Diagnosis Normal cover art

Diagnosis Normal

Living with abuse, undiagnosed autism, and COVID-grade crazy

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Diagnosis Normal

By: Emma Jane
Narrated by: Emma A. Jane
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About this listen

 ‘I have three gears: glum melancholy, inappropriate outbursts, and extreme slapstick. On a good day, I can pass as normal but not for too many minutes. I’m what most people would regard as a hardened introvert . . . I like other people. I’m just not very good at them.’

Emma Jane has lived a thousand colourful lives. She escaped a small town and a traumatic childhood by moving to Sydney, where she made an indelible imprint on the oppressively blokey mediascape. She played in an all-girl band, married a rock star she hardly knew, had a baby, ditched journalism for academia, and changed her name from Emma Tom to Emma Jane. But all the while she was struggling with her mental health. Then, during the first Sydney lockdown she was accidentally sectioned in a psychiatric ward. At the time she wasn’t sure whether to be more embarrassed by the institutionalisation or the fact she’d forgotten to set her at-home eyebrow dye timer and looked like Groucho Marx. Given everyone suffered some sort of corona-related DIY body hair disaster, however, she decided to focus on her confinement, and when she was subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder a number of things suddenly fell into place.

Emma writes candidly about the complex combination of autism, mental illness and childhood sexual abuse that led to her being the person she is, and explores the impact each has on so many others in society. Critically, by breaking the toxic silence surrounding sexual violence and mental illness, she raises the possibility of not just surviving them but thriving. As she writes: ‘We need to speak unspeakable things. We need more un-pretty stories.’©2022 Emma Jane (P)2022 Penguin Random House Australia Abuse Child Abuse Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Relationships Mental Health Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Health
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I love this book! I will listen to it again. Emma's story is heart-reaching and raw, yet all too relatable to those who have experienced trauma and mental health. Emma is setting the example in this book to speak out loud about topics that are considered 'taboos' within our society yet are all so relevant and important to help those suffering on their journey of recovery. Thank you, Emma, I cried, laughed, and learnt a lot that will hopefully benefit me with my healing processes. x

To relatable, it's scary!

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I love love loveee this book, it was an amazing, realistic perspective of life as an Australian Queer Neurodivergent bad ass!!
Obsessed and will be reading this amazing piece by Emma over and over and over again :))

OBSESSED!!

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Thank you for your story. From another late diagnosed Autistic woman who relates to so much of what you wrote about.

Complex topics and raw authenticity

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Worst book ever written or Read in my opinion. I am so very disappointed knit.

Diagnosis normal

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.