They're opening up about their difficult past
Over the years, the Teen Mom cast members have become more and more vocal about their struggles with mental illnesses. Many of the cast and their loved ones have gone through therapy and treatment to start the healing process, and fans have been supportive through their struggles. But the truth is, mental illness is often a lifelong difficulty, and for many people, it starts in childhood.
This cast member’s mental illness is no secret, but now they’ve revealed a heartbreaking secret about a suicide attempt while they were only 11 years old.
Credit: MTV
Speaking Out
Source: Instagram @tylerbaltierramtv
It’s no secret that both Catelynn Lowell and her husband Tyler Baltierra have had traumatic upbringings. Their parents’ addictions made their childhoods unstable and often times abusive. Now, Catelynn and Tyler are only just beginning to work through the traumas of their past, and it’s been a focus for Catelynn in her treatment program. But Catelynn isn’t the only one who suffered.
Catelynn and Tyler decided to speak out about mental illness on the podcast “Voices for Change 2.0.” With co-hosts Rebecca and Joe Lombardo, they broached many upsetting topics, including their suicidal thoughts.
Dark Times
Credit: MTV
“I’ve been diagnosed with depression here and there whenever I’ve gone back to therapy and whatnot,” Tyler shared for his part. “Recently, I went to a new place and based on a couple of sessions I had with them, they said, ‘Look, based off a snapshot of your symptoms, we think you may be on the bipolar spectrum as well,’” he revealed. “That was pretty shocking to figure out, but also it made a lot of sense back to when I was younger. It was weird. But getting back into therapy, I’ve been managing that stuff.”
Unfortunately, Tyler hasn’t always been working things out in therapy. He revealed that he remembers feeling depressed as early as 11 years old, when he shockingly attempted suicide.
Suicide Attempt
Source: Instagram @tylerbaltierramtv
“[At 11 years old is] where I first started feeling depressed,” he said on the podcast. “And, obviously, my dad going in and out of prison all the time. At 11, though, that’s when I attempted suicide and failed.”
Tyler revealed more details about the attempt to Radar Online. The attempt took place after he was sexually abused at the age of nine.
“I tried to hang myself in the backyard of my house,” he told the outlet. But as he was struggling, he regretted his choice.
“I grabbed the rope and got it out from under my neck,” he revealed. “I ran into the house.”
It’s clear that Tyler has come a long way from this attempt. He recently shared a video with fans after he resumed therapy after he and Catelynn had a miscarriage . “I made it,” he said in the video. “I made it to my therapist appointment. Putting in a little self care today, know what I mean? Sometimes you have to put yourself ahead of some other people sometimes in life. Doesn’t mean you don’t love ’em or care about ’em. It just means you love ’em enough to put yourself first so you can be the best ‘you’ you can be.”