On this episode, it's a return to the Word of the Week (WOW) Series. In honor of ADHD Awareness Month, I'm focusing on Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which frequently co-occurs with ADHD.
On this episode, it's a return to the Word of the Week (WOW) Series. In honor of ADHD Awareness Month, I'm focusing on Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which frequently co-occurs with ADHD.
I'm Jessica Kidwell, and this is Neuroversity a space to expand our understanding of neurodiversity and elevate neurodivergent voices and experiences. I want to bring back an old series I started in season one. Do you remember the Word of the Week series? That's where I share with you a term or phrase that impacts neurodivergent individuals or is often used when discussing neurodiversity in general. I want to bring that series back today and talk about rejection sensitive dysphoria, or RSD for short. This is a term that is closely associated with ADHD and, since October is ADHD Awareness Month, I think we should get more RSD aware. So, fellow curious minds, let's get started.
Jessica Kidwell:
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. When I first heard about RSD, I definitely didn't understand the full scope of it and, frankly, I may have even judged it as not being real. Luckily, in season one, episode 25, I spoke with Lisa Hicks, a latent life diagnosed ADHDer and a neurodivergent life coach. Lisa helped me begin to understand RSD more, and I've come to realize that rejection sensitive dysphoria is not only real but extremely powerful and overwhelming. So now that I know better, I think I can do better at spreading the word about RSD. Before I dive in, it's extremely important to credit work, so I want to cite the resources I use for informing my understanding of RSD. I've cited their work on this podcast before and will always be grateful to Dr Megan Anna Neff for her neurodivergent insights blog and website. She recently focused on RSD and has significantly informed my knowledge on the subject. I additionally cite information from the Cleveland Clinic. All of these sites and subject matter experts are linked in the show notes and I encourage you to visit them to learn more.
Jessica Kidwell:
To understand rejection sensitive dysphoria, we should first look at the shared human experience that is rejection sensitivity. Dr Neff describes this as directly linked to an evolutionary need for humans to belong as a means for survival and as a means to have physical and emotional connection. Belonging to a group was quite literally a survival technique Food, shelter, protection it was all easier as a collective. Therefore, as we seek to belong, we also have a sense of when we do not belong and that perceived or actual rejection from belonging can cause discomfort. That is rejection sensitivity, a very normative human experience, and in today's world, when we are not being chased by predators or fighting for daily survival, our need to belong shows up in relationships, in work, in our community, lots and lots of places, which also means there are lots and lots of opportunities for rejection sensitivity to show up. Disappointing a loved one, feeling iced out by a friend, failing at a project, not achieving a goal this all can trigger rejection sensitivity. So how does rejection sensitivity then become rejection sensitive dysphoria? As a reminder, dysphoria indicates an intense feeling of discomfort or distress. So this means that for RSD, a person experiences intense feelings of discomfort or distress if there is an actual or even a perceived rejection.
Jessica Kidwell:
Although not exclusive to ADHD, rejection sensitive dysphoria is very commonly found in those with an ADHD diagnosis, like we're talking. 99% of those with ADHD also have RSD. Why would that be? Well, part of ADHD is heightened sensory receptors anyway. Sounds, sights, smells, tastes they can all be turned up to 11 on a 1 to 10 scale, and that includes less tangible senses as well Hyper focus, anyone. That's a heightened sense, so it tracks that rejection sensitivity could also be turned up to 11.
Jessica Kidwell:
In fact, many people with RSD report that they feel actual physical pain when they experience rejection, like a punch to the chest or stomach, and it is extremely difficult to regulate any emotional response to rejection or failure because those emotions are felt so intensely, while rejection, failure or even criticism can cause many people to feel embarrassed, self-conscious, angry or sad. If you have rejection, sensitive dysphoria, those feelings will be extremely intense, so much so that they may appear to other people as inappropriate levels of reaction, for instance, bursting into tears, yelling or snapping at someone, procrastinating or even not starting projects or tasks for fear of it not going right or not doing it right, conversely, having extreme perfectionist tendencies for any level of task or project, just so you make sure you don't fail. This is why someone with RSD may struggle in school, with interpersonal relationships, with anxiety or depression and being willing to try new things. And unfortunately, all of these responses can be caused not just by explicit failure or rejection, but also by perceived rejection or even possible failure. This fear of perceived rejection can cause a preoccupation with any potential criticisms and a near constant experience of worrying what others may think. Many people with RSD describe a hypervigilance to social cues happening around them, constantly scanning situations to see if a possible negative response is happening. This level of vigilance is exhausting and can cause many people to isolate themselves from social or work interactions in order to give themselves a break from that constant state of worry. And in work or school settings, perceived rejection can contribute to an unwillingness to try new subjects or projects because the fear of failure is just too large to overcome.
Jessica Kidwell:
So what can be done about RSD? Well, first and foremost, understanding that it is real is a good start. Instead of lumping these reactions into someone being overly dramatic or too sensitive or a hothead or needs to work on their self-esteem, maybe start with a curiosity about why the big reaction is happening. Remember, if you or someone you know has ADHD, there is a 99% chance that they also have rejection-sensitive dysphoria. So shifting the lens on how you see the reaction as being a part of how their brain is wired may lead to a place of sympathy or empathy as opposed to a knee-jerk judgment. To find out more about RSD, I highly recommend checking out Dr Neff's neurodivergent website, as well as looking up the studies done by Dr William Dodson. He is a board-certified psychiatrist and adult ADHD specialist. He is doing the most concrete studies about RSD and understanding its link to ADHD. I will link to information about Dr Dodson, as well as Dr Neff's website, in the show notes. I hope you found this episode helpful. I guess rejection-sensitive dysphoria isn't exactly a word of the week, more like a phrase of the week, but I guess if I just say RSD, then word of the week works as always. Feel free to reach out to me about today's show or any other topics that you'd like to hear about on Neuroversity. Alright, fellow curious minds, until next time. I hope you have a great week and I look forward to speaking to you again on another episode of Neuroversity.
Jessica Kidwell:
Neuroversity is hosted and produced by Jessica Kidwell. Our audio engineer is Jarrett Nicolay at Mixtape Studios. Jarrett also created our theme music. Graphic Design for Neuroversity by Kevin Adkins. Web support is provided by George Fox. For more information about this episode, ways to support the podcast or anything related to Neuroversity, please visit our website at www. neuroversitypod. com. You can also follow us on your podcast app and social media sites. We are at NeuroversityPod on Instagram, twitter, linkedin and Facebook and if you like what we're doing, please tell others about Neuroversity and give us a review on Apple Podcasts. There's plenty of room for more curious minds to enroll.