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Autistic burnout is a prolonged state of intense fatigue, decreased executive functioning or life skills, and increased sensory processing sensitivity experienced by autism spectrum people. Autistic burnout is thought to be caused by stress arising from Autistic masking or living in a neurotypical environment that is not autism-friendly (does not accommodate autistic people's needs). While not formally recognized as a medical condition, autistic burnout has become increasingly recognized within the autistic community and has gained attention among researchers, clinicians, and autistic people themselves as a significant aspect of the autistic experience.
It is similar to occupational burnout, exhaustion disorder and other conceptions of burnout.
Life stressors such as autistic masking or camouflaging have been proposed to be the most prominent factors in autistic burnout. Masking is a strategy autistic people use, consciously or unconsciously, to suppress autistic traits and attempt to behave like neurotypical people for social acceptance. The need autistic people feel to mask often derives from the social pressures and expectations they face regarding academic achievement, social connections, and financial independence. Masking is a survival mechanism for them to meet social expectations and be treated better. Camouflaging and pretending to be different than one is requires much cognitive effort. Research shows that autistic masking is significantly detrimental to an autistic person's mental health, because it creates a situation where societal expectations outweigh their abilities. This can lower their self-esteem, lead to an identity crisis, and result in overwhelming emotions, leading to burnout episodes.
Many autistic people find neurotypical people hard to communicate with. One element that keeps autistic people from seeking help when experiencing burnout is the gaslighting and dismissal of what they experience. In Raymaker's research, participants reported feeling invalidated and unsupported when expressing their struggles as they were told their difficulties were their own fault. Lack of acceptance and understanding from people to whom autistic people reach out when experiencing burnout, people who might be friends or family, can exacerbate their feelings of isolation and frustration, further hindering their ability to get the support they need to relieve stress and recover from burnout.
The Autistic Burnout construct (ABO) screening test for autistic burnout was released in May 2023. It was developed by American psychologist Jared Richards and twelve others.
Autistic burnout may be chronic and/or recurrent. Extended periods of autistic burnout can significantly impair an individual's ability to maintain employment, schooling, independent living, and general quality of life. It may also contribute to increased prevalence of comorbid depression, Anxiety disorder, and suicidality among autistic people. Autistic burnout shares some features with occupational burnout and clinical depression such as fatigue and limited functioning in work or social contexts. However, autistic burnout can occur independently of employment and is distinct from occupational burnout occurring in an autistic employee, which can also occur. Depressive symptoms such as anhedonia or sleep disturbances are observed less frequently in autistic burnout.
Dr. Botha's research agrees with Raymaker's findings. She finds that a feeling of connection to autistic community can bring relief from minority stress, which is a pervasive contributor to autistic burnout. Dr. Botha makes the distinction that autistic community connectedness can only be a partial solution; she refers to it as a buffer against minority stress, with the implication that autistic community connectedness cannot completely eliminate the harmful effects of victimization. However, having a buffer against these harmful effects can increase an autistic person's psychological resilience in response to victimizations.
Social connectedness and belongingness help the effects of victimization, discrimination, or rejection, but connectedness and belongingness can also contribute to internalized stigma. However, feeling connected to the autistic community via advocating politically predicted lower internalized stigma and minority stress.
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