Jessie J Shares She’s Been Diagnosed With ADHD and OCD
Originally appeared on E! Online
Jessie J is embracing her truth.
The 36-year-old shared that, within the last three months, she’s been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
“It’s weird when you know you have been a little different and felt things differently your whole life,” the “Price Tag” singer wrote in her July 20 Instagram post. “And finally one day when you least expect it, someone really explains why and you can’t avoid it. ADHD has such a wide spectrum it’s like a mystery putting your version of it together, that’s how it’s felt for me. In really understanding ways to cope, excel and grow with it.”
For Jessie, her ADHD is her superpower. “As long as you look at it from the right perspective and have the right support and people around you that can navigate it with you,” she continued. “It’s empowered me and honestly sometimes has overwhelmed me all at the same time. I know there are so many people that are going through this same thing and I’m honestly just reaching out to hold your hand and because I need mine held too.”
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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is “marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development” while OCD is "a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both.”
Following her diagnoses, Jessie—who welcomed son Sky, 13 months, with boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman in May 2023—shared how her loved ones responded.
“In telling people a lot of the reaction I got was ‘Yeah I mean we knew that,’” she wrote, adding, “(which I’m sure some of you are doing right now) and off course I knew to some extent but having a baby has let’s say… exposed it a lot more. Which was comforting in a way, as it made it feel less heavy and scary.”
In the post, she shared two videos: one of herself as a young girl performing onstage, and a second singing as an adult on TV. “It’s made me rethink about my whole life,” Jessie noted. “The way I’ve been, the way I deal with things. The relationships I have had. How I work and how I love.”
“It has made me love myself even more,” she continued. “I’m hugging 11 year old me. Here’s to getting to know yourself even more through life. And loving yourself all the way. Nothing in life defines us, but it helps us grow and become a more wholesome version of ourselves.”
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