What is emotional dysregulation?

We define emotional dysregulation as those answers poorly modulated and extreme that hinder the ability to function effectively. An example of this is not being able to stay calm and ending up speaking badly to someone we love. Also, binge eating after having a bad day at work or arguing with our partner.

If there is something we often hear, it is that every emotion is valid and serves its purpose. However, It is one thing to experience any emotion of intense negative valence (such as anger) and another to let ourselves be carried away by them.. We have all, for example, seen those people who insult and treat someone badly as a result of poor management of frustration.

Likewise, it is important to know that, when this characteristic is particularly extreme, it is related to multiple psychological disorders. An example of this is bipolar disorder. However, at some point we can all suffer a specific and episodic episode in which we manifest a poorly adjusted emotional outburst, with its obvious consequences.

Factors such as avoidance, rumination and denial intensify emotional dysregulation.

Characteristics of emotional dysregulation

Who most and who least has ever felt overwhelmed by their emotions?. There are always situations that can trigger these intense responses. However, reacting vehemently to an adverse context is normal. What is abnormal and even pathological is reacting in an unbalanced manner in a seemingly everyday situation.

It happens when a person returns from work stressed and violently takes their anxiety on the family. It also occurs when a teenager resorts to self-harm due to dissatisfaction with her body or due to problems at school.

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines dysregulation as any excessive and overwhelming response that threatens our well-being.

Components that define it

Emotional dysregulation is a highly intense phenomenon that is accompanied by multiple processes. Thus, in a research work by Gratz & Roemer, the capital factors that orchestrate this psychological state were detailed. We analyze it:

There is a clear lack of awareness, acceptance and understanding about the emotions they experience at that given moment.The person experiences denial of what they feel. They do not accept it and, generally, end up projecting that emotion through other means: screaming, crying, self-harm, etc. They do not show any strategy to handle that situation. What’s more, generally, people with emotional dysregulation They tend to intensify that state through rumination, irrational worry, and denial.

How does it manifest?

This inability to regulate emotions derives from deficient strategies for psychological regulation of what we feel and what happens to us.

Now, it is important to know that Emotional dysregulation results in many cases from mental disorders. In general, it is common to have people who have been repeating the same behavioral, cognitive and emotional pattern for months or years.

Average, We usually see the following associated manifestations:

They filter their reality and each experience through the filter of negativity. They suffer from sleep disturbances. Psychosomatic alterations. They usually have attention problems.Problems maintaining relationships, friendships, etc.Tendency to argue, sometimes violent or off-color. Work problems (difficulty being productive, reaching agreements with co-workers, etc.).Explosions of anger, crying, etc.Self-harm. Alterations in eating.Possible risk of using addictive substances, such as alcohol or drugs.

What is the origin of emotional dysregulation?

Research such as that carried out by Dr. Russell A. Barkley highlights that often we can see signs of emotional dysregulation in two-year-old children which later show attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

They are boys and girls with greater problems regulating anger and anguish. Although the mechanisms of why this occurs are still unclear, it is something that is frequently seen.

On the other hand, and as we have been pointing out, this difficulty in controlling emotions is usually associated with more than one mental problem. These would be some examples:

People who have suffered childhood trauma often show signs of emotional dysregulation.Bipolar disorder also shows this characteristic. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is another example. Borderline personality disorder (BPD). Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (ADDD) is a condition in which this difficulty appears manage and control emotions. It affects children and adolescents who show intense outbursts of irritability and bad behavior.

Emotional dysregulation is often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Treatment for emotion dysregulation

An effective and valid strategy to treat emotional dysregulation is dialectical behavioral therapy.. This approach effectively helps people control their emotions. Thus, among the objectives that make up this therapeutic methodology are the following:

Change and work on unhealthy behaviors that increase suffering. Understand, become aware of and regulate emotions. Improve interpersonal relationships. Improve attention and relaxation skills.Learn to tolerate anguish and resist frustration.

To conclude, although it is true that we can all have specific problems in the control and regulation of our emotions, the essential problem is when this reality becomes a constant. This is when we must request expert help.

You might be interested…