Navigating the world as an autistic adult can be challenging enough, but when you’re trying to seek a diagnosis and hit walls of skepticism, misunderstanding, invalidation, and outright gatekeeping, it can be downright discouraging. Unfortunately, there’s been a troubling trend in the mental health field where some providers are gatekeeping autism diagnoses, especially for adults—particularly women. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and it’s something we need to talk about.