https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24099-rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-rsd
I always had this thing where randomly certain types of criticism, even small ones or ones where in hindsight it wasn’t really against me, WRECKED me. Like was all I could think about for days, where I wasn’t able to sleep that night at all, just overwhelmed with negative emotions. I still remember the overwhelming feeling of sadness and frustration I got once because I got a question marked wrong in like the 4th grade because I didn’t “show my work” properly even though I got the answer right.
When I was younger this was a fun combination, because I was undiagnosed ADHD sufferer school was a place I got a good amount of criticism. So yeah I got called a crybaby a good amount. Which of course… more criticism. Yay.
I grew out of the crying (as any man should, I was told), but never grew out of random insults hitting me as hard as if someone I love just died. There were hobbies/games/communities I adored that I quit suddenly because a single snide comment for some reason filled me with such negative emotions I couldn’t do said thing without thinking about it all the time.
But now as I just got my ADHD diagnosis and learning that RSD is a symptom that goes along with it, it makes SO MUCH SENSE, and is now something I can work with my counselors on.
But yeah, just curious if the cry baby thing was a shared experience.
I also just heard about RSD and wonder if I have this as well. I have ADHD as well.
Literally I was taking online quizzes casually wondering if I have bipolar (I know they’re not legit) because I’ve had crazy mood swings lately. The description of RSD said it is often misinterpreted as bipolar. There are certain things my wife will say that just really devastate me and send me spiralling. The worst part is I know I’m overreacting and misinterpreting but it hardly helps.
My mom thought I had bipolar as well when I was a teen!
Because I would spiral and become so agitated/depressed for no reason. (There usually was a reason. It was usually dumb, and I couldn’t explain why it made me so unreasonably upset.)
Then other times I would become hyper focused on a thing where I wouldn’t eat/sleep.
So I can certainly understand why those two things could be confused for mania/depression to a layman.
RSD, in my understanding, is just a thing that happens to a lot of ADHD folks and not a separate diagnosis. Some of the readings say the fact that we know it’s illogical makes it worse, cause we feel stupid/embarrassed by our actions.