Sticks and stones may break my bones, but rejection will crush me forever. In this episode, we are looking at rejection sensitivity, or RSD, through a neuroscience lens focusing on this paper to explain what may be happening in your brain when you experience this overwhelming and painful phenomenon associated with ADHD and autism.

We'll walk you through the treatments that work and some surprising treatments that don't work. You're going to learn something new in this episode, guaranteed.

00:00 Introduction and Overview of ADHD Symptoms

01:57 Exploring Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)

08:57 Science Behind RSD and Emotional Dysregulation

10:09 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Its Limitations

17:00 Understanding the Prefrontal Cortex

23:54 Personal Experiences with RSD

35:32 Neuroscience Insights and Expert Opinions

38:33 Understanding Emotional Shutdowns

39:47 The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex

42:11 Coping Mechanisms for RSD

43:43 Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

50:35 Medication Options for RSD

53:56 The Impact of Alpha-2 Receptor Agonists

57:31 Personal Experiences and Advice

01:06:53 The Importance of RSD Buddies

01:08:05 Final Thoughts on Managing RSD

Episode References: 

Russell Barkley on RSD

William Dodson on RSD

Research about how guanfacine manages rejection sensitivity in the brain

A look at the prefrontal cortex and dynamic network connectivity

Read next:

A brief explanation of CBT

A deeper look at CBT brain research

How is DBT different from CBT?

How does the prefrontal cortex impact ADHD and why do meds help?