A former Miss America winner has spoken out about her struggle with depression, which left her contemplating suicide.
Teresa Scanlan, who won the crown in 2011 at the age of 17, says public criticism and back-to-back engagements led to a mounting pressure that ultimately became too much to bear.
'I was hiking the Scotts Bluff National monument. Growing up, it was always my favorite place, but this time was different,' she told ABC News while holding back tears. 'I was just falling apart and very strongly contemplating jumping off the top.'
At 17, the Gereng, Nebraska native was the youngest to win the title in more than 70 years, an accomplishment she felt proud of at the time.
But she revealed that the pressure from the public throughout the year she wore the crown, added to the pressure she put on herself, built up, causing her to feel depressed.
'People just completely tearing me down and ripping me to shreds every day,' she explained.
'To some people I was too conservative, to some I was too liberal. To some people I'm too pretty, to some I'm too ugly.'
Much of the criticism she received was from fellow Christians who slated her for competing in a swimsuit competition.
'There were a lot of people commenting [on Facebook] that they didn't believe that it was congruent with Christianity,' she said.
Today, though, Miss Scanlan has happily turned over a new leaf and is currently taking medication to treat her depression.
She hopes by speaking out, she can help others who are in similar situations.
'It's not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about,' she said of her depression.
'But rather to understand you can make it through, and there's hope on the other side. And to never give up.'
Now, at 19, Miss Scanlan is trying to live a normal life, and has just begun her sophomore year at Patrick Henry College, a conservative Christian school outside Washington, D.C.
'Here, I can just be another student,' she said.
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