Teen Mom OG's Tyler Baltierra Reveals He Was Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder
Tyler Baltierra revealed a recent health diagnosis on Monday night’s Teen Mom OG reunion.
The MTV personality, 26, shared that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after speaking about how his wife Catelynn Baltierra‘s suicidal thoughts affected him throughout season 7 of the reality series.
“What I’m noticing … you seem a little depressed to me,” said Dr. Drew, the show’s host.
“Or what you’ve been diagnosed with,” interjected Catelynn, 26.
This prompted Dr. Drew’s interest and he asked Tyler, “What have you been diagnosed with? Bipolar?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tyler said, nodding.
After the reunion aired, a Twitter user thanked him for opening up about his diagnosis, writing, “I didn’t know you were diagnosed w/ bipolar until the Dr. Drew special tonight. Thanks for sharing that. I now see you & @CatelynnLowell are doing MH podcasts I need to listen to (great!). Oh & thanks Ty for getting me hooked on @WittLowry lol #KeepTalkingMH.”
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 #KeeptalkingMH???????? https://t.co/vtoELZZkJn
— Tyler Baltierra (@TylerBaltierra) April 24, 2018
“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 #KeeptalkingMH,” he tweeted in response.
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. I did refuse medication, but only because I wanted to try all of the natural remedies first. It’s a journey! ???????? https://t.co/1GdhH1ZbPR
— Tyler Baltierra (@TylerBaltierra) April 24, 2018
Another user asked him if he was “seeking help” while he was “juggling everything else and all that stress.” He tweeted that his diagnosis was “still so new to me” but that he was doing his best to find ways to take care of himself.
“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. I did refuse medication, but only because I wanted to try all of the natural remedies first. It’s a journey!” he tweeted.
In March, Tyler opened up about his struggles with mental illness in his youth on the podcast Voices for Change 2.0, revealing he attempted suicide when he was about 11.
“That’s where I first started feeling depressed,” he said, explaining how he was acting out in school. “And, obviously, my dad going in and out of prison all the time. At 11, though, that’s when I attempted suicide and failed. I was on anti-depressants a bit.”
RELATED: ‘Teen Mom’s’ Tyler Baltierra Says Catelynn was Thinking About ‘Ways to Kill Herself’ Before Rehab
He continued, “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.’ ”
“That was pretty shocking to figure out, but also it made a lot of sense back to when I was younger,” Tyler added. “It was weird. But getting back into therapy, I’ve been managing that stuff.”
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Catelynn has also struggled with mental illness. She entered rehab late last year to overcome suicidal thoughts and returned again in early January for childhood trauma.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
