Catelynn Lowell’s Dad Reveals Her Traumatic Childhood After PTSD Diagnosis

David Lowell is opening up about daughter Catelynn Lowell‘s difficult childhood after the Teen Mom OG cast member revealed she had been diagnosed with PTSD relating to her “trauma” growing up.

Catelynn recently returned from her latest stint in a mental health treatment center after revealing in November she had experienced suicidal thoughts following the loss of her unborn baby.

She returned to rehab twice after her initial stage to confront her childhood issues, she said, and now calls herself a “trauma survivor.”

Lowell told Radar Thursday that a relatively rootless childhood is what he thinks she is referring to when she mentions tough times growing up.

“I don’t do drugs or drink, so mostly it was when I had to move for my job when she was 12,” he told the publication. “Kids don’t realize that a dad has to do whatever it takes to pay support and insurance for their children…Even if it means moving to do so. I was never a deadbeat dad. One thing I’ve always done was to take care of the kids.”

The fact that he lived in a different state for a spell was difficult, he added.

“That we both hard time dealing with. But we called frequently,” Lowell said.

Catelynn’s mom April, with whom David is no longer with, dealt with substance abuse issues throughout Catelynn’s childhood, however, which were a major part of the earlier seasons of Teen Mom.

“What her mother did with money, many different boyfriends, and moving all the time, I couldn’t say,” Lowell said.

Since returning from her recent stint in treatment, Catelynn has been doing “wonderful,” her dad bragged.

“She’s doing her aftercare like a champ,” he added. “I did go with her to a holistic approach therapist. I believe this is her first time trying it. It involves breathing techniques, aromatic sound and of course, talking.”

After three stints in inpatient treatment, Lowell said he’s confident that his daughter will not be going back to a similar facility from here on out. “I think she’s won the battle, but staying humble about it,” he said. “It’s a lifelong affliction.”

Catelynn recently addressed her mental health struggles herself on the podcast Voices For Change 2.0.

“It surprised me to learn that I was diagnosed with PTSD,” she said. “I think a lot of people think that people in the army or marines or soldiers only get PTSD.”

She also revealed why she’s been so open with her mental health struggles.

“But for me, if I can save somebody’s life, and show them that it’s OK to not be OK sometimes and that there are things you can do to get help, that’s the only reason why I did it,” she said. “I wanted to bring awareness to mental health issues and that it’s real. Some people think if you’re depressed, well, get the hell of bed. No, that’s not how it works. I really wanted to shine a light on it and that’s why I think I was so vulnerable about it.”

Teen Mom OG airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

Photo credit: MTV