eli5: How does ADHD/ADD create “emotional dysregulation”?

Question

eli5: How does ADHD/ADD create “emotional dysregulation”?

In: 1

Answer 1

Emotional dysregulation is not unique to ADHD, and not all people with ADHD have emotional dysregulation as a symptom.

Any situation or condition that puts the brain and body under prolonged or intense stress can produce emotional dysregulation: sleep deprivation/fatigue, hormone imbalances, anxiety, sensory overload, chronic pain, or childhood trauma, just to name a few.

People with ADHD also tend to experience these stressful situations / conditions more than average. Sleep disorders and anxiety, for example, are often co-morbid with ADHD.

I hope your doctor appointment gets you on a path to some relief.