TEEN MOM OG Catelynn’s anxiety and mental health issues tied to past trauma, pregnancy

Teen Mom OG’s Catelynn Lowell has definitely been through quite a bit in her life. She’s very candid with her struggles and seeks help, often inpatient treatment, when times get tough.

She’s had family issues since she was young and was in a tough spot when she got pregnant with her now-husband’s baby as a teen. At the time they were in a desperate situation and the most loving thing they could do was place their baby in adoption.

They’ve since found a great deal of success and financial stability with their long-running reality. When they were selected to film 16 & Pregnant, however, they had no idea it would turn into something that would turn their lives around. The success for Catelynn and Tyler has been bittersweet, and they’ve both had struggles with things like depression and anxiety as they try to find a way to cope with their pasts.

In a clip from tonight’s episode of Teen Mom OG, cameras follow Catelynn backstage as she appears on the Dr. Oz Show to talk about her mental health and treatment.

Catelynn tells Dr. Dow that her inpatient treatment was “amazing.” She revealed that the most important thing she learned from her stay there was that her “anxiety stems from trauma.”

Dr. Dow goes on to further pinpoint all how many of Catelynn’s traumatic life experiences are linked to pregnancy: “adoption, miscarriage, some of the issues in your family – because all of that is a loss, you have an Achilles heel and it’s all pregnancy, babies adoption.”

He goes on to praise Catelynn for being so open about her mental health struggles and speaking out about it because there’s still a long way to go to educate the public about these issues and combat stigma.

Trauma that happens any time in life, but especially early on, can have a profound ripple effect on later mental health. With Catelynn sharing her journey she definitely helps others in similar positions feel less alone and possibly seek help that turns their lives around.

Amelia Cunningham is a Starcasm writer and editor @AmeliaStarcasm