Autistic adults' experiences of camouflaging and its perceived impact on mental health

277 autistic adults on the costs and benefits of camouflaging, and the time they spend doing it.

Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S. & Cassidy, S. (2021). Autistic adults' experiences of camouflaging and its perceived impact on mental health. Autism in Adulthood, 3(4), 320–329.

Type

Journal article

Find it

doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0071

Checked

Against the abstract, 16 September 2026

Why it is on the list

An online survey designed in partnership with autistic adults, analysed for 277 respondents, asking where they camouflage and how much time they spend doing it. Three themes came out. The “dangers of camouflaging” theme tied the amount of time spent to exhaustion, isolation, poor mental and physical health, loss of identity and self-acceptance, others’ unreal expectations, and delayed diagnosis. The “positive aspects” theme named greater access to social spaces and protection from harm — camouflaging seen as necessary to survive in a world designed for the neurotypical majority. The third theme was being diagnosed and accepted as a reason not to camouflage as much as before.

The abstract concludes: “Time spent camouflaging is what seems to be most damaging”. Week 6 uses these accounts to discuss cost and pressure. Its recovery hours remain a planning device; time spent camouflaging does not establish a measure of time needed to recover. Participants identified society’s lack of awareness and acceptance as a reason they needed to camouflage. The authors’ lay summary also argues for reducing that pressure.