Ins and outs of RSD

[Cinemaparadiso2]

I know very little about RSD but what I have learned is that it seems to be something that does me a lot of harm in my life. Could someone please enlighten me more about this issue, how it effects one and how best to deal with it?

[STEM_Dad]

RSD, or Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, is a relatively recent finding within psychology.

I don't think that it's a diagnosis, but rather a topic of study. But for many people with ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions, it seems to explain a lot about our lived experience.

[Mamamichl in reply to STEM_Dad]

Like an auditory processing disorder, is more like a symptom and not like an actual condition.

[STEM_Dad]

I found an excellent article about ADHD and RSD from a well-known ADHD expert Dr. William Dodson. He explains it way better than I can.

additudemag.com/rejection-s...

[Cinemaparadiso2 in reply to STEM_Dad]

I looked up the info from Dr Dodson and it just hit home. I’m going to share that with my therapist tomorrow . Thank you so very much STEM_Dad

[MorningDanceTrece in reply to STEM_Dad]

I went to check out that article and I already have it bookmarked 🤪👍🏻

[Mamamichl in reply to STEM_Dad]

That’s an amazing article stemdad! I like the term emotional armor. The way I’ve always looked at it is therapy gave me the strategies and the medication allows my brain to actually think about using the strategies I’ve learned. I couldn’t do better with one missing. I need both.

[MorningDanceTrece]

I'm still learning all of that myself.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria has been a huge negative part of my life unfortunately.

I would recommend going to YouTube and put in rejection sensitive dysphoria into the search feature.

I would also recommend checking out a group called ADDitide.

They have tons of helpful information for people with ADHD.

[Pedro0617 in reply to MorningDanceTrece]

Where do I find this group ADDitide? Is it on social media?

[MorningDanceTrece in reply to Pedro0617]

Try additudemag.com

additudemag.com/rejection-s...

The first link is to the main page and the second link is something specifically about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.

I apologize that my first comment was not more helpful and informative

[Mamamichl]

rejection sensitivity dysphoria is my biggest adhd symptom. It’s an overwhelming need to please everyone. It’s also a big fear to be judged or ridiculed by anyone.

In elementary school I would spend everyday in the hall way crying from a little kid banter. In high school, it was the need to please the teachers and do well in school. My life would feel over when I got a bad grade. This continues in adulthood with supervisors. In adulthood, it’s more like needing praise from coworkers and doing well with my supervisor. When my supervisor sees me as a burden, it spirals my anxiety and has me make more and bigger mistakes, which in turn cycles until I lose a job. I need to feel like I am making g other people feel accepted and helpful as much as I feel that need.

As a teacher, I can utilize my rad to help teach interest based learning through. I have a deep need to know what makes someone tick, and I use that knowledge to make friends or to help kids thrive in their learning. My rsd fuels my all or nothing thinking and has me feel like I’m on top of the world or the world is ending over so little as a call to one person.

[LifeAfterDiagnosis]

It's a very complicated symptom. I just discovered it recently and am not even sure to which of my disorders it belongs. One thing I understand is that it comes from trauma. One thing I've come to terms with, is that rejection by others was real in my childhood during trauma. But it's imagined at this point in my life. In other words, I may still feel rejected sometimes, but I have good people in my life now, and it's not anyone's intention to reject me. So, RSD can sort of be a lie that I tell myself to validate the negative core beliefs I have about myself.

My only advice to you would be to own and respect where your RSD comes from, but maybe challenge yourself by asking yourself in a given situation if it's real (you're truly being rejected) or if it's imagined (it seems like you're being rejected) and ask the person who hurt you if that was their intention.

Good luck to you!