Tamra Judge recently revealed that she is "on the spectrum."
However, shortly after sharing the news on the October 15 episode of her podcast Two Ts in a Pod, Tamra took to her Instagram Stories with a clarification. "Even though I check almost all the boxes, it's an on going evaluation and I will continue to figure out more through therapy," she wrote. Thank you for all your DM's. Not sure I'm ready for this ride."
Prior to posting the update, The Real Housewives of Orange County cast member 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."
"What does that mean going forward?" Teddi asked.
"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," the mom of four continued. "My biggest problem is working through trauma, trauma that I had in my life."
As Tamra explained, she's "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," she explained. "After talking and going through everything, my emotions, I have a hard time with empathy and feeling other people's feelings."
Tamra also shared that she learned the news just a few minutes before recording the podcast. "I haven't even talked to Eddie [Judge]," she admitted.
What does it mean to be "on the spectrum"?
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."
What's next for Tamra after her diagnosis?
Though Tamra didn't have a lot of time to process her diagnosis before recording the podcast, she noted that "there's gonna have to be a lot of huge changes moving forward with certain things."
She then recounted the conversation she just had with her therapist. "She [told] me, 'You have really bad social anxiety, very much. Like you say, I just want to be at home, I just want to be at home.'"
Tamra went on to explain how this has come out when she's been on RHOC. "I see things very black and white, and when somebody's wrong, I need to expose them," Tamra continued. "I need to. It's like something inside of me just has to... Because I am a brutally honest person."
Tamra ultimately concluded that, "It's gonna be a rough few months."
