I also grew up as a "latchkey" kid from the 80's. I put latchkey in quotes because my mother had been leaving me home to fend for myself before I was even in school. I too was someone who prided myself of being an "adult from birth" and "raising myself" until my life started falling apart a few years ago (I'm 47). The cracks started to show and it turns out I'm a really emotionally immature person who stays in relationships where I am not valued and basically ignored.

I wish the pervasiveness of this invisible, and often ridiculed, condition of being chronically ignored and not cared for was a more common conversation. I think there are many people just living their lives out there who have no idea why they are so unhappy with their lives and often become targets of people who take advantage of them, whether it be emotionally, financially, etc.

I am constantly devouring any psychiatric article I can read about depression, CEN, anxiety. The first book written about CEN was published in 2012, so not a lot of peer reviewed or researched media are out there but there are a few books listed online you can buy if you just do a search for "childhood emotional neglect books". I wish you all luck on your journey!