Many children with ADHD have other disorders as well as ADHD, such as behavior or conduct problems, learning disorders, anxiety and depression1,2. The combination of ADHD with other disorders often presents extra challenges for children, parents, educators, and healthcare providers.
The mood disorders most likely to be experienced by children with ADHD include dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder. Dysthymic disorder can be characterized as a chronic low-grade depression, persistent irritability, and a state of demoralization, often with low self-esteem.
Up to 80% of children with ADHD experience problems regulating their emotions. These areas of difficulty can manifest as: Frequent mood changes. Difficulty noticing other people's emotions.
Kids with ADHD can also have tantrums or meltdowns. These meltdowns can be extreme and often involve crying, yelling, and fits of anger. When a child has a meltdown, parents may feel overwhelmed and not know what to do.
The brain connectivity networks that carry emotional information don't work well for people with ADHD. “Processing emotions starts in the brain,” says Thomas Brown, Ph. D. “Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion.”
People who have ADHD frequently experience emotions so deeply that they become overwhelmed or “flooded.” They may feel joy, anger, pain, or confusion in a given situation—and the intensity may precede impulsive behaviors they regret later.
“Challenges with processing emotions start in the brain itself. Sometimes the working memory impairments of ADHD allow a momentary emotion to become too strong, flooding the brain with one intense emotion.” Thomas Brown, Ph. D., explains why (and how) ADHD sparks such intense anger, frustration, and hurt.
Center for Parent Information and Resources lists 6 types of emotional disturbances: anxiety disorders, • bipolar disorder, • conduct disorders, • eating disorders, • obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and • psychotic disorders. behavior affects educational performance.
Similarly, people with ADHD can also experience 'meltdowns' more commonly than others, which is where emotions build up so extremely that someone acts out, often crying, angering, laughing, yelling and moving all at once, driven by many different emotions at once – this essentially resembles a child tantrum and can ...
Increased anxiety: Yelling may trigger a “fight or flight” response, aggravating ADHD symptoms. Diminished self-esteem: Chronic exposure to harsh words could cause a decline in self-worth and self-confidence.
In one study, researchers found that people with self-reported ADHD symptoms earned lower scores for affective empathy compared to other participants. However, they were still within the range of what's considered typical for empathy levels overall.
Sensory overload can trigger meltdowns easily, especially when we cannot do something about it. When we are faced with intense or too much external stimuli, breakdowns can be hard to avoid.
Regular mealtimes and sleep schedules are essential for children's emotional and physical development. Talk about your feelings when appropriate. Encourage your children to talk about their feelings. Label your child's feelings and discuss emotions as they arise in books or television shows.
Adults with ADHD are more likely to be anxious and sad. Untreated, these conditions may make your emotional control worse, so it is smart to address these professionally.
Having trouble understanding what other people might be feeling, e.g., not realising someone is upset, or being unempathetic in a situation. Feeling lots of emotions at once and shutting down due to being overwhelmed.
Behavioral counseling (as in CBT) has clear evidence pointing to its benefits in treating emotional regulation problems for adults with ADHD. Specifically, these therapies improve skills in the following: Interior regulation: refers to what individuals can do within themselves to manage out-of-control anger.
The stimulants most effective in treating emotion dysregulation and anger outbursts as an adult ADHD medication are lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse)* and methylphenidate*. Non-stimulant cognition-enhancing medications, such as Atomoxetine**, are sometimes used to treat ADHD and increase emotion regulation.
A brain dump gets all the ideas out of the head by listing them on a single sheet of paper or writing each one on a Post-It note.
Emotional regulation can be challenging for children with ADHD, and bouts of anger are common. In fact, it's estimated that anywhere between 40–65 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD also have a condition called Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD, which includes anger as one of its symptoms.
That's a classic executive function and impulse-control problem. “Rude” behavior can also stem from misinterpretation of social cues and interactions. Inattention causes people with ADHD to miss parts of social interactions.
Feeling sad or down. Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate. Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt. Extreme mood changes of highs and lows.