Gemma Spake

I did that for like 18 years of my life.

As a child, I literally used to have to stare at the sun.

constantly to reassure myself it wasn't going to explode.

I genuinely think I've done permanent damage to my eyes because of that.

That was for me a sign of OCD and that's just some examples.

Behind every increase in numbers we are seeing in society that for some people may point to an epidemic, for some people may indicate that people are putting it on, the stories like mine are what is behind this.

It's just individuals who are finally understanding themselves.

One final point on this, there was something this other paper I read spoke about that reflects why rates are increasing all of a sudden.

And that's because the way that stigma has been slowly reduced over the past few decades, not completely, but it's definitely been reduced.

And that's meant that a diagnosis is no longer scary.

This has allowed people to accept something about themselves or their child, for example, that they may have always known.

This paper in particular discussed how parents that used to be historical examples of parents who actually would avoid getting a formal diagnosis for their child, even though medical advice was very clear that this child had ADHD or had autism.

Because they were concerned about how a label might negatively impact their kids.

Or they had misinformation about how diagnoses were recorded in medical records.

And they thought that that label might get out as they tried to apply for uni or work or went on to do other things.

And so they felt like it was the right decision to not get their child diagnosed and not perhaps put a barrier in their way that was previously like...

definitely was a barrier, right?

Back then the stigma was so intense that, and still is in many ways, but back then especially, they thought that they were doing the right thing.

They thought that they were protecting their child from being seen as different.

Slowly over many, many, many years, you know, we have come to realize that