People with emotional dysregulation often have extreme emotional reactions, including increased anger, anxiety, sadness, or frustration.
Emotional dysregulation is likely based on factors like mental health conditions, early childhood experiences, and brain chemistry. Cases can range from mild to severe, impacting everything from a person’s career to their relationships.
The most effective treatment options for emotional dysregulation include talk therapy, medication, and a combination of lifestyle changes and self-help strategies.
There are times in life when our emotions get the best of us and we react in ways that we’re not proud of. Feeling overwhelmed by your emotions (both positive and negative) is part of being human. But when these reactions happen often or feel hard to control, it may be a sign of emotional dysregulation.
Emotion dysregulation is an inability to use healthy strategies to manage negative emotions. The good news is that recognizing the signs of dysregulation is the first step in finding an effective treatment plan to help you manage your feelings and achieve your goals.
What is emotional dysregulation?
Emotional dysregulation is when someone has trouble managing their emotional responses. It can make it difficult to manage impulsive behaviors, cope with stress, or calm yourself down.
Emotional dysregulation itself isn’t an official mental health diagnosis. Instead, it’s a pattern or symptom that can show up on its own or as part of many mental health conditions.
Some people associate emotional dysregulation with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but they aren’t the same thing. BPD is a formal mental health diagnosis with several required symptoms, and emotional dysregulation is only one of them. You can have emotional dysregulation without having BPD. Many people with stress, trauma histories, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or mood disorders also face challenges with dysregulation.
People with emotional dysregulation often have emotional reactions that are out of proportion to the situation that triggered them. For example, your best friend cancels dinner plans due to a work emergency. Instead of saying “no problem” and rescheduling, you tell yourself that your friend is ditching you for someone else and spend the night binge eating.
Or you call to make a dentist appointment, and you’re told that your dentist doesn’t have availability for two months. Instead of booking for two months out or opting for a dentist with a shorter wait time, you take your anger out on the receptionist.
Emotional dysregulation can range from mild to severe, with severe cases impacting people’s careers, friendships and relationships, and ability to achieve their goals. It can even lead to recklessness, including self-harm and suicidal behaviors.
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Signs and symptoms of emotional dysregulation in adults
When someone has strong emotional regulation skills, they’re able to recognize that they’re emotionally charged and consider the consequences of their emotional response. But when someone is dysregulated, they may struggle to take a rational approach to managing their emotions.
People with emotional dysregulation have trouble regulating the quality and intensity of emotions like fear, anger, and sadness.
Some of the other leading signs and symptoms of emotional dysregulation include:
Trouble calming down
Decreased emotional awareness
Mood swings
Impulsive behaviors, like binge eating or unsafe sex
Trouble focusing attention away from emotions
Difficulty with making decisions
Feeling “numb” and ignoring responsibilities
Anxiety
Depression
Self-harm or suicidal behaviors
Unhealthy substance use
Examples of emotional dysregulation
Emotional dysregulation often shows up in everyday moments that feel much harder than they should. Some examples include:
Janie’s husband was late getting home from work, and instead of feeling annoyed, she felt overwhelmed and convinced he didn’t care about her.
Marcus didn’t hear back from a friend for a few hours, so he immediately thought the friendship was over and sent a long, emotional text.
Lena accidentally forgot a meeting at work, and she spent the rest of the day spiraling and telling herself she was “terrible” at her job.
After a stressful morning, Carlos impulsively bought things he didn’t need because it felt like the only way to calm down.
When Maya’s sister gave her gentle feedback, Maya froze, felt attacked, and avoided talking to her for the rest of the day.
These situations can feel intense in the moment, but many people experience them. With support and practice, emotional reactions can become easier to manage.
What causes emotional dysregulation?
Emotional dysregulation is likely based on a combination of factors, including:
Early childhood experiences
Childhood trauma — like physical abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect — is a leading risk factor for emotional dysregulation. Exposure to trauma during childhood can reduce your ability to understand and regulate emotions. It can also negatively affect your social functioning.
Mental health history
Although emotional dysregulation isn’t a diagnosable mental health condition, it is a feature of many mental health conditions. These include depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder (BPD), complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. It’s also associated with neurodevelopmental conditions like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Brain chemistry
Your brain chemistry may play a role in emotional dysregulation, with research showing a correlation between serotonin levels and aggression in people with BPD. And traumatic brain injuries are thought to alter the way people process and respond to emotions, potentially leading to irritability and aggressive outbursts.
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Treatment for emotional dysregulation
Emotional dysregulation is a mental health symptom, not a diagnosable condition. But it can still have negative consequences when left untreated. The good news is that emotional dysregulation can improve over time. With the right support, many people learn to manage their emotions more effectively and experience fewer intense reactions. It may not “go away” instantly, but it can get much better with consistent treatment and practice.
The most effective treatment options for emotional dysregulation include:
1. Talk therapy
Talk therapy includes a range of therapeutic approaches to address the mental, emotional, and behavioral issues associated with emotional dysregulation. Working with a therapist helps people identify harmful thoughts and behaviors, process trauma, and increase their emotional awareness. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) are both considered effective forms of talk therapy for emotional dysregulation.
2. Medication
There’s no medication approved for emotional dysregulation, but some medications can help manage dysregulation when it’s a symptom of a mental health condition. For example, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and stimulants may be effective for some people, but it’s best to speak with a psychiatrist to understand the right treatment for your mental health needs.
3. Lifestyle changes
Managing emotional dysregulation often requires a comprehensive approach that considers each person’s lifestyle and circumstances. Making simple shifts to your daily life — like getting enough sleep, committing to regular exercise, and limiting substance use — can improve your ability to cope with emotional challenges.
4. Self-help strategies
Emotional self-regulation is a learned skill, and there are plenty of strategies to help you develop that skill set. One way is to identify triggers associated with strong emotions and learn to reframe them in a way that changes their emotional impact. Other tips include naming your emotions, practicing mindfulness, and building a supportive network of trusted individuals.
When someone experiences emotional dysregulation, it’s not that they’re ‘too emotional’ — it’s that their system gets overwhelmed faster than they want it to. With the right tools and support, people can learn skills that help them slow things down and feel more in control.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Clinical reviewer
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If you’re having trouble managing your emotions or have noticed that your emotional reactions are starting to impact your work or relationships, consider meeting with a mental health professional. Emotional dysregulation is often a symptom of an underlying health concern, and you can effectively manage it with the right support.
At Rula, we’re here to help you feel better. Rula makes it easy to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who takes your insurance. That way, you don’t have to choose between great care and a price you can afford.
Rula patients pay about $15 per session with insurance, and 93% say they feel better after getting care through Rula. We have 21,000+ providers, and appointments are available as soon as tomorrow. We’re here to help you take the next step — wherever you are in your mental health journey.
Alex Bachert
Alex Bachert is a freelance copywriter and mental health advocate. Since earning her masters degree in public health, she has focused her career on creating informative content that empowers people to prioritize their health and well-being. Alex has partnered with organizations like Ro, WellTheory, and Firsthand, and her work has been recognized by the Digital Health Association.
When she’s not writing about mental health, Alex is usually playing pickleball, meeting with her local board of health, or enjoying time with her three kids.
Adrienne Duhon, LCSW
Adrienne has worked in the mental health field for over 10 years across a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, and telehealth. In her current role as a Clinical Quality Specialist at Rula, she supports therapists by providing clinical guidance, documentation support, and peer consultation, with a focus on improving quality of care. She is trained in CBT and specializes in working with people experiencing anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
Adrienne is passionate about mental health because she believes everyone deserves access to compassionate, evidence-based care that helps them thrive and feel supported. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and taking long walks with her dog.
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