The New York Times: Autistic Burnout as a "Secondary Pandemic" (Autistic Catatonia, Part 1 of 5)
In the middle of COVID-19, the New York Times ran an article which I have since sent to more people than I can count, as it explains, in part, what happened to me during the pandemic (and which never stopped). The title of the article was "'The Battery’s Dead': Burnout Looks Different in Autistic Adults." In autistic communities, the term "burnout" generally means something almost entirely different, and radically more severe, than in neurotypical communities. In the Times article, the reporter--Beth Winegarner--attempts to explain the phenomenon of "autistic burnout" for a lay audience. As she writes, "[A]utistic people, at some point in their lives, experience [burnout] on a whole different level. Autistic traits can amplify the conditions that lead to burnout, and burnout can cause these traits to worsen. They may become unable to speak or care for themselves, and struggle with short-term memory." Winegarten reports on the experiences ...