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Post by iz42 on Apr 7, 2022 0:14:19 GMT
I have come to believe that I have ADHD and RSD and it's making me wonder if that's what has caused my issues in past relationships. I'm wondering if others have experience with this? I notice that I struggle with it in most of my interactions and it makes it very difficult for me set boundaries when I know I'll be hurting someone's feelings. I agonize over these kinds of things. It comes with a strong sense of shame for being this way and not having a stronger "sense of self." It even happens with strangers -- when I see others expressing frustration (in the car, in the grocery store) I take it very personally and assume that I am to blame for whatever is going on with them. I've long struggled to figure this out and now I wonder if it's RSD.
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Post by tnr9 on Apr 7, 2022 11:38:36 GMT
I have come to believe that I have ADHD and RSD and it's making me wonder if that's what has caused my issues in past relationships. I'm wondering if others have experience with this? I notice that I struggle with it in most of my interactions and it makes it very difficult for me set boundaries when I know I'll be hurting someone's feelings. I agonize over these kinds of things. It comes with a strong sense of shame for being this way and not having a stronger "sense of self." It even happens with strangers -- when I see others expressing frustration (in the car, in the grocery store) I take it very personally and assume that I am to blame for whatever is going on with them. I've long struggled to figure this out and now I wonder if it's RSD. Hi there…have you discussed this with a medical professional? There are medications for ADHD and likely there is therapy for RSD….but I would encourage you to discuss them.
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Post by usernametaken on Apr 7, 2022 16:37:37 GMT
RSD is an interesting thing. Since I am diagnosed ADD, BPD, PDD, GAD and cPTSD, with an FA attachment, I have read a lot of literature on all of these, and they all overlap. Have you had an official psych assessment just to make sure there isn't something else?
Even though not officially recognized, the line between RSD and these other things seems to be that people go through therapy, usually CBT or DBT and their symptoms do not change. DBT is the gold standard for emotional reactivity.
While traditional ADHD stimulants won't help with RSD, I have seen that sometimes drugs that lower blood pressure have been reported to help.
As I've gone through therapy, and spent a lot of time learning how to set boundaries and raise my self esteem my reactivity to things is way down. One thought that really helps is I am not so important or powerful to be impacting people nearly as much as I think I am. We are all just running around worrying about ourselves. In the off chance that I did impact someone, all I can do is try my best, I am not responsible for their feelings.
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Post by iz42 on May 23, 2022 22:53:12 GMT
RSD is an interesting thing. Since I am diagnosed ADD, BPD, PDD, GAD and cPTSD, with an FA attachment, I have read a lot of literature on all of these, and they all overlap. Have you had an official psych assessment just to make sure there isn't something else? Even though not officially recognized, the line between RSD and these other things seems to be that people go through therapy, usually CBT or DBT and their symptoms do not change. DBT is the gold standard for emotional reactivity. While traditional ADHD stimulants won't help with RSD, I have seen that sometimes drugs that lower blood pressure have been reported to help. As I've gone through therapy, and spent a lot of time learning how to set boundaries and raise my self esteem my reactivity to things is way down. One thought that really helps is I am not so important or powerful to be impacting people nearly as much as I think I am. We are all just running around worrying about ourselves. In the off chance that I did impact someone, all I can do is try my best, I am not responsible for their feelings. I was diagnosed with ADHD by my primary care doctor but have not had an official psych assessment. My mom and sister have also been diagnosed, so it's very likely that i have it too. I take wellbutrin, which is sometimes prescribed for ADHD. I will look into the non-stimulant medications that you mentioned. Right now I'm more focused on finding self-acceptance. I find it frustrating that I was not diagnosed earlier in life. I think this happens pretty often with women who have inattentive ADHD. I didn't realize until the past year (at age 40) that it was having such a huge impact on my life -- especially around emotional regulation and RSD. My current therapist does not specialize in ADHD but she has been helpful in helping me figure out new approaches to these challenges. I'm realizing that much of what I thought was anxious attachment is probably symptoms of ADHD. My boyfriend is securely attached but he has ADHD too...and even though our relationship is secure, we run into challenges around RSD. He tends to respond to threats with anger, whereas I get sad and hypersensitive. It's going to take a fair amount of effort for us to work through this. I am hopeful because we both want to make the effort, and he is a kind and thoughtful person. Being more aware of the situation helps immensely.
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