Hello, friends.
Over the past year, I have written extensively on depression and, specifically, the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and depression. In an article posted June 3, 2026, I discussed ongoing research suggesting depression is both a risk factor and an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
Depression is a daily struggle for me. No matter what I do, I can’t overcome depression.
I recently discovered a fellow Substack author, Dr. Jake Goodman. He is a board-certified psychiatrist, mental health educator, and founder of Goodman Psychiatry. Interestingly, Dr. Goodman’s virtual practice specializes in caring for the mental health of healthcare workers. Many of his Substack articles and videos contain valuable information on depression, preventing dementia, and living a healthful life.
Dr. Goodman is half my age. One of my greatest mental struggles is my age. At 69 years of age, suffering with an incurable disease, what is the point of fighting the inevitable? Dr. Goodman has a characteristic that I once embraced - optimism. Sadly, my optimism has faded away.
I believe stopping Lecanemab infusions was a significant trigger for the reduction of optimism and the increase in depression.
In my opinion, Lecanemab is not an effective therapy to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s. Even for the low percentage of patients that experience positive results with Lecanemab, the time gained before Alzheimer’s kills you is small. Yet, Lecanemab gave me a degree of hope. The routine of going to Duke Specialty Infusion Center every two weeks kept me focused on hope.
I believe other contributing factors to the depression I suffer from are the following:
personal income shortfalls
high rate of inflation making necessities unaffordable
moving to a new city
national and global politics
Linda and I are working hard to address those factors. It is not an easy journey, though. The current high rate of inflation is most likely a major reason I rarely receive donations from this publication, subscriptions to my research report, and contributions to our Go Fund Me campaign. I can’t blame anyone for taking a conservative stance with their personal finances during these uncertain times.
I had two experiences Saturday morning that gave me hope and a renewed sense of perspective. As I waited to board a bus for the short ride to a post office, a man also waiting for the bus greeted me with a cheerful “Good morning.” As we chatted, I learned that he is temporarily homeless. His outlook on life, his positive attitude, and his friendly personality showed me that just because life becomes difficult, you can still maintain hope.
After taking a package to the post office, I walked about a mile to a grocery store. A couple ahead of me at checkout were talking to the cashier about the rising cost of food. They told her they lived on Social Security, and it did not cover their living expenses. A myriad of emotions came over me as I listened to their conversation. Most importantly, the plight of this couple was deeply relatable.
Later today, I will walk around the community, work on implementing our Sustainability Plan, and take time to be still and reflect. I hope those activities help mitigate the depression I am fighting.
Please share your thoughts.
Thank you.
Greg