Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1245

Tonight's special guest from Tallahassee, Florida a returning NAASCA family member who suffered from all kinds of abuse and grew up angry. As far as he can remember the sexual abuse he experienced started when he was two and went on until age 7. "I grew up in a constant state of fear from my parents," he said. He was always in trouble for something and he hated school, a problem that expressed itself in depression and anger. In high school it turned into a quiet rage. "By the time I graduated from high school and was going off to college, I was lost." He escaped the family by going to college in Tallahassee but found himself working in an auditing job he hated. "For the next several years, from 2000 to 2008, I would be in and out of therapy and struggle with anger, depression, and thoughts of suicide." In 2008, he was diagnosed with PTSD and major depressive disorder. A few months after this he stopped abusing alcohol. In 2013 his life changed again. "I finally made up my mind to end my life," he writes. "I decided that I'd had enough." But then he had a moment of reflection. A friend's funeral had came to mind. He's in a much better place now. "Presently, I am interning at an organization that works to find housing for local veterans who are in a state of homelessness. I love it." He's making amazing progress. "I am now in a place where I feel like I really fit in and am accepted for who I am." Having returned to academia, he'll be graduating with an MSW on Dec 12th, the day after he appears on this show.