Emotional Regulation

What's the deal with

and ADHD?

Emotion regulation refers to the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences in a healthy way that is in line with your long-term interests. For individuals with ADHD, emotional regulation can be a significant challenge, often leading to intense emotional reactions, mood swings, and difficulties in managing stress and frustration.

Earlier concepts of adult ADHD included emotion dysregulation as a defining feature. However, it was removed with the introduction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) because emotional regulation was difficult to measure reliably.

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“Many times, individuals with ADHD feel strong emotions that appear extreme or exaggerated to others. Recent research reveals that those with ADHD can become significantly more frustrated, can lose their tempers more frequently, and are generally more excitable than non-ADHD individuals. The fluctuating and distorted emotional responses contribute extensively to challenges in home life, school, and careers. For the most part, these big emotions are normal in every way except for their intensity.” — Tamara Rosier, PhD, Your Brain’s Not Broken

What it looks like:

Emotional regulation challenges in ADHD can manifest in various ways:

Intense emotional reactions that seem disproportionate to the situation
Staying in a negative mood longer than others might or having trouble de-escalating when upset
Low frustration tolerance
Difficulty filtering your response to a negative situation; acting impulsively
Increased irritability or anger outbursts
Struggles with anxiety or excessive worry
Difficulty handling criticism or rejection
Challenges in delaying gratification
Trouble maintaining motivation in the face of setbacks
Difficulty separating emotions from rational thinking
Struggles with emotional self-awareness
Tendency to become easily overwhelmed by emotions
Difficulty with unplanned changes or transitions

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The science:

The difficulties with emotional regulation in ADHD are closely linked to several brain differences:

Brain activity:
1. The prefrontal cortex, a brain region crucial for emotional regulation, impulse control, and mental flexibility, often shows reduced activity and altered connectivity in individuals with ADHD.
2. The amygdala is a brain region involved in emotional control, and is especially important for emotions related to survival, such as fear. Some studies show people with ADHD have heightened activity in the amygdala.
Brain chemicals: Dopamine and norepinephrine, brain chemicals which play roles in mood regulation, are often lower in people with ADHD.

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References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282137/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9821724/

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What you can do:

Improving emotion regulation involves understanding personal triggers, developing skills for handling them, and increasing emotional resilience.

Look for patterns: Keep a record of situations or events that lead to strong emotional reactions. Make note of the environment you were in, who you were with, what happened, what time it was, and external factors that may have impacted you (illness, forgetting to take medication, lack of sleep, etc).
Practice naming and recognizing feelings: Science shows that when we can understand and name our emotion, we are more likely to deal with it thoughtfully.
Create a plan for managing negative emotions: What makes you feel better when you are sad? What makes you feel better when you are frustrated?
Keep a consistent sleep cycle and exercise routine: Adequate sleep and regular exercise can increase dopamine in the brain, improving your ability to regulate emotion.
Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness techniques can help you observe your emotional reactions without immediately acting on them.
Use the STOP technique: Stop, Take a breath, Observe your thoughts and feelings, and Proceed mindfully when facing triggering situations.
Practice emotion regulation techniques: Learn and use strategies like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or grounding exercises to manage intense emotions.

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Go deeper:

Emotional Regulation and ADHD

Does Exercise Help ADHD?

Impulsivity in Action: Why ADHDers Struggle with Response Inhibition

Best Mindfulness Resources: ADHD Coach Favorites

Does Mindfulness REALLY Help With ADHD?

Best Mindfulness Hacks for ADHD Adults

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