What is Emotional Dysregulation? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

As a baby, you probably weren’t able to know the difference between minor discomfort and major issues. You probably cried at most minor inconveniences, and that’s totally fine!

As people develop, they learn how to regulate their emotions. Things that used to seem like a big deal are now considered minor inconveniences and things like criticisms are easier to hear without having an emotional response.

Emotional regulation is something that is learned over time. However, there are some events and conditions that can affect a person's ability to self regulate their emotions. These can be so intense, the emotions can become dysregulated.

In this article we’re going to do a deep dive into:

  • What is emotional dysregulation
  • The two types of dysregulation
  • What causes emotional dysregulation
  • Related disorder
  • Treatment options

We hope this article will help you better understand emotional dysregulation and ways to gain confidence and control over your emotions..

What is Emotional Dysregulation?

Emotional dysregulation occurs when someone has a difficult time managing their emotions. This can look like wild mood swings, poor impulse control, unpredictable outbursts of emotion, and feeling overwhelmed by things others would consider minor.

It’s very common for children to experience emotional dysregulation. That’s because they’re still developing their social emotional awareness. However, it can persist through adolescents and into adulthood. At that point, it will become a bigger issue.

Some mental health issues also feature emotional dysregulation as a symptom. It could be a stand alone issue, or influenced by a mental health disorder.

Common Triggers 

For many, emotional dysregulation is triggered by events in daily life. One moment they’re feeling regulated and well, the next they’ve lost control.

  • Relationship conflict can trigger emotional dysregulation. People who experienced familial trauma or have specific attachment styles may feel overwhelmed when conflict arises. 
  • Overwhelming environments like loud streets, busy areas, and messy locations can trigger dysregulation. Overwhelming environments get in the way of keeping emotions under control.
  • Stressful situations will commonly trigger emotional dysregulation. When fight or flight responses kick in, emotions are harder to control.
  • Reminders of trauma, whether it be a person, place, thing, or random thought, can trigger episodes of dysregulation. Trauma reminders can often cause flashbacks that are disturbing and hard to move past.

Someone who experiences emotional dysregulation regularly should take some time examining their triggers, if any. Everyone will have different triggers and responses to those triggers.

Image: an AI-genterated rusty old row boat, empty, on a still lake. Text: common triggers of emotional dysregulation include relationship conflict, overwhelming environments, stressful situations, and reminders of trauma.

Symptoms

Emotional dysregulation symptoms can show in many different ways. The basic premise of this issue is that emotions are harder to regulate and mood can often swing. With that being said, these are the common symptoms of emotional dysregulation:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Self-harm behaviors
  • Suicidal ideation or attempts
  • Outbursts of anger or sadness
  • Difficulty calming down
  • Poor impulse control.
  • Risky behavior
  • Shame

Some of these symptoms are felt after moments of dysregulation. Someone may feel shame for experiencing emotional dysregulation and acting out against a loved one.

Long Term Effects 

Emotional dysregulation is often associated with lifelong struggles with relationships, school, and work. However, there are more long term effects that people may experience. These long-term effects include:

  • Suicidal ideation
  • Behavioral addictions
  • Substance abuse disorder
  • An inability to deal with conflict

Living with emotional dysregulation is hard, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Sequoia Behavioral Health is a residential treatment facility for those struggling with substance use disorder and other mental health issues. 

If a lifetime of dysregulation has caused major issues in your life, reach out to Sequoia Behavioral Health.

Different Types of Emotional Dysregulation

Emotional dysregulation can look different for everyone and there are three types that people commonly experience.

1. Hyperarousal

Hyperarousal essentially means our brains and bodies are working overtime. While dysregulated, the body is looking for a sense of safety. Episodes of hyperarousal are the body seeking safety through vigilance.

This type of dysregulation is defined by a hyper sense of vigilance caused by fight or flight instincts. It’s not too dissimilar from anxiety. While in a state of hyperarousal people may experience:

  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Angry outbursts
  • Excessive startle reflex
  • Issues regarding attention
  • Hypervigilance
  • Impulsive behavior

Hyperarousal is hard to move past and can quickly begin to interfere with daily living.

Related Articles: Sleep Disorders

2. Hypoarousal

On the other end of the spectrum is hypoarousal. Dysregulation doesn’t only occur when feelings and emotions are high. Hypoarousal is a state of emotional dysregulation that happens when mood and feelings are low.

Stressful situations rightfully arouse people to a sense of vigilance. When hypoarousal occurs the person’s nervous system is understimulated by stress. Situations that should be exciting or scary are met with feelings of numbness. Many see this as the freeze trauma response.

Hypoarousal can be a difficult feeling to deal with. The things that should make a person elated, happy, and excited no longer have that effect. This disconnect between body and feelings can be distressing and lead to feelings of depression.

What Causes Emotional Dysregulation?

People who experience dysregulation often tend to have markers that point to a cause. 

Image: a girl in a red hoodie, leaning against a bed, looking out of a window in a dimly-lit room. Text: Causes of emotional dysregulation include trauma, brain injury mental health disorders, and unidentifiable issues.

Trauma

One of the more common causes of emotional dysregulation is trauma. Whether the trauma is from childhood, or occurred during adulthood, trauma has a way of rewiring and reshaping the brain and causing dysregulation.

Studies have shown that people who have experienced trauma have a smaller hippocampus and an overactive amygdala. These changes are clearly seen in people who experienced complex trauma throughout childhood, but they can occur at any age.

These changes make emotional regulation more difficult.

Related Article: Trauma and Emotional Dysregulation

Brain Injury

The frontal lobe of the brain plays an important role in regulating emotions. Both interpersonal and while in social situations. 

If the frontal lobe is damaged, emotions will be harder to regulate. That includes all emotions.

Mental Health and Behavioral Disorders

The inability to regulate emotions is often a symptom of a mental health condition. The mental health conditions associated with emotional dysregulation includes:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Attention disorders
  • Bipolar disorder

We’ll discuss how each of these disorders relate to emotional dysregulation further down the page.

Unidentifiable Reasons

There isn’t always a clear cause for emotional dysregulation. For some people it might be a genetic factor or linked to their personality. It’s also possible to experience dysregulation at seemingly random times for no reason.

Related Disorders

More often than not, emotional dysregulation in adults is connected in part to a mental health condition.

Image: two hands, seemingly reaching up into a ray of light in a dark room. Text: emotional dysregulation is often a symptom of other mental health conditions.

‍PTSD

As discussed earlier, trauma has a way of changing the brain. These changes can be amended over time, but while the brain is struggling to process difficult events, emotional dysregulation will likely occur.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is developed when someone experiences trauma and is unable to process it. These memories live uncategorized in the brain and often come back as distressing flashbacks.

Flashbacks and living through traumatic memories can cause dysregulation.

Related Articles: What are the Signs of Repressed Trauma?

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by unstable moods and behaviors. Many of the symptoms associated with BPD are symptoms of emotional dysregulation. That includes impulsivity and sudden mood changes.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious mental health condition defined by intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety and compulsive behaviors to quell that anxiety.

OCD creates intense intrusive thoughts that are difficult to move past without engaging in ritualistic behavior. These thoughts, feelings, and emotions are difficult to control and therefore is considered emotional dysregulation.

Autism Spectrum Disorder 

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that impairs people’s ability to interact and communicate with others. The severity and symptoms range widely from person to person.

A common symptom of ASD is sensory issues. Some people within the autism spectrum are hypersensitive to stimuli and may have difficulty regulating emotions when stimulation becomes too much.

Other people on the spectrum are sensory seeking. Meaning they need stimulation to keep their system balanced. Most people will use stimming as a way to self regulate these feelings.However, sensory overload can occur if stimuli becomes too much.

Some people who are autistic can easily become dysregulated.

Attention Disorders

The DSM-V includes emotion dysregulation as a feature that supports an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Some professionals would even consider it a “key component of ADHD.”

Emotional dysregulation is not a universal symptom of ADHD, but it is very common. This symptom of ADHD can create difficulties across all areas of life.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by episodes of extreme manic highs and depressive lows. Episodes can last anywhere from days to months. 

Manic episodes are characterized by high spirits, elation or extreme irritability. During a manic episode someone will have more energy and may feel jumpy or wired.

Depressive episodes are characterized by low spirits, depression, and hypoarousal. During these episodes someone will have low energy and doing anything at all is difficult.

These kinds of episodes are emotional dysregulation.

Related Articles: The Difference Between Bipolar Disorder and Depression

Treatment for Emotional Dysregulation

Emotional dysregulation can be treated. Some people may always need to work at keeping their emotions regulated. However, with the right help and support, emotional regulation is possible.

No image, text: Emotional dysregulation can be treated with therapies that improve mindfulness and medications that help stabilize mood.

Talk Therapy

The most common way to treat emotional dysregulation is through therapy. During therapy, clients will be able to work through trauma, current issues, and learn new exercises and tools to help them daily.

Therapies used to treat emotional dysregulation includes:

  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
  • Grief therapy or trauma therapy depending on cause

If you’re wondering how to deal with emotional regulation, consider reaching out to a therapist. They can help you find the root cause and walk you through exercises and habits to help you.

Related Resources: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Grief Therapy

Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness is the ability to be present and in the moment. Being able to observe surroundings and be aware of what is currently happening. People with low levels of mindfulness will have a difficult time being present or adapting their emotions to the current situation.

Mindfulness practices help improve mindfulness through intentional exercises that help people sustain attention and examine their present situation.

Exercises most likely used to improve mindfulness includes:

Most of these exercises can be used outside of therapy and throughout the day. Overtime, these exercises will help people regulate their emotions better.

Related Resources: Sound Baths, What Does it Mean to be Grounded?

Medication

Some cases of emotional dysregulation can be improved with the help of medication. This includes mood balancers and ADHD medication. 

If your health care professionals think medication is a good idea they’ll be able to walk you through the options available to you. Only take medication as directed by your healthcare provider.

Treating Underlying Conditions

Because emotional dysregulation is often a symptom of a mental health condition, getting treatment for that condition will improve emotional regulation.

The options available for treating these underlying conditions vary greatly. For example, if emotional dysregulation is rooted in PTSD trauma therapies like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are great options.

However, if you’re experiencing dysregulation due to ADHD, medication and training are often preferred. 

Related Articles: Trauma Therapy 

Holistic Treatment For Emotional Dysregulation

Emotional dysregulation is something that requires a holistic approach. The reason it’s being experienced is more than likely connected to other things happening in your life. Receiving treatment for emotional dysregulation could very well mean receiving treatment for something else.

Sequoia Behavioral Health offers holistic mental health treatment programs for a plethora of conditions including dual diagnosis. While attending inpatient or outpatient treatment we’ll treat the root of your problem and the symptoms.

Reach out to find out if Sequoia Behavioral Health is the right fit for you.