According to certain studies, the emotional dysregulation It is associated with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). These works seem to prove that children, adolescents and adults with ADHD show imbalances in their emotional regulation, apart from the classic symptoms of inattention and impulsivity.
However, it is a symptom that is often overlooked. This could be one of the reasons why many cases of ADHD continue to be misdiagnosed and do not find a solution to their problem.
Next, we are going to clarify what is meant by emotional dysregulation and why it is so common in ADHD.
Definition of emotional dysregulation
The emotional dysregulation It consists of an altered ability to control emotional response. This entails disproportionate and misaligned reactions with the situation that the subject is experiencing. It is characterized by:
- Emotional responses that do not correspond to the reason for the problem.
- Emotional lability.
- Difficulty calming down.
- Low tolerance to frustration.
- Frequent anger attacks, irritability.
- Feeling of being totally dominated by your emotions.
- Inability to see beyond the emotion and refocus the situation.
The smallest reasons are framed as enormous problems, it is what is called “making a mountain out of a molehill.” In such a way that their reaction does not differentiate a serious problem from another without objective importance.
A forgotten symptom in the diagnosis of ADHD
Towards the mid-70s, different researchers focused on the emotional dysregulation as one of the defining characteristics of hyperactive children. However, this symptom did not appear then in the main manuals of psychiatric disorders. Surely due to the difficulty involved in measuring it compared to others, such as ease of distraction, excess motor activity or hyperactivity itself.
In this way, emotion was relegated to the background within the conceptualization of ADHD.
Why is emotional dysregulation so common in ADHD?
Apart from studies that support the thesis that emotional dysregulation is an important characteristic of ADHD, other research supports a neuroanatomical basis. The tests carried out maintain that there is a structural basis in the brain that justifies the dysregulation within the ADHD disorder. In this regard, it has been pointed out that ADHD patients would present less developed brain areas with less activity.
The investigation continues, although still without definitive conclusions. So far, science seems to have located two main causes of the close relationship between emotional dysregulation and ADHD:
- Amygdala hyperactivity: This part of the brain is responsible for emotional responses, so its hyperactivity triggers exaggerated reactions.
- Underactivity in the frontal cortex: a poorly active cortex has no capacity to inhibit the power of these reactions.
These two characteristics combined would provide a favorable terrain for the explosion of temperament, impulsivity, exacerbated sensitivity and other traits that identify ADHD.
.