Mental Health Resources for Youth and Young Adults

Ashley is a Masters Student in Psychology at the University of Cincinnati.  In addition, she works at the Lindner Center of Hope in the Adolescent Unit for Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  Ashley shares her #iAM1N5 journey of living.  Ashley began self-harming and developed an eating disorder at the age of 12 as a result of depression.  She was in and …

This week for Warrior Wednesday, Chastity Haxton, a retired college athlete, cheerleading coach, graduate student, friend, and mental health advocate shared her #IAM1N5 story of living with generalized anxiety disorder, depression and PTSD. She talks about how being a competitive athlete impacted her mental illnesses causing her to struggle with eating disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Follow along to see …

This week for Warrior Wednesday, Jack Browner, an older brother of five, friend, boyfriend, dog owner, and want-to-be golf pro, shared his #iAM1N5story of living with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, substance abuse disorder, and his experience with a suicide attempt. He talked about how his symptoms started in high school, culminating with a 2-week stay at an inpatient facility when …

Happy #WarriorWednesday! Meet Meagan Connley, an introvert, highly sensitive person, cat mom, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She is sharing her #iAM1N5 journey of living with anxiety and her experience with depression and eating disorders. Meagan remembers her eating disorder starting in high school. Her parents noticed a change in her behavior and appearance, and they got help for …

This week for #WarriorWednesday, Arlo Speaking, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter and university student, shared her #iAM1N5 journey of living with an anxiety disorder, ADHD and a bug phobia. At age 9, Arlo and her family moved to a new town with a new school, and that’s when she began to develop acne. She says living with acne on top of meeting …

This week for #WarriorWednesday, Christa Estes Smith shared her #iAM1N5 journey of losing her husband to suicide. Check out her story below, and if you would like to share your story, send us a message on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! I’ve never thought of myself as a warrior but after forgiving my husband Scott for taking his life, I did …

Meet Todd, a student of human and social sciences, creative writer and poet, and believer in Christ. Todd is sharing his #iAM1N5 journey of living with anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and addiction. As a child coming from an abusive household, Todd remembers being angry a lot. Later in life, he spent time in and out of prison, which is where …

This week for #WarriorWednesday, Erin Horn shared her #FindYourPath story. Her family has been participating in the Warrior Run since 2017, and they run in honor of her brother, who lost his years-long battle with substance abuse as a result of underlying mental health conditions. Erin’s family loves to participate in the Warrior Run because they feel it’s a great …

Meet Ellie Kraft, a mother of three boys and high school guidance counselor who is sharing her story of living with anxiety and experiencing depression in the past. She recalls beginning to experience depression and anxiety in her teenage years and both resurfacing again when she had twin boys at age 30. She reached out to her doctor and got …

Meet Mindy, a high school English teacher, deep thinker, coffee drinker, and outdoor enthusiast. For #WarriorWednesday, she is sharing her story of living with anxiety disorder and OCD. She was diagnosed about 15 years ago, and she said her symptoms came on very suddenly. While in a meeting, she began having intrusive thoughts and a panic attack. Not knowing what was …

This week on #WarriorWednesday, Chris Wood shared his mental health journey living as a trans man for Men’s Mental Health Week. Chris lives with generalized anxiety, major depression, and PTSD. He says going to therapy helps him work through his mental illness, and he wants anyone else who may be struggling out there to know that you are not alone! …

Meet Jade, an incoming freshman at Xavier University who lives with depression and anxiety, and has experienced suicidal thoughts and self-harm. She started experiencing depression and anxiety during her freshman year of high school, and she describes it as feeling like she was in a dark tunnel with no one else around. A friend at school noticed cuts on her …

Meet William Raschke, a 34-year-old father of 4 living with borderline personality disorder, PTSD and generalized anxiety. William remembers his first diagnosis around 2nd grade. He was diagnosed with ADHD, and he recalls being very anxious, disruptive and depressed throughout elementary school. He was later diagnosed with generalized anxiety when working to get into the Coast Guard. After a while, …

Meet Caroline McKeown, who is sharing her #iAM1N5 story of living with generalized anxiety disorder and her experience with depression and suicidal thoughts in the past. She was diagnosed with anxiety at 13-years-old but remembers feeling anxious since childhood. When she was in 7th grade, she was harassed by a classmate and reported him to the administration. When he found …

On Wednesday, April 1st, Allie Owen shared how she is #CopingwithCOVID by creating a routine in these uncertain times. She talks about how having a routine can help relieve stress. She also says not to put too much pressure on yourself right now. It’s okay if you’re just doing your best!

Meet Georgia, a high school student who is sharing her journey of living with genetic anxiety and recovering from depression. She was born with generalized anxiety and recalls small signals growing up, which gradually got bigger as she got older, but she recalls experiencing depression due to a toxic friendship. She began showing signs of depression, withdrawing from friends and …

Meet Logan, who is sharing her story of living with Bipolar Depression. She started feeling really down during her freshman year of high school and began pushing people away. She recalls spending more and more time alone in her room and less and less time doing the things that used to make her happy, like playing tennis or hanging out …

Meet Daniel Henderson, who is sharing his journey of living with alcoholism, PTSD, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.  He remembers being restless as a kid and using sports and outdoor activities to release some of his energy. He was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age and remembers not liking the way he felt while on various ADHD …

Meet Delaney Sprague, a Xavier University student who is sharing her story of living with anxiety, depression and borderline ADHD behaviors. She remembers having anxious feelings since she was a child, especially when it comes to swimming competitively. Her fear of failure in competing began to expand into other aspects of her life. After opening up about her experience, her …

Meet Carissa Parker, a senior at the Summit Country Day School who is sharing her journey of living with panic disorder, social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and experiencing self-harm and suicidal thoughts and tendencies. She recalls her panic attacks becoming an almost-daily occurrence in 7th grade, and she says it got to the point it was interfering with her …

Meet Brittany Wells, a Xavier University student who is living with ADHD, anxiety, OCPD, generalized anxiety disorder, and “being a general goof ball.” Brittany recalls being singled out because of her learning differences, which eventually led to her being prescribed adderall in high school. She talks about feeling herself entering a dark place and having suicidal thoughts. She reached out …

Meet Brooke Pitman. She’s sharing her story of living with social anxiety and depressive disorders. She first started experiencing symptoms in middle school, and she began withdrawing from social activities and anything that put her in the spotlight. She quit cheerleading in eighth grade, and she stopped interacting in classes. Her peers and educators became concerned and recommended her to …

Meet Chase, a 20-year-old student at Cincinnati Christian University, who is living with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and an eating disorder. She also has experienced depression and suicidal ideation in the past. Chase talks about how her anxiety began in her early school years with bullying and negative comments from her classmates. It gradually progressed until she experienced suicidal thoughts shortly …

Meet Kyle, who is here to share his story of living with anxiety, depression and anger issues. He has struggled with finding his identity and coming to terms with who he is and his place in the world. Now, he works to help others find their way through motivational speaking.

Cameron is being so brave in sharing his story of living with depression, anxiety, anorexia, and body dysmorphia and has experienced self-harming tendencies. He describes it as being in this closed room and the walls are closing in and there’s really no escape.

Meghan shares her story of living with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, and how she has experienced self-harm and suicidal ideation. Meghan explains how college life and being away from home triggered a relapse but seeing a counselor at school helped her work through it.

Meet Jacqui, a Cincinnati State student studying Paramedic Science, who’s living with depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder with a history of suicidal thoughts and self-harm. She remembers the feeling of sadness when she was in Junior High without a “real reason” to justify the sadness. Jacqui wants to send the message that mental illness isn’t something you can just …

Jadyn shares her story on living with depression and bipolar disorder and how her diagnosis isn’t defining her.  Jadyn says, although it was hard admitting she needed help, talking to her therapist really started to change her path and make a difference. She wants everyone to know that it’s okay to get help, you can have feelings and it’s okay …

Abby is sharing her story of overcoming her anxiety and depressive episodes that began five years ago when she was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, which is when certain triggers can cause your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly. That leads to reduced blood flow to the brain, causing you to briefly lose consciousness. This condition required Abby to …

Danielle, a Xavier University student, is here to share her story of living with depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder. We are so thankful that she and so many others are coming forward to share their powerful stories and help us stop the stigma surrounding mental health for all!

It’s #WarriorWednesday and also the first day of  Mental Health Month and today we are showing our love for everyone out there surviving and thriving by sharing the journey of one of our brave warriors who survived severe emotional, psychological, and financial abuse from her partner. But with the help of the Lindner Center of Hope, she survived. She’s strong. And she’s …

Meet, Erin Gardner, an Ohio University student, who lives with anxiety, depression, and has experienced self-harm and suicidal ideation.  Erin explains how diagnosed anxiety can feel indescribable, like you’ve done nothing and everything wrong all at the same time. We think Erin is so brave because she faced her fears of being honest with her doctor in front of her mom for …

Meet Kelly, a student at Mount St. Joseph University, who lives with anorexia, depression, anxiety, and has experienced self harm in the past.  Kelly was first hospitalized when she was just 17 years old. And we are so proud of her for seeking help even when those around her doubted the need, she knew something wasn’t right and insisted on getting herself …

Meet Emma Benz, a nursing student at Xavier University, who lives with generalized anxiety disorder and depression and has experienced an eating disorder. Emma talks about how struggling with anorexia made her miss out on joining her field hockey team in the state tournament and how DBT therapy finally helped her sustain her recovery. Emma wants to be the psychiatric nurse that …

Meet J.B. Whitehouse, who turned a life of addiction to mask severe depression and anxiety into a career of helping others overcome the same obstacles he once faced. Thanks, J.B. for being brave enough to get help, to share your story and to now help others! ‘Before I got sober, I thought I was terminally unique, that no one had ever …

Meet Tim who says: “You’re not alone. Your story matters. Your pain matters. The things you’re going through are strengthening you more than you can ever imagine.” Tim lives with persistent depression, with episodes of major depression, as well as generalized anxiety disorder. In his video, Tim talks about how the deception of depression led him to really dark places …

Meet Stacey, a mother, wife, and scientist who’s been living with anxiety and depression since her teen years and is also a trauma survivor. Her message is one of perseverance, resilience, transparency and hope…and we love her for every bit of it! Stacey B. Lane, you are brave, strong and a huge inspiration to all our Warriors out there! #warriorwednesday #mentalhealth #stopthestigma

Meet Kate, a Turpin High School student, who lives with emetophobia (the fear of vomiting) and depression. She explains how no matter what she’s doing the fear is in the back of her mind and she’s consumed with thinking of ways to prevent it. Kate found finally receiving a diagnosis relieving because it validated her feelings. Now she’s finding help through exposure …

Meet Nick, a senior at Summit Country Day, who lives with clinical depression, anxiety disorder, and suicidal thoughts. He explains how his sleep issues, extreme fatigue, and wanting to “melt into the couch” were overlooked symptoms until he realized it was all connected to his mental health. Nick’s goal is to create a society where people talk about their mental …

It’s #WarriorWednesday! Meet Patrick, former UC quarterback, who lives with severe anxiety, mild depression, and perfectionism. As a successful athlete at an early age, Patrick experienced perfectionism at it’s highest which led to crippling anxiety, and also, sadly he experienced bullying even from his own teammates. Now, as an adult he’s driven to be successful following his passions of owning his …

Meet Tyler, who is overcoming alcoholism one day at a time and has been sober for FIVE YEARS now! Tyler’s story is so relatable and honest. He remembers the period of denial and comparison to others: “No. I’m just like everyone else. I go out. I have fun. I get hammered. I move on. Except…I couldn’t. Because I can see …

Meet Justin who is sharing his brave journey with depression and how the ripple effect of trauma and mental illness can impact everyone in a family. We thank Justin for being so incredibly strong and outspoken! His story is so relatable and will save lives!

Meet warrior, Alyssa. She’s a local high school student who’s been living with severe depression since the age of six. We love that she’s brave enough to talk about her struggles with depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and comparison and how medication and therapy have changed her life. Thanks, Alyssa for being so open and making others feel less alone.  

(*Trigger Warning*) Meet Lauryn Powers, a brave Wright State University student, sharing her story about living with bipolar II disorder, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. She shares how her dealing with her mother’s mental illness and the loss of her grandfather impacted her life and led to her seeking professional help for her mental health at the Lindner Center of Hope.

Meet John, a fellow Cincinnatian and author, who lives with bipolar disorder with psychotic features, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. John shares his struggle, his breaking points, his turning points, and how writing about his experiences helped him find strength and clarity.

Meet Lindy, a freshman at The Ohio State University, who lives with anxiety and has experienced depressive episodes. She explains what it felt like to “always dread something that wasn’t there” and how her friends played a huge role in her seeking help. Lindy says, “Speaking out doesn’t mean that your weak. It means that you’re stronger than whatever is inside …

Meet Sydney, a local high school senior living beyond her depression, self-harm, and suicide ideation. At an early age, Sydney survived the trauma of physical and sexual abuse, bullying, and losing a parent. Her story is one of survival and triumph over circumstances that were out of her control and now she’s owning her painful past by telling her truth! …

Meet Allie. She’s currently living with anxiety and depression and has also been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Allie is incredibly brave to talk openly about her mental health journey, what it’s like to get help and the comfort in joining others in recovery that understand exactly what you’re going through.

Meet Michael, a University of Cincinnati student who lives with anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation. Michael candidly share his struggles with mental illness, his path to recovery, and how he’s breaking the mental health stigma for other UC students by creating the Bearcat Support Network.

Meet Darnell, who spoke at our 2017 Spring4Life event and has been advocating for self-acceptance and living beyond your mental health diagnosis. Darnell is an actor and model who has lived with generalized anxiety disorder from a very young age. Watch his brave and honest story here.

Last Saturday, we were so honored to have The Ohio State University student and Mariemont City Schools graduate, Brooke Kelly speak about her journey, the spiral, the people that helped her seek treatment, and the continuing need for empathy in our society. To share the details of her story with such vulnerability and honesty, Brooke proved that she is living beyond her diagnosis on …

Meet Nick Goepper, an Olympic & X Games medalist who’s won gold, silver, and bronze medals for his talents on the slopes; however, he still struggles with highs and lows just like the rest of us. We hope you find inspiration and empowerment from listening to his story, a story he shared live with those that attended our annual Spring4Life …

Meet Molly Sullivan, a Miami University student, who lives with anxiety and has experienced depression in her past. Molly speaks about what it’s like to be screaming for help on the inside but yet so fearful to say the words. Luckily, she had a great friend by her side that helped her voice what she couldn’t say on her own.

Meet Megan, a University of Toledo student who lives with depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Megan wants to spend her whole life telling people that “your life is worth living and there are ways to survive anything that you’re going through.” Thanks, Megan, for being brave enough to share your story! You are empowering others and saving lives!

We are so proud of James Avant IV, not only for openly and honestly sharing his story with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), but also for overcoming his mental health obstacles and using them to create a successful business, OCD Cakes, that he created to “take a bite out of the stigma of mental health”. Thanks, James for allowing us to share your …

Meet Ruku, a 12th grader who lives with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Her story is very powerful and relatable for so many. Thanks, Ruku for being brave enough to share your story!

Meet Maeve, who lives with alcohol and substance abuse addiction and bipolar disorder. She’s telling her story to let everyone know you CAN recover and to honor all of her friends she’s lost to addiction and mental illness.

Meet Caleb, a local college student who currently lives with depression, and has experienced anorexia, anxiety, and suicide ideation. In his story he describes feeling the need to “man up” and “power through” as many of our youth, especially males, feel pressured to do. Click to see more of his touching story and how he’s living to be more than …

Living with Asperger’s is not an easy feat. It never is. imagine yourself in a room full of people. All of those people are laughing and mingling. Meanwhile, you aren’t. You’re sitting there in the corner all alone, watching everyone make nice with each other. Nobody doesn’t even acknowledge that you’re there. You just sit there, crushed from the inside. …

Meet Leif, a brave Turpin High School student living with depression, extreme anxiety, cutting, and suicidal ideation. We love that he’s spreading love and acceptance and feels that “humans aren’t made to be perfect, we all have our flaws” and “there’s nothing wrong with getting help.” By acknowledging his weakness, he has found strength and has taken more power over …

Meet this mom, wife and professional who lives with OCD, depression and anxiety. Even though she’s experienced discrimination in the workplace and discouraging comments from doctors, she’s making the most of living life beyond her diagnosis!

Meet Caden, a Turpin High School student living with anxiety and proving she’s more than her diagnosis! We love her courage to speak out!

Meet Lauren, a local college student, who’s sharing her story about living with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and how she’s more than just her mental illness.

Meet Olivia Griffith​, an Ohio University​ student sharing her incredibly BRAVE story on how she’s living with anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts.

Meet Natalie, a Miami University student who’s living with anxiety, depression and has experienced anorexia in her past. After seeking treatment, she’s proving that she’s no longer a prisoner to her illnesses and is brave enough to share her story.

Meet Dakota, a student at the University of Dayton living with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders all while still proving she’s more than her mental illness.

Meet Eryn, a senior at the University of Cincinnati. She’s brave enough to share her journey with general anxiety disorder, intermittent depression, and ADHD and explains how working through her diagnosis made her feel.

Meet Jessica as she shares the story of her struggle with bipolar disorder, alcoholism, grieving her father’s passing, and the moment she realized she had a choice to survive.  Stay tuned for part 2 of Jessica’s story where she speaks on the impact her struggle had on her family.

I thought life was great. I was chasing this idea of perfection and as I chased that idea of perfection, I lost myself. For me what I was surprised about my depressive episode is that it came when I thought I finally had created that perfect life.

I live with anxiety and have experienced depression. When I was going through this I felt like I was the only one. I felt like I didn’t have anyone to understand what I was going through. But once I got through I noticed there were so many other people that understood and were there for me.

I live with anxiety and have experienced depression, self harm and suicidal ideation. Depression numbed me but anxiety made me fear that numbness. It felt like I was just a shell of myself. In the 8th grade I realized I need to get help. My mom walked through the fire with me. I realized you have to let people be …

Mental illness  is very complex. We want to assign illnesses to specific characteristics and labels. If you don’t fit into the box we invalidate the person or deny them the support they deserve. I think it is convenient to label people then expect them to act out in a certain way.

I live with bipolar disorder. It started in middle school. I was starting to sleep alot more than normal, I didn’t want to hang out with my friends, I wasn’t motivated to do my school work. It progressively got worse. It became really bad my sophmore year in high school. I was completely a slave to my bipolar disorder. I …

I live with OCD, depression and anxiety. My OCD followed me around wherever I went. I was in a constant state of fear. I realized that if I wanted to have a relationship with my family I needed to get help.

My senior year things started to change. I noticed that there was change in the way that I perceived myself. I started having panic attacks. My anxiety started to affect my relationships with other people. The way you are feeling and what you are going through is valid.

I experienced depression. I started to not be myself anymore. I went to school and didn’t talk to anyone. I realized it wasn’t going to get better for me and I tried to hurt myself but I just couldn’t do it.  Because in that moment I thought of all the people that support me.

Students talk about their mental health journeys.

Carley, I live with excoriation. It’s a coping mechanism that I know is not healthy. It’s so important to talk about mental health because it’s not something I can just stop.

I’m Beth and I lost my 21 year son to suicide. I struggled with the grief and subsequently the depression. The stigma is what’s crazy. I wholeheartedly believe that mental health is not any different than physical health.

I’m Ellie a senior in high school and I live with anxiety, depression and an eating disorder. I take it day by day and it gets better. Recovery is a journey.