The diagnosis was only recently revealed, but this star wants to be strong for fans! Now, they are sharing everything about their struggle.
Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell have struggled on-screen with the consequences of their decision since they gave their first daughter Carly up for adoption on Season 1 of 16 and Pregnant.
Making such a difficult choice at that age has had long-term implications for the couple. However, they have managed to stay together despite the publicity and attention that Teen Mom has brought the young parents.
For the past few months though, fans have speculated that the couple was facing trouble. Many have even worried that they are headed for divorce! Tyler has poked fun at the divorce rumors. In May, he posted an Instagram photo of the two, with the caption, “D*mn! I think divorce looks pretty good on us,” tagging his wife.
However, the couple’s time apart, as well as the serious issues plaguing them, has continued to fuel rumors that they are on the rocks.
The scandal started when Catelynn made a small change to her Instagram account that did not go unnoticed by fans. After years of being “Catelynn Baltierra” on her profile, she suddenly changed her last name to “Catelynn Lowell!” The small change had clear implications, and fans were quick to theorize that they were headed for divorce.
Catelynn confronted the rumors on MTV’s Total Request Live. One fan wanted to hear from the source. “Why did you decide to temporarily change your last name to Lowell on Instagram?” asked a member of the crowd.
“I think that’s funny,” Catelynn replied on the show, looking a little annoyed. “Even if I did, what if I wanted to go back to Lowell? Why does that matter?”
She explained, “I got a new phone and deleted social media, and I had to go on to post something. When I logged back in, I don’t know if it went back to the original settings or what, but people freaked out about it.” Fans uneasily accepted Catelynn’s odd explanation, but it did not kill the gossip completely.
The rumors of a separation hit an all-time high last week when Catelynn posted snapchats from Arizona.
Fans suspected that she had returned to the treatment facility in the state that she has visited in the past. They were also quick to criticize her decision.
However, Catelynn’s dad, David, informed Radar Online that she is not in treatment. He explained, “It’s couple’s counseling for a week. They are just brushing up on some therapy.”
Another source confirmed to Radar that the couple “definitely did take a break for a very short amount of time, privately.” The source explained, “They did it to just figure things out so Cate could find out who she is outside of her mental illness.” Radar reported that the couple is “working on their relationship…slowly getting to a better place.”
This is not the first time Tyler and Catelynn have hit a bump in the road. They appeared on Couples Therapy in 2013.
Though Tyler had proposed in 2012, counseling helped them make the decision that they were not ready for marriage. Tyler said to In Touch magazine, "We're just a normal couple. We're not the perfect princess story. We get in arguments and we say things that we regret. We apologize and move on."
Then, in 2014, Catelynn became pregnant with their second child and this time, they were ready to be parents. In fact, they were ready for another big step. Shortly before their daughter’s birth, Tyler proposed again and the couple married in 2015.
After she gave birth to their daughter, Novalee, Catelynn suffered from intense postpartum depression. She became dependent on weed to get her through the day. Eventually she was able to recover with treatment, but, as we all know, it wasn’t a straight path upward for Catelynn.
Catelynn went to rehab for her depression and anxiety in November. Tyler posted a photo captioned: "We just dropped her off. We haven’t held each other & just cried like that for a long time. Even after 12 years, I continue to be AMAZED by her strength, vulnerability, & courage to get help. 'As long as I am alive, you will never be alone' - It is my call to arms & I will fight this war with her right by her side, we will not surrender to this...I will go to battle EVERY TIME for her! #KeepTalkingMH”
Despite her difficulties, Catelynn is maintaining a positive attitude. “I’m seeking treatment and I WILL get better,” she said. “This won’t last forever.”
Tyler tweeted, “Incredibly proud of my wife…when she thought she had no choices left, she reached out & decided to LIVE today! My life would be desolate without her in it.”
“You are beautiful, strong, worthy, & loved,” he added.
As the most recent season of Teen Mom OG aired, it revealed the reason for her visit to rehab. Catelynn suffered a miscarriage after she got pregnant with Tyler’s third child.
Tyler has begun to follow in Catelynn’s footsteps and share his own struggles with mental health. He said Catelynn’s miscarriage “felt very similar” to the trauma of Carly’s adoption. “Carly’s a little different because we get to see her every year, but it’s a loss. I feel like you process it as a loss,” he explained.
Tyler has also opened up about his Bipolar disorder. Catelynn revealed the information when she hinted at “Tyler’s recent diagnosis” during a reunion special with Dr. Drew. When Dr. Drew asked Tyler to clarify, he revealed that he has been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.
After the show, he took to Twitter to share that he hadn’t agreed to let Catelynn share the information.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even planning on releasing that info, but once Cate mentioned about my recent diagnosis, I figured ‘what the hell!? Like why am I so against telling anyone!? It’s actually been a little easier to digest since I have been talking about it more,” he tweeted after the reunion.
A fan asked how Tyler was handling his condition and he responded, “Well tbh it’s still so new to me. So I’ve been doing non stop research on the diagnosis, the different remedies to combat the symptoms, & how to better understand it.”
He added, “I did refuse medication, but only because I wanted to try all of the natural remedies first. It’s a journey!”
The Teen Mom OG star seems to be enjoying the natural remedies!
“So today was pretty rad. Nature really is the best medicine,” Tyler captioned a photo of mountains on Instagram.
Tyler has also turned to poetry to cope with his feelings.
One poem goes:
"It’s like my brain is so scattered that the moment I feel like I get what I’m after while climbing this ladder this person in the mirror just smiles through laughter, then smacks me in the face which starts the chase to this inevitable race to feeling broken, beaten, devalued, out of place & now I’m all off pace. It just leaves me shattered and every time I think about my life, my brain becomes battered with only one question…does my life really even matter!?"
After receiving concerns about his mental health from fans, Tyler eventually reached out to clear the air.
“Listen guys, I write when I feel the emotional pain that comes from an emotional rage. I write to put some of these dark thoughts somewhere else besides my brain," he tweeted. "This is not something to get all concerned about. This is healthy for me & an outlet...”
One user wrote, “You have to WANT to get better…They seem to use it as an excuse. Oh I can’t get a job, I’m depressed. I can’t lose weight, I’m depressed. I can’t take care of my child, I’m depressed. Imagine without Teen Mom money, where would they be?”
Tyler didn’t miss a beat, shooting back,
"1. I Have 2 jobs: @TierraReign & TMOG
2. Actually just dropped 40lbs
3. I have & always will take care of Nova
4. Without TM money? I’d probably be on drugs or in prison hahaha #FACTS"
Tyler did make it very clear that he isn’t always happy about how fans view him. He wrote online, “I’m not a real human being to some of these people. To them, I’m just a soulless vessel with no feelings & my only purpose for my existence is for their entertainment & judgement. But you know what? If that makes someone truly feel better & happier, then I’m happy to do it!”
He has been clear that he will continue posting his poetry and publicizing his mental health struggles as long as they help people. He wrote on Instagram that haters “will NEVER change the fact that it’s touching people’s hearts & that’s what truly matters anyway.”
In a new poem, Tyler recently opened up about what it is like to live with Bipolar disorder.
He shared:
"Bi Polar is like dancing on the edge of a cliff. The good moods are full of endless euphoric adrenaline, but the bad moods cause a reclusive crash with an abusive rift when there’s just too much emotions to go through & sift, which makes you trip down a long hard fall when you slip after you lose that grip once that adrenaline filled dance inevitably makes you tip."
Tyler added in his caption, “I am not my diagnosis. I am in control of my perceptions and my reactions. #PoetryIsMyBrainsFreedom”
Given Tyler’s recent success with his clothing line, Tierra Reign, and his weight-loss journey, it seems that his strategies for coping with mental illness are serving him well.
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