Everything is Personal

The Teen Mental Health Crisis No One Prepared You For with Austin Davis

Episode Summary

Chapters: 00:00 – My Kid, My Crisis: Austin’s Story 03:00 – The Teen Mental Health Explosion 06:30 – Why Resources Are Failing Families 10:10 – Over-Medication & Parenting Fear 13:45 – The Loss of Community & Connection 17:30 – How to Talk So Kids Open Up 22:00 – Warning Signs Parents Miss 27:00 – What Parents Should Do First 32:00 – Hope for Families in Crisis

Episode Notes

Most parents aren't prepared for the moment their teen's mental health collapses. And the system designed to help them is failing.

In this episode, Len sits down with Austin Davis, author of My Kid, My Crisis, for an unflinching conversation about the teen mental health epidemic that's quietly devastating families everywhere. Austin shares the personal story that led him from fatherhood to the front lines of adolescent treatment—and what he learned about why parents feel paralyzed, under-resourced, and completely alone when their kid is spiraling.

You'll learn:

• Why the current mental health system can't keep up with what teens are facing
• The hidden cost of over-medication and reactive parenting
• What parents actually need when crisis hits (and why they're not getting it)
• How to stop a spiral before it becomes a collapse
• The loss of co-regulation and why connection matters more than intervention

This isn't about blame. It's about clarity. If you're a parent watching your kid struggle—or you work with families in crisis—this conversation will give you language, perspective, and a path forward.