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Tamra Judge Speaks Out After Sharing She's on the Spectrum: "Working on Myself"
The RHOC cast member is shedding new light on her recent diagnosis.
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Tamra Judge is shedding new light on her health journey after revealing on Oct. 15 that she had recently began therapy and learned that she's "on the spectrum."
The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member, more specifically, took to social media shortly after she made the revelation on her podcast, Two Ts in a Pod.
"I started therapy because this year had been really hard on me. I started feeling really insecure, I was having intrusive thoughts, and I didn’t wanna leave my house unless I had to. I even considered just being admitted into a mental health facility," Tamra's Oct. 15 social media statement began. "In my conversations with my therapist, who I’ve known for years, we talked about a lot over the course of two hours. And she told me that many of the things about me — like how I process information, my sensory issues, my social anxiety, my aversion to eye contact with new people, my not wanting to be out of my routine, etc. — were all signs of being on the spectrum."
Tamra then acknowledged that "on the spectrum" is "such a broad term."
"I don’t really understand it fully, and my therapist told me more evaluation was needed," she continued. "But when I sat down at the mic to record my podcast 15 minutes later and my head was spinning from what she had said, I had no time to process things, or even talk to my family — I was just back at work. And I was so emotional, I just blurted it out."
After the podcast episode went live, Tamra said she felt the urge to "remove" her reveal, "but I’m used to being so open with everything in my life, I thought against it."
Now, she's not so sure that was the right call. "I just want to take people through the journey with me as I’ve always done, but I realize now I spoke too soon publicly, and that processing this with such an onslaught of negative comments has been horrible," Tamra explained. "If you know me, you know I don’t like to look weak or play the victim. I also hate labels, just as much as I hate excuses. But I’m working on myself — not a TV show; to be a better person for me and the people around me."
"I have past trauma that is deep and painful. This is something I’ve suppressed for 15 years. But I’m finally getting the help I need, and I’m proud of myself for that. So as much as I appreciate the amazing people who reached out, I think it’s best to move forward more privately until I get to a better mental space. My mental health is just not strong enough where I can be judged and hated on right now. Yes, I’m admitting I'm weak. And I’m okay with that right now," Tamra concluded.
Details about Tamra Judge's diagnosis
Prior to sharing the clarifying statement, Tamra had told her podcast co-host Teddi Mellencamp on the show, "I just did my first therapy session. Let's just say I found out something pretty big about myself that I didn't know... I am on the spectrum."
Teddi asked what that meant for Tamra moving forward, prompting her to reply, "We're trying to work through that. I have a really hard time processing stuff. I have a lot of sensory issues — sound, light, touch — but [my therapist] says that's not my biggest problem. My biggest problem is working through trauma, trauma that I had in my life."
She went on to note that for most of her life, she was "just a person that thought that things were black and white."
"I grew up with a family that didn't have a lot of empathy or love or whatever, so I just transpired [sic] that on to my adult life," Tamra continued. "After talking and going through everything, my emotions, I have a hard time with empathy and feeling other people's feelings."
What does "on the spectrum" mean?
Tamra didn't share what exactly her diagnosis was beyond saying she's "on the spectrum," but per the National Institute of Mental Health, this term refers to Autism Spectrum Disorder, which "is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave."
