic” (1964)
      • The Incredible Journey of Mansa Abubakari Keita II: 9th Ruler of the Mali Empire
      • Being Bougie: Are You Really?
    • Prison Stories
      • Choices and Consequences: On Death Row with Ray Jasper.
      • Inside Lorton Reformatory
      • Reno: Life Without Parole.
    • All the Sad Young Men: The Story of “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men.”
  • You Inspire Me
    • Mai Maiesha Rashad: Emissary of Love
    • Luigi Cornaro (1464-1566): The Art of Living Long

Brother Andre: Depression.

Undiagnosed depression among Black men is more common than many may think. Inspired by the book, Black Men and Depression: Saving Our Lives, Healing Our Family and Friends by John Head, we did our first program on depression in our first season of podcasting. This is Brother Andre’s story.

Copyright © 2025 Robert Wesley Branch. All Rights Reserved. | Clean Journal Pro by Catch Themes
Scroll Up
  • Home
  • American History
    • The 1930s
      • American Beach: “A Place for Rest and Relaxation Without Humiliation.”
        • Southern Shrimp Potato Salad
        • Smothered Shrimp
        • Coconut Fried Shrimp
        • Seafood Creole
    • The 1960s
      • No Knock: The Fred Hampton Story and the Infiltration of the Black Panther Party
      • “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” – The Story of the Grapevine Telegraph
      • The African American-Jewish Relationship: Where Have We Been…and Where Are We Now?
    • The 1970s
      • American Sniper: Mark Essex (1973) and Micah X. Johnson (2016).
    • “The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest” – Rev. Andrew C. Marshall and Rev. C.L. Franklin.
    • Henry David Thoreau: One Honest Man (1849)
    • Re-Member-ing “Thanksgiving”
    • Wamsutta (Frank B.) James 1970 Suppressed Speech
  • Bible Stories
  • Book Shorts
    • The Maxims of Ptahhotep (c. 2375-2350 B.C.)
    • Maxwell Maltz (1899-1975)
      • 12 Negative Forces to Combat in Order to Reach the Land of Tranquility
      • Tear Down Those Prison Walls: 3 Ideas to Liberate Yourself from Your Self-Imposed Jail
  • Brother to Brother: The Interviews
    • Father Absence
      • Father Absence: How a Spiritually and Emotionally Unavailable Father Affects His Son’s Life.
      • Broken Legacy I: The Fathers in Our Families
        • Broken Legacy II: “What kind of man am I?”
    • Behind the Dance: When a Boy Becomes a Ballerino.
    • Brother Kwesi: The Spiritual Power of a Male Educator.
    • Brother Clea: The Spiritual Power of a Male Educator.
    • Brother Dwayne: Graduation.
    • Brother Andre: Depression.
    • Brother Ray: On Celibacy and Abstinence.
    • Thunder Kellie: The Inner Desire for Fame and the Authentic Self.
    • Brothers Needing Brothers: We All Need Somebody to Lean On.
  • Courageous Conversations
    • Men and Masturbation: Are You Addicted?
    • Brothers on the Down-Low
    • Sex is a Spiritual Contract I
      • Sex is a Spiritual Contract II
    • Sacred Sexual Abstinence
  • Esoteric-Spiritual History
    • The Essenes
      • The Discovery of the Essene Gospel of Peace
      • The Essenes: The Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother.
    • The Third Eye (Pineal Gland)
      • Developing Your First (Spiritual) Eye
      • The Number 33 and Third-Eye Consciousness: The Pineal Gland and Your Higher Self
    • Cult and Culture: What Is It?
    • Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990)
      • The Origins of Prince Hall Freemasonry
    • Syncretism
    • Saint Nicholas and the Evolution of Santa Claus: How Myth and Fantasy Became Tradition.
    • The Science and Spirit of the Winter Solstice
    • The Story of St. Augustine: “Lord, make me pure – but not today!”
    • Sacred Marriage of the Self
  • For the Brothers Who Ain’t Here
  • Meditations
    • 7:00 A.M. Meditation: Communing with the Ancestors.
    • 7:04 A.M. Meditation: Listening to the Ancestors.
    • 3:49 A.M. Meditation: Talking to the Ancestors.
  • Re-Membering Our Ancestors
    • Born in the 1800s
      • Nathan Jean Toomer (1894-1967)
      • Howard Thurman (1899-1981)
    • Langston Hughes (1901-1967)
      • Langston Hughes (1901-1967): “Let America Be America Again!”
      • The Revolutionary Declaration of Langston Hughes: “Let America Be America Again!”
    • James Baldwin (1924-1987)
      • 1950s: James Baldwin
        • 1956: James Baldwin: Giovanni’s Room.
      • 1960s: James Baldwin
        • 1961: James Baldwin: Nobody Knows My Name (Studs Terkel Interview).
        • 1961: James Baldwin: Nobody Knows My Name: “A Letter From the South.”
        • 1967: James Baldwin: “Anti-Semitism and Black Power.”
        • 1967: James Baldwin: “Negroes Are Anti-Semitic Because They’re Anti-White.”
        • 1968: James Baldwin: Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone: “We Got Stopped By the Cops.”
      • 1979: James Baldwin: Just Above My Head: “Set Thine House in Order.”
      • 1985: “Here Be Dragons” – (Playboy: Originally “Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood”)
    • Malcolm X (1925-1965)
    • Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
    • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
      • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “A Knock at Midnight.”
      • Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Rediscovering Lost Values.”
    • Born in the 1950s
      • Howard E. Rollins, Jr. (1950-1996)
      • Malidoma Patrice Somé (1956-2021)
    • Shirley Horn (1934-2005)
    • Marvin Gaye (1939-1984)
      • Lessons from the Ancestors I: Marvin Gaye, Phyllis Hyman and Nancy Wilson.
        • Lessons from the Ancestors 2: Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross and Grace Jones.
    • B. Smith (1949-2020)
    • Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011)
  • RWB Book List
    • 1982: Og Mandino’s “University of Success.”
      • First Semester: Lessons #1-5.
        • Lesson #1: How to Look Back on Where You Have Been.
        • Lesson #2: How to Fashion Your Own Brand of Success.
        • Lesson #3: How to Count Your Blessings.
        • Lesson #4: How to Recognize Your Failure Symptoms.
        • Lesson #5: How to Conquer the Ten Most Common Causes of Failure.
      • Second Semester: Lessons #6-10.
        • Lesson #6: How to Accept the Challenge of Success.
        • Lesson #7: How to Give Your Dreams a Chance to Come True.
        • Lesson #8: How to Develop Your Strength to Seize Opportunities.
        • Lesson #9: How to Make the Most of Your Abilities
        • Lesson #10: How to Grow and Prosper in Your Own Acre of Diamonds
      • Lesson #11: How to Transform Your Thoughts Into Reality
    • 2011: Shadows Behind the Rainbow by Otis Randolf (originally titled The Frog Pond: Searching the Murky Waters for a Happy Ever After…).
  • RWB Food
    • Monk Food
    • Raw Foods
      • (2011) Journey to Raw Foods
    • Salads
      • Balela Salad
      • Lebanese Tabbouleh
    • Cakes
      • Sunken Chocolate Amaretto Cake
      • Chocolate Chevron Cake
      • Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream
      • Chocolate Rum Tres Leches Cake
      • Bourbon Chocolate Cake
    • Szechuan Beef
    • Roasted Stuffed Peppers
    • Fresh Shrimp Rolls
    • Slow-Braised Pork Belly with Soy, Ginger and Garlic
    • Tuna Noodle Casserole
    • Nathalie Dupree
    • Saturn’s Day Chicken Dinner Playlist: Part 1: Time and Jean Toomer (1894-1967)
      • Saturn’s Day Chicken Dinner Playlist: Part 2: Ritual and Malidoma Patrice Somé (1956-2021)
        • Saturn’s Day Chicken Dinner Playlist: Part 3: Discipline and Howard Thurman (1899-1981)
  • Stories
    • (2012) The Awakening
    • (1998) Living on Purpose
    • (1998) Paternal Instincts
    • (1995) Million Man March (October 16)
    • (1992) Boardwalk Bigotry
      • Boardwalk Bigotry: The Day the Klan Came Marching Through My Ocean City Weekend
  • Television
    • Iyanla, Fix My Life
      • Season 8
      • Season 7
      • Season 6
      • Season 3
      • Season 2
      • Season 1
    • TV One
    • Discovery
  • TRWBS Podcast
    • Telling Souldier Stories.
      • They Call Her Ms. Judy!
    • 15 Seasons
      • Season 1: TRWBS
        • Earthquake: All Eyes on Haiti.
        • How Does the Christian Church Contribute to HIV Stigma?
        • Living with Multiple Sclerosis: Part 1: “I’m 47 and Living in a Nursing Home!”
          • Living with Multiple Sclerosis: Part 2: a Woman, an Artist, a Purpose.
      • Season 2: TRWBS
      • Season 3: TRWBS
      • Season 4: TRWBS
        • Look at Your Own Life
        • Liberation and Loneliness
      • Season 5: TRWBS
        • Broken Legacy I: The Fathers in Our Families.
          • Broken Legacy II: “What kind of man am I?”
      • Season 7: TRWBS
        • When Boys Cry: What is the Relationship Between Tears and Toxic Masculinity?
        • Upleveling Your Mind
        • Involution. Evolution. Ascension.
      • Season 8: TRWBS
        • The Childless Ones
        • Blood and Blessings
        • Your Blood Re-Members
      • Season 9
        • Educating Boys, Raising Men: What is the Role of a “Conscious” Father?
      • Season 10: TRWBS
        • Souls: Catch and Release.
        • Brothers Helping Brothers: When a Brother Goes Through.
        • Ray Rosario: Practicing Love.
      • Season 11
      • Season 13
        • Evolving Your Consciousness Beyond Traditional Religious Thinking.
        • Making Marriage Work
      • Season 14
      • Season 15
    • Keep Moving in the Direction of Your Talent
    • Have I Ever Loved?
    • Coming to Sobriety
  • Videos
    • Most Watched Videos
    • Ancient Kemet
      • The Complete 42 Precepts of Ma’at (aka “The 42 Negative Confessions”)
      • The Complete Maxims of Ptahhotep #1-45 (aka Instruction of Ptahhotep) 2375-2350 B.C.
      • Djehuti (Kemet): The Origin and Mastery of Thought. Thoth (Greek). Mercury (Roman). The Kybalion.
    • World History
      • The Roots of Race
        • Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778)
        • Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840)
        • Samuel George Morton (1799-1851)
        • Louis Agassiz (1807-1873)
      • Malcolm X Essay: “Zionist Logic” (1964)
      • The Incredible Journey of Mansa Abubakari Keita II: 9th Ruler of the Mali Empire
      • Being Bougie: Are You Really?
    • Prison Stories
      • Choices and Consequences: On Death Row with Ray Jasper.
      • Inside Lorton Reformatory
      • Reno: Life Without Parole.
    • All the Sad Young Men: The Story of “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men.”
  • You Inspire Me
    • Mai Maiesha Rashad: Emissary of Love
    • Luigi Cornaro (1464-1566): The Art of Living Long