TikTok prompt for diagnosis at 30 made everything make sense – here's how I've closed down 12 tabs open in my brain
HIDDEN CLUES TikTok prompt for diagnosis at 30 made everything make sense – here's how I've closed down 12 tabs open in my brain
FROM struggling to focus in school to feeling overwhelmed with everyday tasks, Lauren Steele Hegarty knew there was something different about her - but couldn't quite put her finger on it until last year.
The 30-year-old mum was scrolling on TikTok when she had a lightbulb moment that changed her life forever.
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Lauren was scrolling on TikTok when her world began to make sense
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Lauren, pictured with husband Ciaran, decided to get assessed for ADHD
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The mum said her life 'makes sense now'
Lauren stumbled across a clip of a woman talking about ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
And she said from what the woman was saying, she started to recognise some of the behaviours in herself and felt she could relate to her experiences.
The Dublin woman said: "Growing up in school, I often struggled with distractions.
"My report cards consistently mentioned how easily distracted I was, and I was always made to sit at the front of the class to minimise any distractions.
"I started following a couple on TikTok recently where the wife has ADHD.
"Watching her videos, I began recognising behaviours in myself and decided to research getting an assessment.
"I realised how much I could relate to their experiences - like starting the laundry but getting distracted and forgetting to finish it."
Lauren was later diagnosed with ADHD and believes her life and everything that she has gone through "makes sense" now.
She continued: "I paid privately for my diagnosis and found the process straightforward.
"The scoring system ranged from 0 to 54, and I scored 53, indicating severe ADHD.
RTE star opens up on ADHD
"Although expensive, the diagnosis was worth every penny because it gave me clarity.
"It all makes sense to me now - the way I was in school, my difficulty maintaining friendships, and even my struggles with completing tasks at home.
"I often start one thing, get distracted by something else, and forget about the original task. It's a vicious cycle.
"Back in school, ADHD wasn't something that was commonly discussed, especially not 20–25 years ago when I was in primary school.
"I wasn't a disruptive student; I was actually well-behaved.
"However, I often tried to avoid doing work and would organise my stationery meticulously, volunteer to help teachers, or find ways to get out of class.
"This led to bullying in secondary school, where I was labelled a 'teacher's pet'.
"Although teachers and family never suggested I had ADHD, my report cards frequently noted how distracted I was, how I talked in class, and how I struggled to focus."
TAKING POWER BACK
Seeking a diagnosis has now allowed Lauren to look at her reactions differently.
She said: "I often feel overstimulated by the smallest things. My emotions are heightened, and I'm very sensitive, sometimes crying if someone looks at me the wrong way.
"Since my diagnosis on July 22 last year, I've started handling these moments differently.
"I take a step back and question whether my reaction is necessary or if I'm being overly emotional.
"I compare my reactions to those of a "normal" person and try to separate what's me and what's my ADHD."
Lauren said she's learning to adapt to the challenges she faces day by day, adding: "ADHD affects my ability to keep the house clean or even cook dinner. I want to clean, but my body won't let me.
"I get distracted, often finding old items and reminiscing instead of completing the task.
"Cooking can be a struggle too, and sometimes it leads to ordering takeaway several nights in a row. I've learned to adjust to these challenges."
MASKING SYMPTOMS
Lauren believes awareness of ADHD in adults is lacking in Ireland - and sharing her story online has helped her to connect with others diagnosed later in life.
She said: "Many women mask their symptoms, which can delay diagnosis.
"For me, the diagnosis brought answers and helped me understand myself better.
"I publicly shared my ADHD diagnosis in a TikTok video, which received positive responses from others who were also diagnosed as adults.
"It's encouraging to see people working to reduce the stigma around ADHD."
OPEN TABS
Lauren said her decision to look for a diagnosis was all about understanding her own behaviours.
She said: "Some questioned why I sought a diagnosis, but for me, it wasn't about labelling myself - it was about understanding my life and behaviours.
"Having ADHD often feels like having 10–12 tabs open in my brain at once.
"I jump from one thought to another, often scrambling to organise my thoughts.
"Conversations can shift unexpectedly, and it's hard to stay focused. Even going to bed can be a challenge; my body refuses to relax.
"I get 'nighttime jitters,' where I feel restless and start kicking my feet or tossing and turning.
"Certain sounds can be overwhelming too. I'm hyper-aware of noises -- sometimes even hearing the buzz of electricity in the wires.
"It's exhausting, but I've learned to manage these moments."
KNOW THE SIGNS OF ADHD
AROUND 56,000 people are understood to have ADHD in Ireland.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comes under the 'neurodivergent' umbrella term, which encompasses autism, dyslexia and Tourette's among others.
With each, the brain differs from a 'normal' brain but does not mean the person has a lesser brain.
ADHD behaviours tend to fall into one of two types: inattentiveness, and hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Some people experience a mixture of both, which is often called attention deficit disorder (ADD).
In children and teenagers, hyperactivity stands out and is more commonly seen in boys, while inattentiveness presents more in girls and is harder to spot.
In adults, hyperactivity is less common, and symptoms are more subtle, making them tougher to identify.
Signs can include: Trouble concentrating
Being easily distracted
Difficulty staying organised
Impatience and restlessness
Struggling to sit still
Leaving tasks unfinished
Putting an unusual amount of effort into staying on top of things
Low self-esteem, mood swings, struggling to deal with stress
Being impulsive with money, sex, etc.
Lauren, who's married to Ciaran, also reckons that having ADHD can be a "superpower" in some situations.
She continued: "While ADHD can be challenging, it has its advantages. Hyperfocus is one of them.
"When there's a deadline, I can focus intensely and complete tasks quickly.
"For example, I recently spent five hours finishing orders for my small business after leaving them for weeks.
"Hyperfocus allows me to achieve things that most people might struggle with under pressure.
"However, multitasking isn't one of my strengths. I get overwhelmed when there's too much going on at once.
"If my daughter Darcy is watching her iPad, my husband is gaming, and the dishwasher is running, the noise can be unbearable, and I often need to leave the room."
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Lauren said ADHD can be a superpower as she hyperfocuses on some tasks
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Irish Times
an hour ago
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The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Fat jabs are a nightmare for anorexics – I'll never get over my girl Nikki's death but I'd worry if she was still here
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I said no, but they insisted. 'As we were leaving Nikki was screaming and these people just came from nowhere and pinned her down on the floor while we were rushed out of the unit. It was hell on earth, it was unnecessarily cruel." Sadly, Nikki did not improve. Advertisement She refused to eat and became so thin nurses would have to force her to eat through a nasal tube. 'It got to the point where I had to make her eat naked so she wouldn't stuff food in her knickers or anything Sue Grahame Later on, she had to have a tube fitted surgically direct to her stomach as she kept pulling the nasal tube out, but that didn't work either as she pulled the tube out of her body. Sometimes she'd be sedated for a month at a time, as doctors desperately tried to increase her BMI with forced feeds. Sue said it some of the treatments were so "cruel" it was "gut-wrenching". Advertisement 'The whole system of trying to treat anorexics it doesn't work," Sue said. 'I've been to all those units and some of them are pitiful. 16 Nikki spent most of her life from age 7 to 18 in and out of eating disorder units Credit: David Cummings 16 Nikki before she entered the Big Brother house Credit: David Cummings 16 Nikki's anorexia worsened during Covid Credit: Splash Advertisement 'In my mind none of them delivered for Nikki, it just strengthened her resolve. 'There was one place that I'd have to bring her back to after a weekend visit home or something, and she'd lie on the floor and beat her hands and feet and scream and cry and say 'Mum don't leave me here, please don't leave me!' 'But I didn't have a choice because she wouldn't eat for me, what was I supposed to do? 'Barbaric' treatments 'There was one place where they'd melt Mars bars down and make them set the table until it was gone and if they didn't finish it they'd have to sleep on the kitchen floor. Advertisement "At one point she was put her under for a month to be tube fed. So I just used to go and sit by her bed and talk to her and hold her hand. 'She'd wake up and say 'I can feel all that food inside of me - I can't take it mum, it's torture'. 'Staff weren't always very kind. A lot of things I could accept if it was making a difference but it wasn't. 'It was very barbaric and cruelty just doesn't work." Advertisement Nikki's admissions to hospital stopped when she reached 18, but her struggles with anorexia continued and she also developed severe OCD behaviour around hygiene and preparing food. Sue said she was supportive of Nikki entering Big Brother because she was pleased to see her having some fun after the "hell" she'd been through as a child, however she did worry about how she'd cope with her eating disorder in such an environment. 'Going on Big Brother was great for her, it did give her a taste of a normal life, but obviously those demons were always there," she said. 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"I used to watch her on the live stream and I could see she was having fun but I also knew when the s**t was going to hit the fan. I could predict it when she was heading for a meltdown. I'd think 'Christ here we go' and all of a sudden she'd let rip." 16 Nikki won a National TV Award for her appearance on Big Brother in 2006 Credit: Rex 16 Mum Sue with Nikki as a baby Credit: David Cummings Advertisement 16 Sue said she vowed to always support Nikki through her illness Credit: David Cummings After Big Brother, Nikki enjoyed the fame the show brought and would travel the country doing appearances, even landing herself a magazine column. She entered the Big Brother house a total of five times, including the Canadian version. When TV work dried up, she moved to Nice, France where she worked in a Hard Rock Cafe branch, and learnt to speak French. Advertisement After moving back to London, she went back to college to try and get her Maths and English GCSE and got a job in a local junior school as a teaching assistant. Sue said that in the years after Big Brother "she held her own" in her battle against anorexia, but Covid exacerbated her condition. Nikki would walk on to a ward and want to be the skinniest anorexic in there. I would despair Sue Grahame 'She had a flat with a gym so she wouldn't come and stay with me during Covid, but then they closed the gym and so she spent £900 on a cross trainer," Sue said. 'I used to illegally drive up to London because she was so isolated. Advertisement 'And while I was there she'd get on this cross trainer obsessively and I'd beg her to stop. I'd say, 'I don't want to lose you' and she'd say 'I'm not going anywhere. I said, 'Yeah that's what Karen Carpenter said'. 'Covid definitely didn't help Nikki, but I can't help feeling she'd already thrown the towel in. 'Because for months before, we'd be walking. I'd turn around, she'd be on the floor. Her legs would just gave way. 'Her body was packing up. She had been starved for so long. She never even had periods. Advertisement "I don't think she was ever meant to make old bones in this world." 16 Big Brother gave Nikki the chance to travel the country doing PAs and writing magazine columns Credit: PA 16 Nikki with her friend Imogen Thomas Credit: INSTAGRAM/IMOGEN THOMAS 16 Mum Sue was pleased to see Nikki enjoy life after her difficult childhood Credit: David Cummings Advertisement 16 Sue said life has been tough since Nikki's death but she's trying hard to heal Credit: David Cummings In the weeks before her death, both Sue and social services tried to encourage Nikki to become an inpatient again but she refused. Instead she decided to travel to her mum's in Dorset, stopping on the way at a pharmacy to pick up her meds. 'She was only 10 minutes away when she passed out in the pharmacy, hit her head on the floor and they had to blue light her in to Dorchester hospital," Sue said. Advertisement 'She was in there for two weeks and I went in every day for the two weeks because it was just a regular ward, not an eating disorder unit and I wanted to take the weight off of the nurses because she needed supervising. 'If they brought her food, it would either go down the toilet or in the bin or out the window. 'I moved into a Premier Inn so that I could just walk there each day and I used to shower her and and watch her eat her meals. 'The mental health team said there was an eating disorders unit but it only had six beds and they were full. That might have made the difference. Advertisement I have never been loved as much as Nikki loved me Sue Grahame 'The nurses at the hospital were quite aggressive with her. Maybe they resented her. No one ever has any patience for anorexics. 'Her BMI was dangerously low. She was just skin and bones. She was pitiful to look at. "Then this nurse came in and said 'This isn't the place for you. This is a surgical ward. Nikki if you can walk up and down those steps outside there you can go home tomorrow. 'And I looked at her and the state Nikki was in and I couldn't believe it." Advertisement Final journey Nikki was discharged from hospital later that day alone and took a taxi to her flat in London. 'She rang me from the taxi and said 'Hi Mum, I'm on my way home'. She was so weak, I couldn't believe they'd discharged her," Sue said. "She told me she really needed the toilet and the poor thing had an accident in the taxi she was so ill. I told her to get her friend to come over when she was at home and help her clean up and then I'd come over in the morning. 'Then she rang me up half three that morning. She used to do that a lot but it was usually when she was out clubbing. Advertisement 'She said 'My friend came around and she helped me in the bath and put me in my jimmy jammies and then she saw me into bed, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm coping all right. ''I've just got up and been to the loo by myself on my walker.' 'I said, 'Every day take it slowly, you're not in a hurry, you'll get there. 'She said, 'Mum I'm tired. I love you.' I told her to go to bed and that I loved her." Advertisement Nikki died that same morning. Sue was on a train on her way to London when Nikki's friend called her and broke the news. 'Goodbye darling' She rushed to Nikki's flat, where she said her final goodbye. 'I just lay on the bed with Nikki and cried," she said. Advertisement 'The worst thing was watching the undertakers come and put her in a body bag and taking her out. 'I went down in the lift with them and we got to the outside door and I said 'Which side is her head?' 'They said it's up there. I just stroked the bag from the outside and said 'Goodbye darling'. It's awful, awful. I'll never get over it. It was the worst day of my life." Sue said she blames the hospital for Nikki's death and even looked into taking legal action but no law firm would take the case. Advertisement She believes it was irresponsible for them to discharge her when she "couldn't even bathe herself or dress herself" and says she should have been transferred to a mental health unit. 'Even if I'd have taken it to court and won, I didn't want the money," Sue said. "I wanted things to change. Maybe I would have tried to get a unit built somewhere that would help others with anorexia. 'That nurse shouldn't have said, 'If you walk up and down the stairs, you can leave', because she clearly wasn't well enough to leave the hospital. If that's a rule, it shouldn't be. Advertisement 'Nikki died on a Saturday morning. And I was walking my dog on the Monday morning when that same nurse rang. She was crying and she said, 'I'm so, so sorry. She shouldn't have gone home.' 'They shouldn't have let her home just because she put a bit of pressure on. She didn't know what was best for her." Signs and symptoms of anorexia if you're under 18, your weight and height being lower than expected for your age if you're an adult, having an unusually low body mass index missing meals, eating very little or avoiding eating any foods you see as fattening believing you are fat when you are a healthy weight or underweight taking medication to reduce your hunger (appetite suppressants) your periods stopping (in women who have not reached menopause) or not starting (in younger women and girls) physical problems, such as feeling dizzy, dry skin and hair loss Four years on from Nikki's April 2021 death, Sue says she's still struggling emotionally. She has relocated from Dorset and lives in East Sussex with her chihuahua Joey. Advertisement Just two months ago, she suffered another heartbreak when she had to have Baby, Nikki's chihuahua who she had cared for since before her death, put to sleep aged 19. 'Until the day I take my last breath I won't get over Nikki's loss," she said. 'Nothing in this world scares me anymore because the worst possible thing has happened. "Life is tough, but since I came down here I'm trying extremely hard. I've made a couple of really good friends. Advertisement 'But I have to say I have never been loved as much as Nikki loved me. And it wasn't because I was a pushover, it was because from day one of her illness I was fighting for her. 'I try and be philosophical because at the end of the day, she was mine for 38 years. How lucky was I? And people still write lovely things about her. They still love her. 'She wasn't everybody's cup of tea but for me she was very special. And even if I died tomorrow, I know I was truly loved in my life, and that's something not everybody can say." Advertisement If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, the charity Beat offers support, call the helpline on 0808 801 0677
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
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Doc gives advice on how to tackle Mounjaro side effect of excess loose skin Mounjaro is a diabetes drug that's recently gained popularity in Hollywood and on TikTok as an off-label weight loss injection. It works by mimicking a hormone that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar levels but it's known to cause strong gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. Advertisement Tana's extreme reaction, including severe nausea, exhaustion, disrupted digestion and prolonged sleep, is likely due to how the drug slows down digestion and suppresses appetite. Some users also report symptoms like dehydration, cramping and dizziness as the body adjusts. While many have hailed Mounjaro as a 'miracle' fat-loss fix, experts have warned it's not for everyone, especially if taken without medical supervision. Tana's honest confession struck a chord with fans, with many praising her for calling out the risks and opening up about the darker side of so-called 'quick fixes.' Advertisement One fan commented online: "this is so scary". Another added: "Wow, I had no idea the effects were that bad". The star doesn't deny the fat jab's results. As she bluntly put it: 'Anything that's a quick fix, obviously, it works well. But I should not have done that". Advertisement She's not the only user reporting odd side effects. Kelly, from the UK, took to social media to share how her journey on the weight loss jab was going. Kelly is currently on 10mg of Mounjaro a week, but she said it wasn't working as it was supposed to. She said the drug had totally changed her taste buds making it difficult for her to eat. Advertisement Others have warned of severe hair loss. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. 5 The star opened up about the dark side of 'quick fixes' Credit: GC Images 5 Tana has over 5million followers on her instagram
