The weight of my job, the office politics and being the dad of two became too much for me. In 2011, just months after the birth of my son, I had a mental breakdown. When I began sharing my mental health issues on social media, I was told to keep them to myself because "no one wanted to hear about them." I remember being told that speaking openly about depression was my way of seeking attention. While at Baylor, I noticed my mind and my demeanor changing. I couldn’t understand why anyone would be jealous of me. People would tell me it was because my coworkers were jealous of me, but I always doubted this explanation. Two coworkers would continuously pester and pick on me - perhaps I was an easy target. However, when I worked at Baylor, I endured workplace bullying that my boss didn't encourage but also couldn’t stop. The four years I spent in Waco were, in some ways, the greatest in my life. Baylor University was one of the best places I worked at in my career. My career path in public relations and high education did not help my mental health struggles. I don't think my family knew how to handle an introverted kid.Īs I grew older, depressive episodes became more frequent. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me. As much as I would like to blame my depression on Accutane (the drug is known to have serious side effects), I was also predisposed to mental health issues. I was diagnosed with depression at age 16 after spending a year on the controversial medication Accutane to clear up my acne. And I have long way to go in continuing this work. I've long been an outspoken advocate for mental health and for men to openly share their struggles. There are no periods in my story - only a semicolon because my story isn't over.
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