TIPS027: The Secret Depression Club with Mae L’Heureux

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TIPS029: Being Beautifully Bipolar with Elaina J. Martin
September 11, 2017

TIPS027: The Secret Depression Club with Mae L’Heureux



Mae L’Heureux is a twenty-something college graduate trying to find her way in the world. Passionate about diminishing the stigma surrounding mental illness, Mae speaks openly about her lived experience. Mae has recently started her career in the mental health field through nonprofit work. She loves spending time with her family and friends, traveling, reading, writing, and immersing herself in all things psychology.

Click to tweet: Mae L’Heureux shares her incredible journey on the i’Mpossible Project #podcast!

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Time Stamped Notes

  • 4.25 Mae remembers being as young as 6 years old and having intense anxiety
  • 5.00 Mae first thought about dying during her middle school years because of undiagnosed mental illness and bullies
  • 5.35 Mae was first prescribed antidepressants (for her anxiety) during the last month of her senior year in high school. She also started counseling then as well and didn’t like it
  • 6.45 Mae was hit with major depression during the beginning of her 2nd semester of her 1st year in college—she couldn’t eat or study or do many things
  • 7.50 Mae finally found a counselor and method that she liked (cognitive behavioral therapy, “CBT”) between freshman and sophomore years of college
  • 8.32 Between sophomore and junior years of college, Mae attempted suicide.
  • 9.08 Among the people who she credits with saving her are her college counselor and psychiatrist
  • 10.33 Mae believes there was and is a purpose for her (emotional) pain and it informs her current work in psychology and a mental health advocate. She believes the work she is currently doing is what she was made to do
  • 17.30 It took Mae more than 4 years to find the right levels of multiple psychotropic drugs that help her manage her mental illnesses
  • 29.00 Mae’s favorite catchphrase is “blessed” and if someone made a movie of her life, Taylor Swift would play the title role, and of all the places she’s visited in her young life, Alaska is her favorite (find out more fun facts about Mae in the Quick Fire Round)

Key Points

  • Persistence isn’t easy when it comes to one’s health, but it’s important to cultivate a persistent mindset to attain and manage one’s wellness
  • College campuses (depending on the size and how well funded) have a plethora of resources for persons with disabilities and severe mental illnesses—for example: in the event more time is needed on a paper or test or even special access to a lecture hall or classroom
  • People will help and support you when you need help or are in crisis—even if you’ve never met that person yet

Resources or Websites Mentioned

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

If outside the U.S., here is a list of crisis lines around the world: www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres

Online Therapy : https://www.betterhelp.com

Mae is an author in The i’Mpossible Project: Volume 1—Reengaging with Life, Creating a New You: www.iampossibleproject.com/one