‘Teen Mom OG’: Tyler Baltierra Attempted Suicide At 11 Due To Depression?

“Teen Mom OG” star Tyler Baltierra has opened up about his harrowing experience more than a decade ago. The 26-year-old has admitted that he attempted to commit suicide then after feeling depression for the first time.

Baltierra and partner Catelynn Lowell, also 26, recently sat down for the podcast “Voices for Change 2.0.” to discuss their mental health with co-hosts Joe and Rebecca Lombardo. In the course of the interview, Baltierra decided to shed light on his suicide attempt when he was still very young,

“That’s where I first started feeling depressed,“ he said of the time when he was struggling in school. He then added how it didn’t help that his father was going in and out of prison at the time. When these things took a toll on him at the young age of 11, he tried to kill himself. “At 11, though, that’s when I attempted suicide and failed. I was on antidepressants a bit.”

Baltierra went on to say that since then he has been diagnosed with depression multiple times. “I’ve been diagnosed with depression here and there whenever I’ve gone back to therapy and whatnot. 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 said.

Baltierra admitted that he was shocked to hear his latest diagnosis, but he said that it does make sense to him looking back at his mental illness journey. “That was pretty shocking to figure out, but also it made a lot of sense back to when I was young. It was weird. But getting back into therapy, I’ve been managing that stuff.”

Baltierra isn’t the only one battling with mental illness though. His partner for over 10 years also has her own struggles. In fact, Lowell was recently diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after entering rehab late last year due to her suicidal thoughts and returning to the facility again this January to deal with childhood trauma. In February, it was revealed on their MTV show that Lowell had actually suffered the miscarriage of their third child together, as pointed out by People.

“For me, it’s panic disorder, PTSD — I like to call myself a trauma survivor – and it’s depression, but it’s co-occurring depression or something like that,” Lowell said during the podcast. “It surprised me to know that I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was really shocked by it. but it makes a lot of sense too. That’s my newest diagnosis.”

The “Teen Mom OG” actress, who has been in and out of rehab due to her struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, then urged listeners to open up to others if they feel like they are going through a similar situation. “Don’t be ashamed, talk to somebody, and find a therapist you like, even if you have to go through three. You can get through it and change as long as you are willing to put in the work. Remember that your past does not define you.”