As I describe burnout, I remember I had my first experience of it in the Summer of 1987-88. I had just finished a tumultuous year of school and had bad bouts of asthma, and I had a brother who was pushy for high energy pursuits, and I was always tired, but my mother wouldn't accept it or my need for solitude. I also experienced it a few years later.

When I was 26, after a relationship break up, I found that I lost motivation to do anything and was so tired. I just wanted and needed to be alone. I was later diagnosed with PTSD and depression, but my autism diagnosis was what I really needed.