Daniel ‘DanTDM’ Middleton recently posted a YouTube video to celebrate a major milestone: the 11-year anniversary of his YouTube channel. While thanking his 20.7 million followers, he opened up to share the battles he’s facing on a daily basis. The Minecraft YouTuber has been battling with depression for three years, something that nearly derailed his career as a streamer. Being open and candid, he even mentions in the video that he ‘almost didn’t make it out of depression’.
DanTDM suffered from post-natal depression
Three years ago, after the birth of his child, DanTDM found himself in the throes of post-natal depression. Unbeknownst to many, post-natal depression, while significantly higher in number in new mothers, can affect new fathers as well. Furthermore, the birth of his child unfortunately coincided with the early waves of COVID-19 pandemic. This led to intensified feelings of anxiety and isolation for the YouTuber.
Overwhelmed by his negative emotions and dark days, he eventually reached out, and got professional help. He was prescribed medication to help him cope with his depression. The initial days of home isolation combined with anxiety of caring for a newborn were, at times, too much for him. In his own words, “They (the days with severe depression three years ago) affected me loads.” He had even appeared on a LadBible interview to talk about his struggle with post-natal depression and challenges of fatherhood.
After emerging successful in his fight with severe depression. DanTDM claims he started noticing the signs of depression creeping up again last year. However, this time, already familiar with the signs and symptom, he decided to get ahead of it and seek help before things got out of hand – “I could easily see the signs of depression again.” Reluctant to rely completely on medications, as they did solve the problem for him last time but limited him creatively, this time around he decided to opt for therapy. He began work with a Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) provider on a weekly basis.
‘I just feel like a new person now’: DanTDM shares his experience with CBT
DanTDM states that these sessions were extremely helpful for his recovery, quoting ‘I just feel like a new person now’. He admits that it’s a long process but urges his fans, who might be suffering from mental health issues, to seek appropriate help. After a couple of months, DanTDM no longer needs to go in for a therapy session each week. He reports that now, since he’s started getting back on his feet again, his sessions are reduced to a mere monthly visit.
While struggling with depression, it’s not a surprise that his channel work took a hit. He claimed that during these times, he just ‘wanted to sit alone in a dark room all day’. Having posted only nine videos over the last six months, he opened up about his plans to create more engaging content, trying get back to the simple joy of gaming for the fun of it. During these times, he appreciates his fans for their support to the short, 60 second videos he has been uploading.
DanTDM appreciates his fans and wants to ‘do a massive Minecraft video’ for them
With the renewed enthusiasm and fresh outlook on life he gained after working on himself, he divulged his plans for the future, expressing his eagerness to get back to Minecraft. He hinted towards his intentions to do a ‘massive’ Minecraft video to create something spectacular for his fans. DanTDM also expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support and love of his followers and fans. He thanked them for understanding his troubles and credited their support as a motivator that immensely helped him during his recovery. Furthermore, he expressed the wish for anyone who thinks they might be suffering from mental health issues to gain access to help, sharing some resources and helplines in the description for his fans.
