Rejection Sensitivity Is Real — and It’s Not Just in Your Head
- Skylar Windham
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Ever spiral after a text that just says "k"? Or feel like your whole day is ruined because your friend didn’t respond with a smiley? That intense emotional response might not just be a quirk — it could be rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD), and it's closely linked to ADHD.
RSD describes the overwhelming emotional pain some people feel when they perceive rejection, criticism, or failure — even if it’s minor or imagined. It can lead to anxiety, people-pleasing, anger outbursts, or withdrawing completely. And it's not an official diagnosis, but it's gaining traction in ADHD research and lived experience narratives.
According to Dr. William Dodson, a psychiatrist specializing in ADHD, up to 99% of people with ADHD report symptoms of RSD. That’s huge. And while not every clinician uses the term, the patterns are well-documented: emotional dysregulation is one of the most impairing features of ADHD, especially in adults (Barkley, 2015).
Neuroscience studies have shown that the amygdala (the brain’s emotional processing center) reacts more intensely in people with ADHD. Combine that with a lifetime of being misunderstood, micromanaged, or told to “try harder,” and you’ve got a brain wired to expect rejection — and fear it deeply.
So what helps?
Self-awareness: Name the feeling when it happens
Regulation tools: Breathing, cold water, body scans
Communication skills: Share your experience with trusted people
Therapy: Especially CBT or DBT approaches to emotional regulation
RSD is exhausting, but it’s not hopeless. When you start to understand what’s happening inside your brain, you can start to untangle what’s real from what’s just a nervous system in high alert.
You’re not too sensitive. You’re responding to years of unacknowledged stress. And you deserve care and clarity.
Check out our Calm & Sleep tools to help build a more peaceful baseline, and stay tuned for more content on emotional regulation strategies.

(Sources: Dodson, W. (2019). ADDitude Magazine; Barkley, R. (2015). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment)