( CNN ) -- I believe it was December of '98 when my dad passed away of an overdose . A few weeks later , around my 10th birthday , I was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and Asperger 's syndrome . It was a really rough time , especially at that age , being told I have a neurological `` disease , '' when I already felt so different . At that point I was being bullied for being different , having big ears , and now for having no dad AND for making weird faces and noises I could n't control . I was a walking target . Then my mom discovered a musical interest in me after my older sister was in musical theater at her high school . I learned all the songs from the show `` Damn Yankees '' and at the final performance , the director let me go onstage ( my first time onstage ) and perform with the cast ! I was hooked instantly and for some reason it felt right . Although I felt I had found `` my place , '' I still had to go back to my own school . The bullying just kept getting worse . I did n't know what to do anymore . I remember I even had thoughts of suicide and hurting myself . When I turned 12 , I was given a hand-me-down guitar and a chord book . I studied those basic chords and learned how to play the basic songs . Throughout this process , I figured out that no matter how bad of a day I had at school , I could come home and create my own world within the music . I could make the music as happy or as sad as I wanted it to be . I used the pain from being bullied to transform me into who I was meant to be . I knew where I was most comfortable -- on stage . But I could n't always be there , and not everyone respected my happiness . Durbin on 'Dr . Drew ' The bullying did n't end there . It just kept happening . It got so bad that I dropped out of high school . I got to the point where I could n't even focus in class because of the pestering . I told the school officials about the bullying and they did what they could , but I would rather be sitting on my butt at home than being bullied and beat up at school . A couple of years later , I met an angel who would turn out to be my beautiful wife , Heidi . I was a dropout : No job , no license , no car , no aspirations . She had a diploma , three jobs , a car AND goals . Having someone in my life who really believed in me made me believe in myself . We started dating , and I started to progress . I started a band and found a job , got my license , and soon afterward got my GED . In the midst of it all , we found out that we were expecting our sweet son Hunter . That right there is the proudest moment of my life and no famous game show or extravaganza concert can top that . Ever . Heidi and Hunter balance me . Through my adventures and heartache on `` American Idol , '' to the adventures and heartache on the road of rock ' n roll , they have always supported me . And when I 'm home , I 'm just Daddy . With whatever `` celebrity status '' I have thanks to `` American Idol , '' I really want to use it for a good purpose . I 've always been a huge fan of WWE and pro wrestling . I was approached by them after `` Idol '' to be a part of their anti-bullying campaign B.A . Star . Since then I have participated in several in-school rallies to talk to kids about my experiences being bullied and how I 've overcome them to be the man I am today . Regrets ? I 've had a few ... but then again , too few to mention , haha .
James also appeared on the 10th season of ` ` American Idol '' Durbin was bullied by his peers , causing him to drop out of high school . He used his wife and child ` ` help '' him , keep him motivated .