Autistic burnout: Exploring autistic perspectives on treatment availability and effectiveness

Autistic burnout, characterised by chronic exhaustion, reduced tolerance to stimuli, and loss of executive function skills (Raymaker, et al., 2020), can have severe consequences, including heightened mental and physical health problems, reduced capacity for independent living, decreased quality of life, and suicide attempts (Raymaker et al., 2020). Although autistic burnout has been validated as a syndrome that is distinct from depression and occupational burnout (Raymaker, et al., 2020), it is unclear if mental health treatment providers are able to distinguish depression from autistic burnout (Rose, 2018). Yet, some treatments such as CBT and Behaviour Activation may be ineffective or contra-indicated. Considering the limited literature on autistic burnout, the complexity of treating it, and the possible harm involved in providing a treatment that may be contraindicated, it is critical to gain a deeper understanding of this syndrome. This study aimed to explore autistic experiences accessing treatment for autistic burnout and their perspectives on the effectiveness of the treatments that were offered to them. Participants completed semi-structured interviews. Qualitative analysis was informed by an interpretive phenomenological framework using a hybrid inductive-deductive approach at a semantic level. Initial findings elucidated critical themes that highlight the need to raise awareness among clinicians about the nature of autistic burnout and the importance of working with the autistic person to develop a treatment plan.