“My emotions are too intense! It’s so difficult to control my reactions and even harder to calm down when overwhelmed. Why is it so?”
Have you ever thought about something like this? Have you ever felt like a high-speed bolide that accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in a second? Such a reaction without even understanding the situation might be a result of ADHD emotional dysregulation.
“No, it can’t happen to me. I don’t experience any symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.”
In fact, emotional dysregulation isn’t exclusively a symptom of ADHD. Moreover, it can manifest differently from person to person.
So, we’ll delve into what this phenomenon means, the bond between ADHD and emotional dysregulation, and how you can recognize it. Let’s take a step toward a more fulfilling life together.
What is Emotional Dysregulation?
In a nutshell, emotional dysregulation refers to a person’s difficulties in controlling emotional responses.
This might lead to extreme reactions, often inappropriate to the situation. It might seem like a person overreacts to specific triggers, feeling “all or nothing” and getting overblown immediately.
Chronic emotional dysregulation is common among 4-6% of people globally.
But how can it feel? You may start crying and get extremely upset when plans change, get angry because of a minor critical word, or feel exasperated when your favorite type of cheese is sold out in the supermarket.
It’s completely OK to feel troubled if something bad happens. Most people experience intense emotions during serious life challenges like getting fired or divorced. Moreover, there are highly sensitive persons, who live with heightened sensitivity.
However, for those with emotional dysregulation, all negative triggers can lead to overwhelming emotional episodes. Whether you miss a bus or break your favorite cup, everything feels like a life-changing and terrible disappointment.
Do you want to understand why it’s difficult for you to control your emotions? Or do you want to learn what roadblocks you face when communicating with others?
Is Emotional Dysregulation a Disorder?
Actually, no. There’s no emotional dysregulation disorder. This phenomenon is a symptom, not a cause. Furthermore, even people without any mental health conditions might experience it from time to time.
So, what are the most common cognitive differences that can lead to significant and rapid mood changes?
- Borderline personality disorder (BPD). Emotional dysregulation is a key feature of BPD that is common for everyone experiencing this mental illness. Nevertheless, while all people living with BPD deal with emotional dysregulation, not everyone living with emotional dysregulation has BPD.
Do you want to check whether you’re likely to display borderline personality disorder characteristics? Take a 5-minute BPD test.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emotional dysregulation is also one of the hallmarks of PTSD. It’s common for people with this mental health condition to have trouble controlling emotions, especially under trauma-related triggers.
- Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD). This condition is only common among children and adolescents. It causes irritability, anger, mood swings, and extreme temper outbursts.
- Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Not all people living with ASD experience emotional dysregulation. However, studies have found that children and teens with autism are 4 times more likely to have a problem managing their emotions.
Other mental health conditions may lead to difficulties with emotional control as well. In some situations, professionals can observe emotional dysregulation among people with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, etc.
What’s more, emotion dysregulation is a core symptom of many neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic brain injury.
Pro insight. Childhood trauma also increases the risk of emotional regulation problems in adulthood. Traumatic events from the past influence our ability to control impulses, negatively influencing communication skills. Check whether you have childhood trauma and how it affects your life by taking a free test.
Does ADHD cause emotional dysregulation? Let’s answer this question in the next section.
Is Emotional Dysregulation a Symptom of ADHD?
The answer to this question is quite controversial.
Around 25-45% of children and 30-70% of adults with ADHD also have difficulties regulating emotions. However, emotional dysregulation isn’t one of the major markers in diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
It’s better to say that emotional dysregulation is a noticeable component of this mental health condition and an internal part of the ADHD iceberg.
ADHD & Intense Emotions. How It Can Feel Like
If you’ve seen the movie “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” you probably remember the character Margot Covey. This is an excellent example of how emotional regulation can manifest.
Margot is the responsible older sister who experiences a breakup with her long-term boyfriend. As a result, she has difficulties managing emotions, communicating feelings effectively, and maintaining relationships with people around her. She can turn from deep sadness to anger or emotional unavailability quite quickly.
While Margot experiences mood fluctuations because of significant stress, her reactions are pretty similar to ADHD emotional dysregulation in adults. Here’s how it can manifest.
Emotional Outbursts
What is emotional dysregulation? First of all, it’s about difficulties with emotional control and short fuse, which sometimes seem out of proportion to the cause. How often do you ask yourself, “Why am I so angry for no reason?“
Every small event can turn into a catastrophe in your head, and every minor problem can feel like a tragedy. As a result, a person may react without considering the consequences, just under the influence of the overwhelming emotional response.
Difficulty Calming Down
So, this happened. Emotions have taken hold, and now you need to move past it.
However, people with emotional dysregulation tend to dwell on something for very long. Imagine that your partner didn’t wash the dishes before leaving home, and now you need to do it before starting cooking.
People without cognitive differences might be slightly irritated but quickly forget about it. But if you experience ADHD emotional dysregulation, you might become furious and start an argument even hours later. Refocusing attention and calming down can be too challenging.
Low Frustration Tolerance
While ADHD stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, living with it often means struggling with frustration or boredom.
Sometimes, it turns into ADHD hyperfixation on an absorbing activity, but more often, people need to shift focus and get quick results.
Emotional dysregulation only empowers this feeling of sadness and anxiety when something in this chain goes wrong. This is why people living with it might turn their feelings from peaceful to fiery in seconds.
Feeling Lots of Emotions at Once
Does ADHD cause mood swings? In some cases, yes.
But there’s also a common situation when people have difficulties identifying what they’re feeling. It’s something like a sensory overstimulation, but from something you’re feeling inside.
Being bombarded by intense emotions that are difficult to cope with might be extremely overwhelming.
Challenges with Understanding Others’ Feelings
The ability to recognize the emotions of people around us is an element of high emotional intelligence (EI). However, for those living with emotional dysregulation and ADHD, whether it’s a child or an adult, this can be a mountain to climb.
Understanding human emotions and responding to them appropriately may be particularly challenging. However, this is a skill that people with ADHD can improve.
Do you feel confused and suppose that you might experience ADHD emotional dysregulation symptoms? Take a free test from Breeze to learn more about your current state.
How does ADHD affect emotions in adults?
To cut a long story short, the essence is in our brains. Parts such as the amygdala and the frontal cortex are responsible for ADHD mood swings.
The amygdala is a so-called “data-processing center for emotions.” Studies have found that people living with ADHD symptoms tend to have smaller amygdala volumes.
As a result, such people might face stronger emotions and have difficulty controlling impulses.
What happens next? When you get angry, sad, or scared, the amygdala sends the message to the prefrontal cortex, which helps decide what to say and do next. Moreover, it can inhibit emotional response to the trigger if necessary.
However, for people with emotional dysregulation and ADHD, this connection is weaker. Thus, it’s more challenging for them to regulate their reactions, act on them appropriately, and calm down after experiencing overwhelming feelings.
To make it clearer, let’s take a look at one of the ADHD emotional dysregulation examples.
Picture yourself sharing something meaningful with your friends who keep interrupting you. By the fourth time, one of them adds an unnecessary comment, and you’re seething with anger.
Instead of confidently saying to stop doing it, you start shouting, feeling your frustration boil over. Your friends know how difficult it is for you to control your emotions, so they try to calm you down. Nevertheless, it took you nearly an hour to regain internal balance.
The Bond between Emotional Dysregulation & ADHD
So, now we know why small seatbacks might lead to such extreme reactions. Besides, you understand that ADHD frustration feels differently.
But what about going a bit further?
Flipping emotions from “a peaceful sunset” to “a lightning storm” often happens because of a combination of factors. How do symptoms of ADHD empower emotions and people’s reactions? Keep reading to learn.
- Executive dysfunction refers to difficulties with planning, focusing attention, memorizing, and getting things done. Moreover, it also covers the challenges of controlling thoughts and emotions.
While executive dysfunction is common for 90% of kids with ADHD, this leads to their low frustration tolerance and impaired task management. As a result, they find it difficult to control overwhelming emotions in daily challenges.
- Hyperactivity. People living with ADHD symptoms typically make enormous efforts to stay concentrated and maintain structure, which often leads to ADHD burnout.
While they strive to be constantly on the go, shifting focus immediately, it might be difficult to process emotions. This can lead to emotional dysregulation, particularly in relationships, as people may be too impulsive.
- Comorbid disorders. Around 20-30% of people with ADHD also experience the symptoms of depression, while 25% live with anxiety disorders. If a person lives with two or more mental health conditions, it might be more challenging to handle emotional dysregulation in ADHD.
Note that when considering comorbid disorders, it’s important to distinguish between ADHD vs. bipolar disorder, as they might share overlapping symptoms but require different treatment approaches.
- Medication side effects. Finally, yet importantly, emotional dysregulation may result from ADHD treatment. Some medications can cause emotional fluctuations and intense feelings, leading to problems with their regulation.
If you experience something similar, it’s better to contact your healthcare provider to improve your treatment.
How ADHD Mood Swings Influence Daily Life
Can you believe that ADHD affects up to 5% of Americans? Most probably, you know at least one person who lives with this mental health condition (whether diagnosed or not) or its symptoms.
At the same time, we can’t deny that ADHD emotional dysregulation might considerably influence our quality of life. So, let’s learn what challenges people with ADHD may experience. This will help us become more empathetic and supportive of ourselves and everyone around us.
- Relationship difficulties. If a person has problems with emotional control, it often leads to more arguments with partners, friends, and family. In some cases, the situation may turn into toxic relationships. Without meaning to, you can bring your loved ones down, causing communication problems.
- Work or study conflicts. Stress from complicated tasks and strict deadlines can cause outbursts of anger or anxiety. Moreover, if people with emotional dysregulation feel unmotivated, and this leads to procrastination, they tend to experience guilt complex and feel deeply overwhelmed.
- Mental health problems. People living with ADHD and emotional dysregulation might experience low self-esteem and constant self-doubt. As a result, they face a greater risk of developing other mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression. Moreover, some of them opt for substance use, which negatively affects mental health.
- Physical health issues. There’s another side of the coin. Because of increased stress, people living with emotional dysregulation have increased cortisol levels. This might cause headaches, weight gain, acne, heart disease, fatigue, etc.
How to deal with ADHD emotional dysregulation? It might be best to contact your healthcare provider and identify the necessary treatment together. Additionally, you can track your mood with Breeze to learn more about what triggers intense emotions and how to cope with them.
