Why are the chances of Autistic females struggling so high?

32% of autistic women are hospitalised for a psychiatric condition by age 25.
This is 6x more than neurotypical women.

The comorbidity rates for things like:

Anxiety
Depression
Eating disorders
Addiction
Schizophrenia

Are much higher in autistic females.
(and having comorbid conditions strongly heightens chances of suicidality).


Why are the chances of Autistic females struggling so high?

It might have something to do with the fact that Autistic girls are underdiagnosed, and we grow up with something different about the way we think, and perceive things…

Whilst not having any explanation for it.

Of course we’re going to think there’s something wrong with us, or the world, and that’s going to put a huge strain on our mental health!
(Not to mention that diagnostic criteria is based on ‘when the wheels are already falling off’.)


✨ This is why it’s imperative that schools, educators and guardians:

make the effort to identify Autistic, and otherwise neurodivergent girls early on, and
create classroom cultures that make visible, explore, and celebrate neurodivergence.

A lot of the accompanying issues could be reduced in severity or avoided completely - if we all get our heads out of the sand on this!

Times are changing, things are improving…

But we need to get a move on.

Don’t you think?
(I'm working on it - care to join me?)



The original research paper is called:
Sex Differences in Mental Health Problems and Psychiatric Hospitalization in Autistic Young Adults
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2797528

This post is also on Linkedin and has many comments worth reading there:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/juliacomplexstrengths_autistic-mentalhealth-neurodiversity-activity-7092881824929959936-GyW7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABMhJzoB8XcAXgblv8VEUqIEd9dMlOwpr1g
I wish to acknowledge and thank the many women who came forward to share some of their experiences of missed girlhood diagnoses in the comments and shares of this post. I see you, we see each other, we are less invisible than we used to be.

Thank you, also to everyone else who see themselves, or their Loved Ones, in this post and have stopped to interact with or share this important message. I am grateful to see, and deeply appreciate you too.

This statistic is just one of many profoundly concerning statistcs related to neurodivergence.


hashtag#Autistic hashtag#MentalHealth hashtag#Neurodiversity