Radical Kindness

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Another Uncommon ADHD fact in honor of !

Did you know that Emotional Dysregulation can be a hallmark symptom of ADHD even though it doesn't appear in the diagnostic criteria?

First let's talk about what Emotional Dysregulation is exactly:

According to WebMD Emotional Dysregulation is: "a term used to describe an emotional response that is poorly regulated and does not fall within the traditionally accepted range of emotional reaction.
It may also be referred to as marked fluctuation of mood, mood swings, or labile mood." https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-emotional-dysregulation

Basically it's where you have a hard time feeling, regulating and expressing emotions. Your responses to difficult situations can become exaggerated i.e. bursting into tears if you perceive someone is mildly annoyed with you.

Or getting unrealistically angry when you lose something.

With Dysregulation, your emotions are purely reactionary, incredibly intense and seem almost impossible to stop once they get started.

What does this have to do with ADHD?

Well it has to do with brain chemistry.

In ADHD there can be a poor link between our Amygdala (responsible for emotional responses and decision making) and our Cerebral Cortex (responsible for inhibiting said emotions) https://www.additudemag.com/emotional-dysregulation-adhd-video/

Basically, in ADHD brains - the message to chill out doesn't get back to the Amygdala from the Cerebral Cortex.

So we do a lot of our emoting from the MOST reactionary part of our brains, with little ability to stop it.

That's why ADHDers have a hard time controlling strong emotions like anger, sadness, and even happiness. And why we have what is commonly known in the ND community as a meltdown. Our emotions are a freight train that can't be stopped once it's rolling.

The good news? There's help out there in dealing with your emotions. For me it was a combo of medication, which helped my neurotransmitters relay the STOP message, and mindfulness that finally gave me stability.

But there are also lots of options out there like:

-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
-Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
-Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
-Support Groups
-Exercise (to increase the neuro-messengers Dopamine and Serotonin)
-Speaking with a doctor and getting hormone levels checked/balanced
-Educating yourself on triggers, meltdowns, and other ADHD processes

Why isn't Emotional Dysregulation a main part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD yet if it's a core symptom?

Because Emotional Dysregulation can also be a symptom of:

-Trauma
-Physical Illness
-Depression
-Bipolar Disorder
-And many more

Mental Health professionals have to make sure there's not something else going on with you before they prescribe a treatment plan.

Also, the understanding of ADHD brains has come a very long way in a relatively short amount of time. The science still needs to catch up. I believe we will see Emotional Dysregulation as a main criterion for an ADHD diagnosis soon as it's already a known and widely accepted symptom in the mental health community.

References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282137/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7069054/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00070/full

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The text reads: Uncommon ADHD Facts - Emotional Dysregulation is a very common trait that co-occurs with ADHD, however it does not appear in the diagnostic criteria...yet.