One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz claims she always feels “misunderstood” because she is neurodivergent.
Lenz, who catapulted to fame on the TV series One Tree Hill from 2003 to 2012, recently shared her experience with ADHD on the Women Who Binge podcast alongside Melissa Joan Hart and Amanda Lee.
During the session, the women talked about their favourite novels, Lenz’s latest album and her ADHD. Lenz said she doesn’t have the same ‘social cues’ as other people and that she often feels uncomfortable just being herself.
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Lenz has ADHD, a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse. Some adults may also have issues with relationships or social interaction.
During the podcast, the singer-songwriter said: “I think I have felt misunderstood a lot in my life because I am neurodivergent and I don’t have the same social cues that a lot of other people do.
“So I’m a good mime, I can watch how people behave in social settings and then try and do that so that I don’t - sometimes I find myself doing that because I don’t know what to do with myself or I feel like if I’m just honest with who I am and what I’m feeling it will put other people off.”
Lenz described herself as “painfully honest” but said she worries people will just assume she’s in a ‘bad mood’. She said: “I’m just painfully honest and really authentic and dropped into my body and I feel what I feel, but I recognise that then people will look at that and be like ‘oh Joy’s in a bad mood.’”
The One Tree Hill star went on to add that she wished “people understood a little bit more about how ADHD manifests” and that people with the condition “function a little bit differently than everybody.”
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