“‘You’re So Emotional!’ Why ADHD Brains Wrestle with Emotional Regulation” [Video Replay & Podcast #316]

Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#316), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on July 28, 2020.

Joel Nigg, Ph.D.
ADHD Expert: Joel Nigg, Ph.D. Verified Updated on April 19, 2023
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Episode Description

One of the most difficult — and under-appreciated — challenges of ADHD is managing the intense emotions and moods that hijack our everyday lives. Emotional dysregulation — or the inability to properly modulate and regulate feelings — is often seen in people with ADHD, starting in childhood and lasting into adulthood. It is cited by many patients as a formidable problem, yet emotional instability isn’t even listed as a core symptom of ADHD in the DSM-V.

Emotional instability is not unique to people diagnosed with ADHD, but it presents a unique source of impairment in patients with attention deficit. Tantrums, anger, and emotionality related to ADHD increase stress, decrease positive connections, and generally make life difficult. This pattern, in turn, erodes the resilience required to manage ADHD in the first place.

It is important for clinicians to recognize that emotion control problems may be the most important and disruptive challenge faced by both children and adults with ADHD. The good news is that there are effective treatments that address it head-on.

Listen and learn from Joel Nigg, Ph.D., about:

  • Recent research studying the role of emotion in managing ADHD
  • The latest science explaining how anger problems fit into the core ADHD syndrome
  • Common clinical misunderstandings about emotions and ADHD, and the challenges of distinguishing between those emotions and bipolar disorder symptoms
  • The most effective treatments for managing emotional dysregulation
  • How clinicians can determine if uncontrolled anger stems from ADHD or another condition
  • How to manage ADHD when anger regulation is the main problem for children or adults

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

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Read More on Emotional Dysregulation and ADHD from Dr. Nigg:

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on July 28, 2020, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Joel Nigg, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and a professor in the departments of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Oregon Health & Science University. He directs the OHSU ADHD Research program and is also director of the division of psychology. Dr. Nigg is the author of Getting Ahead of ADHD. He has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers related to the neuropsychological, cognitive, and temperamental correlates of child ADHD, to ADHD genetics, and to MRI- based research and theoretical interpretations of brain development in ADHD. | See expert’s full bio »

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Listener Testimonials

  • “Dr. Nigg was very knowledgeable and excellent in breaking down the information in an easily understood way.”
  • “This was a very informative webinar! Thank you! One of the best that I have attended!”
  • “Presenter was excellent: clear communicator and well organized.”
  • “A lot of usable and applicable info in a short amount of time, easy to understand. Thank you, Dr. Nigg!”

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this week’s ADDitude webinar is….

Play Attention: Enhance brain health and performance. For over 25 years PLAY ATTENTION has been helping children and adults thrive and succeed. Our NASA inspired technology and cognitive exercises improve executive function and self-regulation. Each program includes a Lifetime Membership and a Personal Executive Function Coach to customize your plan along the way. Call 828-676-2240 or click here for a FREE 1:1 Consultation. | www.playattention.com

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

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