125. Autism is the easiest piece: starting over after years of misdiagnoses

Feb 22, 2025

Malori shares her seven-year battle with misdiagnoses, reflecting on the journey to discovering her autism. She discusses the emotional toll of navigating the mental health system and the positive changes that followed her accurate diagnosis. The conversation highlights the importance of self-advocacy, the complexities of personal identity, and the need for open communication in healthcare. Listeners can resonate with the struggles of seeking help, the impact of societal perceptions, and the journey toward embracing one's authentic self.

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ANECDOTE

Autism Diagnosis Surprise

Malori was diagnosed autistic after a year of her therapist suspecting it but waiting for the right moment to tell her.
The diagnosis was a surprise but helped explain past misunderstandings and misdiagnoses.

ANECDOTE

Misdiagnosed With Bipolar Disorder

Malori was misdiagnosed with bipolar and psychosis due to lack of thorough assessment.
She was medicated without clear explanation, leading to distress and confusion.

INSIGHT

Systemic Causes of Misdiagnosis

Psychiatric diagnoses often come from providers using a narrow medical perspective, overlooking broader context.
Misdiagnoses result more from systemic issues and limited knowledge than provider malice.

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Malori talks about her experience of spending seven years being given various misdiagnoses and being medicated and treated for conditions that she didn't have. Now, with the knowledge that she is autistic, Malori reflects back on her journey through the mental health system, what she's learned, and what's changed for the better since she first sought help for the difficulties that she was experiencing back in 2015.

Content warning: in this episode, Malori shares some of her experience of getting treatment for an eating disorder.

Squarepeg is a podcast in which I talk to other late identified autistic women and nonbinary people about their lives, their autism journeys, and what they’ve learned along the way. I’m Amy Richards, and I was diagnosed autistic in 2016, when I was 37. I’ve been sharing my conversations with other autistic adults since 2020. I hope you'll find these conversations inspiring and thought provoking, and that they’ll help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

If you'd like to connect with me, get in touch or follow Squarepeg, you can find me on:Website: https://squarepeg.community/ Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

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