Why Adhd Makes Emotions so Hard to Control (Emotional Dysregulation)

“Someone makes one offhand comment, and suddenly your whole day is ruined.”

If small things set off big emotional reactions, it doesn’t mean you’re too sensitive or bad at relationships. For people with ADHD, emotional dysregulation is a core part of the condition — not a character flaw. Dr. Mark Bertin explains what’s actually happening in the brain, and the four skills that make emotions easier to manage.

ADHD affects executive function — the brain’s self-management system. And because managing emotions runs through that same system, ADHD has a direct effect on how intensely emotions arrive and how hard they are to steer once they do.

Dr. Bertin also unpacks why the dopamine advice circulating on social media is misleading — or outright wrong — and why chasing quick hits of relief can keep people stuck in what’s sometimes called the happiness trap.

The four skills he walks through: building an emotional vocabulary, recognizing emotions in the body as they arise, noticing the stories we tell ourselves about our feelings, and practicing patience with emotions over time.

Mark Bertin, MD, is a doctor and ADHD specialist with over 20 years of experience working with adults and families. He is the author of several books on ADHD.

Timestamps:
0:00 Why small things trigger big reactions
0:39 Why ADHD makes emotions bigger
1:29 ADHD as the brain manager
3:01 Why dopamine hacks don’t work
3:39 Skill 1: Building an emotional vocabulary
4:20 Skill 2: Noticing emotions in your body
4:42 Skill 3: The stories we tell ourselves
5:04 Skill 4: Practicing patience
5:37 Treating ADHD as a whole
6:15 Change is always possible
#ADHD #EmotionalDysregulation