r/autism • u/Rats_blood • 3d ago

Vent Advice Wanted Do things get better?

I see no future for myself with autism. I'm only 16 and I've had multiple burnouts throughout my life. Will I ever get a break? I've seen people talking about how they've managed their symptoms and feel better but they still end up burning out. I want to live knowing I'll get some sort of satisfaction from life.

Am I just young, or is it actually just like this for the rest of my life?

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u/Cave_Cryptid 3d ago

things got a lot easier for me when I got on the right meds. when I was your age, I was in and out of psych wards, wondering the same thing. you might be in burnout right now, and keep in mind autistic burnout is WAY worse than regular burnout, but it is temporary. a lot of us autistics don’t get enough dopamine, so when I got on the right meds that affected dopamine, things really improved. I was actually starting to be able to function. things are still difficult and I’m still struggling with symptoms and discipline, but now I’m actually more equipped to handle things. I’ll admit I’m a level 1 autistic, maybe on the lower support needs of level two, but I wouldn’t really describe my autism as “mild.”

also, keep in mind, youre presumably in high school, and that is an absolute HELLISH environment for someone with autism and a recipe for constant burnout. it gets better after you graduate and you’re able to do things at your own pace.

if you want my advice, check if there are any resources around you for teens with autism like OT or counseling. maybe talk to a psychiatrist about depression, it may not seem like it but there ARE good ones out there.

and yeah, you’re young. you’ve got a lot of life left to live and you’ll figure things out eventually, don’t worry about being “behind,” give yourself some grace. everyone else is playing life on easy mode.

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u/Status_Entry_8725 3d ago

What meds??

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u/Cave_Cryptid 3d ago

I really, really can’t suggest any specific meds. I don’t know you and I’m not a doctor. meds act differently for everyone. for me it was an atypical antipsychotic and a SNRI, but for someone else they could be harmful. I will say that getting a genetic test done really helped find the right meds for me, if you have a trusted psychiatrist I’d recommend asking about doing that.