Former American Idol Runner Up Blames Show For PTSD

By MJ (Dana Parisi)

 David Archuleta was 17 wen he was the runner up on  Season 7 of American Idol. He had a great voice, but his stage presence was eh, which we’re guessing hurt him.   Well, now he thinks he suffered PTSD from his time on the show.  "It’s just all the pressure. You become this TV character, but it's with your own name, parts of who you actually are, but other parts that are portrayed in a way that you're not.   Then everyone feels like they know you, and they know what you are, and they know how to treat you, and have certain expectations . And eight, nine, 10, 11 years later, we're still kind of stuck in some of those patterns of thinking."   David said he wouldn’t take back his experience on the show, but he is seeing a therapist who specializes in treating former reality TV stars referred to him by fellow former contestant, Melinda Doolittle.  —