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Demi Burnett says she has been diagnosed with autism.
The Bachelor alum, 27, made the revelation in an Instagram post over the weekend, where she shared a photograph of herself alongside a series of slides explaining the disorder.
“MAYBE A TRIGGER WARNING I DON’T KNOW BUT HEADS UP. I did a psychological evaluation and I’m autistic,” Burnett began the caption of her post. “There is a huge stigma when it comes to autism. I encourage you to be open minded and accepting.”
“All I want is to have a better quality of life ❤️ ,” she continued. “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.”
Added the reality star: “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 ❤️.”
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is “a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.”
Burnett previously starred on Colton Underwood‘s season of The Bachelor, before she later appeared on season 6 and season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise. There, she and Kristian Haggerty became the first same-sex couple to get engaged on the show. (They later split in October 2019.)
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In the comments section of her post, Burnett received an outpouring of love from fellow Bachelor Nation alums.
“Love u ❤️ how open and candid you are is so inspiring ❤️❤️❤️,” wrote Cassie Randolph. Onyeka Ehie said: “So proud of you always being so brave and strong. A real ass person and that’s why I love you ❤️.”
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Burnett’s diagnosis comes after she opened up about experiencing emotional breakdowns “every few hours” in a since-deleted Instagram post last month.
“This is gunna be the hardest thing to ever post and I’m so embarrassed but imma be real,” she wrote at the time. “My ego is livid. 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. Countless hours blaming myself for everything that’s caused pain … I’m feeling pretty s**t/overwhelmed most of the time,” Burnett added. “BUT I KNOW I AM GROWING EVEN IF IT HURTS IT IS WORTH IT.”
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Burnett then shared an update weeks later, noting that she was “doing better” after getting professional help.
“I have wonderful people close to me during this self healing. It’s so important to have people to tell your thoughts to. Your therapist and someone you trust,” she explained. “I have to remind myself it’s okay to ask the appropriate people for help. And sometimes it’s appropriate to ask your friend to help you think about mango sorbet on a beach instead of all of your worries ❤️????.”
