Room 5

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One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor's surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In Room 5, she interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

What happens when a diagnosis changes everything? One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor's surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In this series, she interviews people who – like her-were changed by a diagnosis. Told through an immersive sound design, this intimate series shines a light on misunderstood conditions, asking how we cope when our bodies and our minds no longer behave as we want them to.

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Room 5: Series 2: 1. Holly

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1. Holly

Series 2

BBC Radio 4 - Room 5, Series 2, 1. Holly

Holly Smale talks to Helena Merriman about being diagnosed as autistic aged 39.

Aged 39, Holly Smale was a successful author - the creator of the bestselling series of children’s books, Geek Girl. One afternoon, while talking to her therapist, Holly breaks down, says she feels broken. And so begins her journey to understand why she’s always felt different to other people. 

We track back through Holly’s difficult childhood, her short-lived modelling career and her traumatic time at university - all the way to the moment she was diagnosed as autistic.

Psychologist Dr Sarah Lister Brook - Clinical Director for the National Autistic Society - tells us why so many autistic girls and women still go undiagnosed. And Holly Smale shares some life advice with a newly diagnosed eight-year-old girl.  
 
In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis. 
 
Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman
Composer: Jeremy Warmsley 
Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore
 
Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples 
Researcher: Drew Hyndman 
Editor: Emma Rippon 
 
#Room5
 
End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

Room 5: Series 2

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More stories where a diagnosis changes everything.

One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor's surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. Here, she interviews more people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

What happens when a diagnosis changes everything? One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked int o a doctor's surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In this second series, she interviews more people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis. Told through an immersive sound design, this intimate series continues to shine a light on misunderstood conditions, asking how we cope when our bodies and our minds no longer behave as we want them to.

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