ADHD, masking, and the fear of being perceived

PTSD-fueled hypervigilance can look a lot like masking: you’re constantly scanning your environment for threats, and modulating how you present yourself, so you can stay safe. To complicate matters, many Autistic people experience trauma at a young age, and have PTSD symptoms from that.

Unmasking in public feels nearly impossible, because when we are around people, it’s as if we have no thoughts or feelings of our own.