The Bachelor alum Demi Burnett revealed to fans that she's been diagnosed with autism. Demi competed on Colton Underwood's season and also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise. Earlier this year, Demi got transparent with her fans on Instagram and opened up about her declining mental health. She posted about working to better her mental health after suffering from "mental breakdowns." She revealed that she was trying to stay sober while also getting help from mental health professionals. While Demi can be a polarizing figure in Bachelor Nation, she was very vulnerable for sharing this peek into her real life.
This isn't the first time a cast member's mental health has been in the spotlight. The current season of The Bachelor, featuring Clayton Echard, showed one contestant getting bullied for having ADHD. Shanae Ankney dismissed Elizabeth Corrigan's struggle with ADHD and badmouthed her to Clayton. Clayton ended up sending Elizabeth home, much to the chagrin of the fans. Since then, Clayton has apologized for not knowing the extent of the situation. In an Instagram Q&A, Elizabeth revealed that she and Shanae haven't spoken since being on the show. All of this has opened up a necessary conversation about mental health and understanding what others are going through.
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Demi opened up about her autism diagnosis on Instagram. "I did a psychological evaluation and I’m autistic. There is a huge stigma when it comes to autism," Demi wrote. "I encourage you to be open minded and accepting." Along with her caption, she posted a series of "memes" about autism and a photo of her in yellow gloves and sunglasses. Some of the pictures from the photo carousel include ways to support autistic people, a definition of ableism, and a notes app screenshot of the thought process that goes into figuring out you have autism. Demi went on to say that she will continue to share her journey and pursuit of "a better quality of life." She also stressed that no one is "alone" and that it does "get better." Bachelor franchise alums like Elyse Dehlbom and Tracy Shapoff commented with their support.
Other Bachelor alums have also spoken about their mental health and the impact the show had on it. Former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe opened up about her struggle with depression. She revealed that being in the media so much caused her depression to relapse. She was able to recover due to her previous experience with this mental illness and the help of her friends and family. Because Kaitlyn already experienced similar struggles in her 20s, she knew it was most likely temporary and had the right mindset to pull herself out of it. Kaitlyn is now engaged to fellow Bachelor franchise alum, Jason Tartick.
Mental health is an important topic that is slowly being discussed more in The Bachelor franchise. A lot of contestants on the show experience some sort of mental health struggles, even if it's just anxiety from being in such an unusual situation and in the public eye. Mostly, it's refreshing to see this topic being discussed without any stigma on such a large scale.
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The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Source: Demi Burnett/Instagram