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Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria

HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
Does anyone here deal with RSD? It's a symptom of ADHD, but I don't see how it couldn't maybe even be related to ASD or other developmental issues.

Links to info about it:
https://www.additudemag.com/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-and-adhd/
https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria

I personally find rejection and perceived rejection by others to be almost unbearable due to this. I am very sensitive to it, even though I try to act like I'm not, and it negatively affects my self esteem and makes me avoid interacting with people sometimes. The avoidance is also probably self-fulfilling, since it makes me seem uninterested in others, but I find it hard not to do so, especially when I think I've done something to make someone lose respect for me.

I also find dealing with the combo of ASD + RSD interesting yet infuriating, since rejection from others is almost guaranteed when you're autistic, and then there's this added layer of overwhelming sensitivity whenever I experience it that I can never truly get used to.

Comments

  • I am dealing with rejection issues in therapy. I have ADD and CPTSD though I think that my "people pleasing" and fear to say what I really feel to avoid conflict/being rejected/ disliked is really difficult to get past. I have managed to reduce the fear of reprisal after saying something that might be taken badly and I obsess about it much less after conversations. I have always believed that it is the result of abuse/ childhood, I have never connected it to ADD/ADHD. This is interesting, my ADHD son had a wonderful childhood (relatively) and he is devastated by any form of rejection so there is food for thought there.
  • Statest16Statest16 Citizen, Mentor
    Yea rejection is painful
  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
    Teach51 said:
    I am dealing with rejection issues in therapy. I have ADD and CPTSD though I think that my "people pleasing" and fear to say what I really feel to avoid conflict/being rejected/ disliked is really difficult to get past. I have managed to reduce the fear of reprisal after saying something that might be taken badly and I obsess about it much less after conversations. I have always believed that it is the result of abuse/ childhood, I have never connected it to ADD/ADHD. This is interesting, my ADHD son had a wonderful childhood (relatively) and he is devastated by any form of rejection so there is food for thought there.
    I think the trauma throughout my life has definitely made my fear of rejection + my reactions to it worse, though I also have been like this since I was a toddler, to the point that I remember that I used to become really sad/angry over it. I also have always had attachment issues to a degree (again from trauma), so that strong of a reaction then could still be from that. These things make this a bit confusing because I can't truly decipher what is from RSD or just emotional issues.
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