Rethinking Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)
The feelings are real, but they got the causes all wrong
Rejection sensitive
You may have heard this term going around, referring to something called “Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria”, or RSD.
There are a number of possible reasons those of us with ADHD experience emotions more intensely than others. We often struggle with emotional lability, emotional impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and negative intent attribution.
This has led to a lot of discussion about the term Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) in the ADHD community over the past few years. The detailed descriptions of what RSD feels and looks like resonate with so many people who also have ADHD.
I even wrote an extensive piece about it in the summer of 2021.
However…
Did you know that RSD is not in the DSM-V, nor is it recognized in the psychiatric or psychological communities?
Don’t get me wrong, people don’t need their experiences to be medicalized in order for them to be 100% real and valid. It can be extremely validating to have our feelings put into words and to find out that so many others have similar experiences.
