ADHD & Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria
Have you heard of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)? People with RSD experience an intense and overwhelming reaction to real or imagined criticism and may view playful teasing as ridicule and mockery. RSD leads to rejection anxiety, negative ruminations, decreases in self-esteem, and self-isolating behaviors. People with RSD compensate with perfectionism or by people pleasing and often see themselves as failures for not living up to the expectations of others.
Although it has yet to become a diagnostic criterion for the diagnosis of ADHD, research suggests that ADHDers are prone to RSD. This prevalence may be due to a variety of factors. One of these factors may be in how stimuli affect the central nervous system, with ADHDers being affected differently and altering how they view and respond to what they perceive as rejection. Another factor is the accumulated past rejections ADHDers experienced due to their ADHD. People often judge ADHDers critically for their symptoms and this can make the ADHDers more sensitive to rejection. Finally, impulsivity can affect the ADHDer and lead to inappropriate responses to rejection (and this could lead to even more rejection).
My Story
RSD is irrational. To get the full picture of this, let me share with you a personal story.
This happened to me several years ago. I was running errands, and I pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store that was in a strip mall. As I was walking to the grocery store, I heard laughter erupting from an outside seating area at the ice cream parlor that was next to the grocery store. The laughter was coming from a mother and a school-age child eating ice cream at one of the tables. I did not know them. They did not know me. However, I heard the laughter as malicious and directed at me. My thought was, “They are laughing at me”. This caused me to panic and scurry quickly to the grocery store to get away from the “taunting”.
Now, rationally, I knew they weren’t laughing at me. They were enjoying ice cream on a hot day. But the negative emotions and the somatic trauma memories it touched in me were intense and very real. So real that I am talking about this innocuous event years later.
So… then what can we do to battle the effects of RSD?
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.What can we do?
The first step in battling RSD is acknowledging your symptoms and validating your experience. Take the time to remember that emotions are transient, and like ocean waves, grow, crest, then fall. So rest assured in riding the wave of the emotion knowing that it WILL subside.
Studies have shown that methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine can be effective in managing RSD. Guanfacine and clonidine may also be effective, however, no formal studies currently exist in the treatment of RSD in ADHDers.
And of course, seek therapy. A therapist can teach you coping skills and help you process your emotions around RSD.
Do you think you too could be affected by RSD? Take this Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria self-testhttps://www.additudemag.com/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-adhd-symptom-test/?src=embed_link from ADDittude to learn more.
References
Dodson, W. (2022, July 11). New Insights into Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. Attitude. https://www.additudemag.com/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-adhd-emotional-dysregulation/
Washington, N. (2021, April 27). What to know about ADHD and rejection sensivie dysphoria. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/adhd-rejection-sensitive-dysphoria
Watson, S. (2020, September 13). What is rejection sensitive dysphoria? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria
