The Rise of Late Diagnosis: Why So Many Adults Are Discovering They’re Neurodivergent

In recent years, there’s been a noticeable rise in adults seeking assessments for ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodiversity. Social media, increased awareness, and more honest conversations about mental health have all played a role. But beneath the headlines and hashtags is a very real lived experience: countless adults reaching midlife and finally discovering a name for the challenges and strengths they’ve carried for decades.

If you’re a counsellor, a loved one, or someone going through this journey yourself, this cultural shift matters deeply. Let’s explore why late diagnosis is becoming so common and what it means for emotional wellbeing.

Why Are So Many Adults Being Diagnosed Now?

A Generation That Grew Up Misunderstood

Many adults, especially women, those assigned female at birth and those from ethnic minority backgrounds, grew up at a time when neurodiversity wasn’t part of mainstream conversation. ADHD was stereotyped as hyperactive boys and autism was frequently misunderstood entirely.

As a result, many learned to mask, push through, and internalise their struggles.

Social Media Has Given Language to Lived Experience

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have created communities where people share relatable neurodiverse experiences, including but not limited to:

Sensory sensitivities
Rejection sensitivity
Executive functioning challenges
Emotional intensity
Burnout cycles
Masking and social fatigue

For many, this may be the first time they’re seeing their inner world reflected back at them.

Mental Health Crises Spark Curiosity

Burnout, anxiety, depression, and chronic exhaustion are frequently bringing people into therapy or assessment, where underlying neurodiversity often comes to light through exploration.

A Cultural Shift Toward Self-Understanding

We are living in an era of increased self-awareness. People are more willing and more empowered to seek answers about their brain, identity, and emotional patterns, which may often lead to diagnosis.

The Emotional Impact of a Late Diagnosis

Receiving a diagnosis as an adult can feel like a revelation. But it also comes with a myriad of complex emotions that working with a professional such as a counsellor can help clients navigate.

Commonly experienced emotions can include:

A sense of relief

There’s now a meaningful framework that validates their inner experience.

Loss or grief

Many people mourn the years spent struggling without support or understanding

Anger or resentment

Some feel let down by parents, teachers, or systems that missed the signs

A feeling of validation

A diagnosis can confirm what someone has always felt deep down but was either unable to express or make sense of

A sense of hope

Clarity and understanding can contribute to new coping strategies, increased self-compassion, and a chance to rewrite the narrative.

What Counselling Can Offer During This Transition

Therapy can play an essential role in supporting adults through the discovery, or rediscovery of their neurodivergent identity.

Some of the many things that therapy can support clients with in exploring their neurodiversity can include:

• Unpacking lifelong patterns

Many clients revisit childhood experiences, relationships, and moments of shame with new understanding.

• Reducing internalised stigma

Society often frames neurodivergence as a deficit. Therapy helps challenge these stories.

• Navigating disclosure

Who to tell, when to tell, and how to explain it.

• Managing burnout and emotional overwhelm

Late-diagnosed adults often arrive exhausted after years of compensating or masking.

• Developing new strategies that work with their brain

Practical support that is compassionate and tailored- not punitive.

How Society Is Changing (And How Far We Have to Go)

More people talking openly about neurodiversity is a step forward. Workplaces are beginning to adapt. Media representation is improving. But there are still gaps in assessment access- including long waiting lists, misdiagnosis, and systemic understanding.

The rise in late diagnosis reminds us how many people were missed, misunderstood, or told they just needed to “try harder.”

There is still a need for more accessible support, including better screening tools, as well as fully inclusive workplaces.

Final Thoughts: It’s Never Too Late to Understand Yourself

Whether someone is diagnosed at 8, 28, or 58, the journey toward self-understanding is equally valid. For many adults, realising they are neurodivergent becomes a significant turning point, and one that brings clarity, healing, and a deeper sense of self-acceptance.

Counselling can provide a grounded, validating space to navigate this new identity, rewrite old stories, and build a future that honours who they truly are.