Sharing her truth. Demi Burnett revealed that she was diagnosed as autistic after undergoing a psychological test.
The 26-year-old, who appeared in Colton Underwood‘s season of The Bachelor in 2019, shared the announcement via Instagram on Saturday, February 19. She prefaced her candid post with a “trigger warning” just in case.
“I did a psychological evaluation and I’m autistic,” Burnett captioned a photo of herself posing in a funky outfit next to a rack of clothing options. “There is a huge stigma when it comes to autism. I encourage you to be open minded and accepting. Swipe for some “memes” that might be helpful when dealing with an autistic person.”
The images were offered a loot at the autism spectrum, ways to support a neurodivergent person, a definition of ableism, a chart of autistic traits vs trauma symptom and more. The Bachelor in Paradise alum (she appeared in seasons 6 and 7) hopes that her new diagnosis can help others.
“All I want is to have a better quality of life ❤️ I will share more on my story of my evaluation and how I got to this point and all of my pain and struggles along the way,” Burnett promised followers. “I want to make sure anyone who is/was feeling like me can know you really aren’t alone. It can get better! And most importantly it isn’t your fault ❤️.”
The Texas native was met with much support in the wake of her announcement.
“So proud of you always being so brave and strong. A real ass person and that’s why I love you ❤️,” fellow Bachelor Nation member Onyeka Ehie commented.
Kirpa Sudick, who appeared with Burnett on season 23 of the ABC reality show, wrote, “Proud of you girl ❤️.”
BiP alum Maurissa Gunn added, “I love you so much. I’m so proud of you. You’re the most amazing person ever. ❤️”
The “Big Demi Energy” podcast host previously hinted that she was going through something big when she shared an emotional note with followers in January.
“This is gunna be the hardest thing to ever post and I’m so embarrassed but imma be real. My ego is livid,” she shared via Instagram on January 1. “Happy New Year this is me 24/7 I’m not doing anything to envy I’m not ‘happy,’ I’m not social. I’m constantly thinking and crying and trying to figure everything out.”
She added that she scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist to help her deal with her heavy emotions. “Countless hours blaming myself for everything that’s caused pain,” Burnett continued at the time. “I haven’t had a sip of alcohol in 5 months. I’m talking to a psychiatrist on Monday. I’m having an emotional breakdown every few hours. I’m feeling pretty s—t/overwhelmed most of the time. BUT I KNOW I AM GROWING EVEN IF IT HURTS IT IS WORTH IT ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥.”
