The Lost Generation

Adults of all ages are realizing that they have been Autistic all along. Many of these people have already tried receiving mental health care only to be missed or misdiagnosed. Recent research suggests that as many of 20-30% of adults seeking outpatient mental health treatment are Autistic or have Autistic traits. Other research suggests that it takes an average of 12 years for an adult to get an accurate Autism diagnosis.

When they do seek help from mental health professions, many of these adults are diagnosed with other conditions, such as bipolar disorder, personality disorders (like borderline personality disorder), anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or trauma. While all these conditions can (and do) co-occur with Autism, mental health professionals miss Autism all together. Meanwhile, unrecognized Autistic adults continue to feel like the mental health treatment that are receiving is not helping them as much as it could (or at all). They continue to feel confused, alone, and misunderstood.

Why do Autistic adults go unrecognized by trained mental health providers? A big reason is because of the stereotypes about Autism that exist in our broader culture and in the mental health field. Most of our understanding about Autism has been based on research and clinical practice with cisgender, white, heterosexual men and boys. Women, girls, people who are assigned female at birth (AFAB), queer folks, and people are color are missed because their Autistic traits look different than this stereotype. In addition, the current understanding of Autism does not take into consideration how much many adults mask (or camouflage and hide) their Autistic traits to survive in our culture. To top it all off, a lot of mental health training programs do not provide sufficient education on neurodivergence, Autism, and ADHD.

All these factors have left a generation of “lost” or unrecognized neurodivergent adults. Many of these Autistic adults have felt like “aliens from other planets” who work hard every day to try to fit in and “be normal.” A lot of these adults become burned out or experience chronic health problems as a result of the immense effort it takes to unknowingly be Autistic and survive in a world that isn’t designed for them.  

A lot of these unrecognized adults struggle with unresolved distress that doesn’t get better with therapy or medication. Standard talk therapy can gaslight Autistic people into thinking they are having “irrational thoughts” when they are really facing daily struggles and rejection from neurotypical peers.

 Are you wondering if you are Autistic, ADHD, or Neurodivergent? Do you want to understand yourself and your neurotype better? Contact me to talk more.

References:

Geurts, H. M., & Jansen, M. D. (2012). A Retrospective Chart Study: The Pathway to a Diagnosis for Adults Referred for ASD Assessment. Autism, 16(3), 299-305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361311421775

Hartman, , et al. (2023). The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook: A Neurodiversity Affirmative Approach. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Nyrenius J, Eberhard J, Ghaziuddin M, Gillberg C, Billstedt E. (2022). Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adult Outpatient Psychiatry. J Autism Dev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05411-z