British Singer Cat Burns reveals Autism, ADHD diagnosis

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If you're a Cat Burns fan, you'll know her lyrics are honest.

It's something she wants to extend to her personal life too - which is why she's opened up about her recent ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis.

The singer tells BBC Newsbeat the diagnosis has left her with a better understanding of herself, saying life now "makes sense".

But like lots of people, Cat's route to being diagnosed wasn't straightforward and she's sharing her story in the hope it helps others.

In 2021, the 23-year-old was told she had ADHD and then in April this year she tweeted to say she had also been diagnosed with ASD.

In the days after her ADHD diagnosis, Cat says she did a lot of reflecting on life leading up to it.

"It was non-stop, thinking about experiences in school like revising and studying and all the other things I struggled with daily," she says.

Although Cat's diagnosis was one step further to understanding herself, she still felt her brain was "different".

"I knew I had ADHD but I still felt there was a difference in my brain that I wanted to understand and explore.

"So once I got my autism diagnosis that helped me understand myself and just how much I've had to do in order to get to where I am."

Cat believes her road to diagnosis was harder because she's a woman and person of colour.
"I think it comes from the research that's out there and the idea lots believe women can't have autism, and then on top of that adults can't have autism," she says.

"It [research] needs to be across the board, but especially with women and black women."
Like most conditions, there are lists of symptoms for ADHD and ASD but Cat says they'll present differently depending on who you are.

One sign of autism is fidgeting, but, she points out, how a black woman fidgets will be different to a white man for example.

"I guess being a black woman, there's certain experiences we have that people won't be able to pick up on.

"For a black girl, it could be taking out her braids and putting them back in or something else to do with her culture that's overlooked."

Another way autism can manifest is a feeling of being overwhelmed when exposed to bright lights or loud noises.

You might think that would make performing difficult, but that's when Cat goes into "auto-pilot".

Although it was a song on TikTok that launched her career, she says performing is her bread and butter and the thing she enjoys those most.