Washington DC [US], July 11 (ANI): 'The Real Housewives of Orange County' fame Tamra Judge discussed her mental health-related issues and also opened up about the controversy over her past claims that she had Autism, reported People.

On the season 19 premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra had a conversation with her therapist about the emotional challenges she was facing. She shared that she had 'been crying since last week's session.'

'I realized that you have to dig up those things that are buried deep inside of you, because those are the things that come out when you get angry,' she said, noting she has spent her past four months in therapy 'just talking about stuff that I don't want to talk about,' reported People.

Tamra also noted that she was struggling to deal with her trauma.

She spoke about past custody battle with ex-husband Simon Barney, her estranged daughter Sidney 'leaving me' and the absence of her father as some of the stressful topics she was afraid to approach.

'My sensory issues are heightened, my intrusive thoughts are out of control right now,' she revealed.

'And we talked about unprocessed trauma and whether or not the spectrum was part of this, because the symptoms can also mimic that,' her therapist said, adding, 'There's too many variables. It's hard to say until you get an assessment.'

Tamra opened up about the backlash she received when she shared this information. In October 2024, the reality star was hit with public criticism when she claimed that she was 'on the spectrum', a term that refers to Autism spectrum disorder, after just one therapy session and no formal diagnosis.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, this is a neurological and developmental condition that impacts a person's behavioural, social and communication patterns, with a wide range of symptoms and severity, reported by People.

'I had gone home and went on my podcast, and I misspoke. I shouldn't have said anything,' Tamra added. 'I just got annihilated, publicly annihilated.'

'It was really hurtful,' Tamra said. 'People think that I don't have feelings, and it's not true. I'm tired of being called a horrible human being because I'm not.'

'I'm so afraid if I get close to people, they'll turn on me,' she shared. 'So I just keep a wall up so they don't get close. I don't nurture my friendships. I think my biggest struggle is trusting people. I've got very few people that I can talk to.'

'I just don't want to lash out when I'm mad, even if somebody's done me wrong,' she added. 'I want to fix things,' reported People.

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs at 9 pm on Bravo and can be streamed the next day on Peacock. (ANI)