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‘Mormon Land’: TV journalist Jane Clayson Johnson talks about her battle with depression and why more dialogue on mental illness is vital

(Kim Raff  |  Tribune file photo) Jane Clayson Johnson in 2012.

(Kim Raff | Tribune file photo) Jane Clayson Johnson in 2012.

During the recent General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Reyna Aburto, a high-level women’s leader in the faith, gave a widely praised sermon about depression, anxiety and other forms of mental illness that has members talking more openly about those issues.

Jane Clayson Johnson has contributed to that conversation. A journalist known nationally for her work at CBS News, ABC News and NPR, she faced her own battle with clinical depression.

In her book, “Silent Souls Weeping: Depression — Sharing Stories, Finding Hope,” and in this week’s podcast, she describes her own experience as well as what she learned from more than 150 other Latter-day Saints who have dealt with depression.

Johnson emphasizes why these stories must be told and how Mormonism poses some distinctive challenges for those suffering emotional afflictions.

Listen here:



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