DESR: “Does ADHD Emotional Dysregulation Ever Fade?”

Emotional dysregulation is a core facet of ADHD that is excluded from official diagnostic criteria and most symptom tests — a contradiction that is pushing researchers and clinicians to further investigate the connection. One such ADHD expert is Russell Barkley, Ph.D., who has coined the term deficient emotional self-regulation (DESR) to describe this fundamental trait.

Deficient emotional self-regulation (DESR) is a new term describing an age-old problem of impulsive emotion and emotional self-regulation difficulties among people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD). Specifically, DESR refers to deficiencies in these four aspects of emotional regulation:

• The ability to inhibit inappropriate responses triggered by strong emotions
• The ability to self-soothe to reduce the severity of an intense emotion
• The ability to refocus attention from emotionally provocative events
• The ability to substitute healthier responses in the interest of long-term welfare

Though it’s not included in the condition’s DSM-5 criteria, DESR and emotional impulsivity are fundamental components of ADHD that shape an individual’s experiences and challenges throughout their lifetime.

Read the full article on Additudemag.com.