Emotional dysregulation is a common outcome for ND people. I think a significant root cause is invalidation. ND people have a different lived experience to most people and when that is combined with a societal environment that rewards conformance and punishes divergence, which usually manifests as confrontational outbursts (typically masculine) or fawning-avoidant (typically feminine) behaviour that seems dysfunctional to an onlooker.

These effects can amplify over time if not dealt with and they explain many of the negative life outcomes for ND people, reduced employment, increased criminal convictions, diminished academic achievement and increased mortality. I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere but in England the state of mental healthcare is truly shameful. I don’t consider the English to be a humane society, they treat pets with more care.

The good news is that it can be successfully treated and depending on when you start that process I think it’s possible to lead a life that isn’t constantly ambushed by emotional dysregulation. I was diagnosed at 47 ADHD, now 51 and while I am much better than I was there is a long road ahead. Still, what else am I gonna do?