Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is when you experience severe emotional pain because of a failure or feeling rejected. This condition is linked to ADHD and experts suspect it happens due to differences in brain structure. Those differences mean your brain can’t regulate rejection-related emotions and behaviors, making them much more intense.

Understanding the Context

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD) is a disorder that causes lasting pain, usually in an arm or leg, and it shows up after an injury, stroke, or even heart attack. Relative standard deviation, or RSD, is a measure of how closely the data is clustered around the mean in a sample or population. It provides an intuitive way of comparing variability across groups in terms of percentages, where comparisons would otherwise be difficult. Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is a term used to describe extreme emotional sensitivity and reactions to rejection in people with ADHD.

Key Insights

Although RSD is not a formal diagnosis or a part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, it is widely discussed among clinicians and in ADHD communities. People who experience RSD don’t handle rejection well. In fact, they find it hard to describe what they feel and often use words like “unbearable” or “devastating.” Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) has symptoms like pain, swelling, and skin changes, including sweating, warmth, coolness, and discoloration. Learn about its causes, symptoms and more. RSD is the largest independently owned refrigeration parts and HVAC equipment wholesaler in the western United States.

Final Thoughts

Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) causes intense feelings from even mild rejection. People with ADHD are more likely to experience RSD. RSD is also found in other forms of neurodivergence, like autism. Everyone experiences rejection at one time or another. It's a normal part of life.