What I Wish I Knew as a Teenager Struggling With Depression

What would you say to your younger self if you could go back in time?

In this heartfelt episode of Giving Voice to Depression, author and advocate Charlotte Underwood shares the lessons she wishes she had known as a teenager battling depression, trauma, and suicidal thoughts.

Charlotte reflects on how isolating and confusing it was to grow up without the language or understanding of mental illness, and how she thought she’d never survive into adulthood. Now in recovery, she offers messages of compassion, validation, and hope for anyone—especially teens—who feels trapped in darkness.

Her story is both a reflection and a roadmap: a reminder that depression lies, that strength is often hidden until we need it most, and that recovery—even if imperfect—is possible.

Primary Topics Covered:

• Charlotte’s experience as a teen with undiagnosed depression and anxiety
• The role of trauma, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts in her adolescence
• The power of realizing you’re not alone in your struggle
• How stigma and silence deepen suffering
• What she wishes she had known about resilience and strength
• The importance of support from family, friends, and community
• Discovering that multiple forms of therapy and self-care exist
• Learning that the future can hold joy and love despite depression
• Her message to teens: you are not a failure, and your life is worth fighting for
• Reflections on how surviving led to unexpected love, safety, and peace

Timestamps

00:11 Introduction to the episode
 01:11 Why depression feels permanent when you’re in it
 01:36 How Charlotte’s holiday message of hope first caught attention
 02:49 Charlotte describes her teenage self and struggles
 03:49 Why she didn’t believe she had a future
 04:23 Surviving trauma, alcoholism, assault, and mental illness
 04:52 What her life looks like now at 23—healing and stability
 05:41 The joy of baking cookies and dancing with her husband
 07:10 What she wishes her younger self had known about depression
 07:56 Discovering her own hidden resilience
 08:53 Lessons about support and self-harm conversations with her father
 10:21 Keeping depression a secret and learning openness later in life
 11:59 How she separated her mother’s illness from her identity
 12:23 Finding forgiveness and compassion through her journey
 13:10 Why the future is worth fighting for, even when you can’t see it
 14:20 Her message to teenagers today: you are not a monster, you are not alone
 16:09 Hosts reflect on Charlotte’s resilience and inner strength
 17:47 The spark of hope and curiosity that keeps us going
 19:00 A message of encouragement to listeners heading into the new year

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