TV host-comedienne Tuesday Vargas opened up about her childhood experiences of abuse, her autism diagnosis, and her ongoing battle with mental health in a candid Facebook post titled “10 things most people do not know about me.”
Vargas revealed that she was diagnosed with high-functioning autism and ADHD when she was just 12 years old, a turning point that helped her understand herself better.
“Suddenly my young life made sense. All that ‘ang kulit ng batang yan!’ was clear to me,” she wrote. “Back then, there was little to no studies about this condition in women. Most were done on men. I didn’t take meds, I did cognitive behavioral therapy.”
She shared that despite having an IQ of 146—borderline moderately to highly gifted—her ADHD made it difficult for her to focus and navigate social interactions.
For the first time, Vargas admitted that she experienced abuse growing up, but chose not to go into detail.
“I suffered through different kinds of abuse growing up. But that calls for a different post. I can’t discuss as of the moment all these things in detail. Please pardon me for keeping this one to myself muna,” she wrote.
At 21, Vargas became a single mother with no stable job or support system.
“I did odd jobs to make ends meet, sometimes not eating just so I can buy what my son needs. My family quickly rallied to support when my weight dropped to 86lbs. I do not normally ask for help, I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. That is part of having ASD and ADHD as I learned years later,” she said.
The comedian revealed that she has been in therapy since 2018, and more intensively during the pandemic when her condition worsened. She shared that she now suffers from generalized anxiety, PTSD, and panic attack disorder, and also admitted to surviving two suicide attempts.
“Now I suffer from generalized anxiety, PTSD and panic attack disorder which I am currently working on. I tried to unalive myself twice,” she bravely confessed.
Despite her struggles, Vargas underscored her determination to fight and live with purpose for herself and her son.
“I am a fighter, a mother who is trying to become a person of value at the same time raising a son who I pray becomes the same—someone who doesn’t give up easily or uses whatever ‘condition’ or its effects as a crutch to just sit idly by and let life waste away,” she declared.
Vargas encouraged those dealing with similar issues to seek help, sharing hotlines and free psychiatric consultation services such as the NCMH Crisis Hotline (1800-1888-1553) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
She also left a heartfelt reminder: “As a reminder to anyone reading this, before you judge too harshly, CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS. Especially those that smile and laugh a lot, those who are really good in social situations, those that do not ask for help. Your phone call might just save a life.”
Recently, Vargas stepped down as the main host of GMA Network’s YouLOL podcast ‘Your Honor’ citing mental health concerns, and was replaced by Chariz Solomon.
