Teenage Depression and Finding Help: The Beginning of Hope in Lacey’s Story

At 14, Lacey didn’t have the words to describe her depression—just the tears, the withdrawal, and the deep confusion of feeling broken despite a stable life. In this powerful episode, she reflects on what changed everything: finding a therapist who listened, getting the right diagnosis, and hearing her grandmother share a life-changing truth—“You’re not alone.”

Now a social worker, Lacey shares her full-circle journey from silently suffering teen to mental health advocate. Her story is a beacon of hope, especially for anyone wondering if life can get better. It can. This is the beginning of that hope.

Primary Topics Covered:

• What teenage depression looks like without a clear external trigger
• Lacey’s transformation from outgoing to withdrawn at age 14
• The emotional and physical symptoms that signaled deeper struggles
• The impact of being heard, understood, and validated in therapy
• Why finding the right therapist—and sticking with it—matters
• How hearing her grandmother’s story changed Lacey’s life
• What “the beginning of hope” feels like for someone with depression
• Lessons learned through lived experience and professional practice
• How vulnerability creates powerful human connection
• Why mental health is a spectrum, not a fixed diagnosis

Timestamps:

00:00 Podcast intro and welcome to Season 19
01:02 Lessons from interviewing hundreds of people with depression
02:07 Letting conversations flow beyond expectations
03:20 Meet Lacey and her early experience of depression at 14
04:46 From energetic extrovert to isolated introvert
05:28 When the crying wouldn’t stop: recognizing something deeper
06:46 Therapy begins—and everything starts to change
07:55 Learning mental health matters just as much as physical health
08:53 Medication trials, therapy, and building emotional awareness
10:07 Why sadness isn’t the enemy—and acceptance is key
10:39 The importance of finding the *right* therapist
11:43 A conversation with her grandmother changes everything
13:06 “The beginning of hope” and the power of shared family stories
13:54 How vulnerability became her greatest strength as a social worker
14:20 The blurry line between mental health and mental illness
15:34 Rethinking mental illness as human responses to inhuman circumstances
16:06 Gratitude for therapists who help us hold space for all we feel
16:52 Remembering that no one is happy all the time—and that’s okay
17:34 Tease for part two: recovery, peer support, and deeper connection

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